Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew
2012-12-09- Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean
- Course: Entree
- Skill Level: Easy
- Servings : 4-6
- Prep Time : 20m
- Cook Time : 5:00 h
- Ready In : 5:30 h
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Nutritional Info
This information is per serving.
-
Calories
380 -
Calories from Fat
135 -
Total Fat
16g -
Saturated Fat
6g -
Trans Fat
0g -
Cholesterol
85mg -
Sodium
460mg -
Carbohydrates
31g -
Dietary Fiber
5g -
Sugar
7g -
Protein
29g -
Serving Size:
About 11 oz. (325g)
Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew is a simply 1-pan meal that needs no stirring or monitoring. What could be simpler than preparing your stew the night before or morning of your meal and then place it in your slow cooker, go to work or school, and return to a hot meal?
Cooking time depends on whether you use the low or high setting. The high setting usually cooks foods in about half the time. Good for meals you want to serve in 4 to 6 hours. Foods left on low setting can take 10 hours or more hours to cook. Follow your cookers instructions to determine the correct setting.
Use this recipe as a baseline to prepare dozens of variations by adjusting the amount of each ingredient or adding other ingredients like corn, mushrooms, turnips or spinach. There is no limit to the number of variations.
Substitutions
- Substitute chicken or pork for the beef.
- Omit the meat for a vegetable stew.
- Substitute turnips for all or part of the potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) extra lean beef chuck or stew meat cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) ground black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1-2.5ml) crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bay leaf (fresh or dried)
- 3 (175g) carrots, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
- 1 large (250g) onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 stacks/ribs (125g) celery, coarsely sliced
- 1 cup (130g) frozen green peas
- 1 medium (300g) russet or other potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120ml) dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon (30ml) corn starch to thicken liquid (optional)
Method of Preparation
Step 1
Combine flour, salt, peppers, and thyme.
Step 2
Add meat to slow cooker. Pour flour mixture over meat and stir to coat.
Step 3
Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook 10 to 12 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high or until meat is fork tender. Stir stew prior to serving.
Step 4
To thicken liquid, add cornstarch to 2 tablespoons (30ml) of cold water, stir, pour over stew and stir to combine. Liquid will thicken in 1 to 2 minutes.