Beef Stew (Crockpot Recipe)

A comforting, classic recipe for beef stew - crockpot version! Tender beef chunks with carrots and red potatoes all wrapped up in a buttery, velvety thick gravy.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword slow cooker

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 469kcal

Author Lauren's Latest

Equipment

Crockpot

Ingredients

For the Beef Stew:

1 yellow onion diced
4 large carrots peeled and sliced into large coins
2 lbs red potatoes halved or quartered, so they are all the same size
2 pounds stew meat
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt & pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
5 cups beef broth
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Beef Stew Thickener:

6 tablespoons salted butter very soft, at room temperature
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, optional

Instructions

Prepping the Beef Stew for the Crockpot:

Prep onions, carrots and potatoes and place into cold crockpot.
Dry stew meat as best as you can using paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour and toss to coat evenly. Brown meat in batches, using a large, heavy-bottomed skillet and olive oil. Cook over medium high heat to form brown crust, but not to cook thoroughly. As meat browns, transfer over to crockpot.
Once all meat has browned, de-glaze pan with about 2 cups of beef broth and pour into crockpot. Top with remaining broth, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and more salt and pepper.
Cover and turn crockpot to high. Cook 4-5 hours or until meat is very tender and carrots and potatoes are fork tender. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

How to thicken Beef Stew:

In a small bowl, stir butter with flour and cornstarch until a smooth paste is formed. Spoon the butter-flour paste into the crockpot and stir gently to melt and spread it evenly though the contents of the crockpot. Cover and cook another 20 minutes to thicken completely.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Stir in chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot.

Nutrition