Super Simple Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe – delicious and foolproof
Updated
This slow cooker beef stew recipe is super simple and near idiot proof.
Very little prep is required to make this delicious dinner, let the slow cooker do all the work!
As well as being super simple, this recipe is also a great one to use up leftover meat and vegetables to avoid wastage. We’ve used carrots, celery and onion but you could easily add mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, swede and so on.
The ingredients below will make for around 6-8 servings. Enjoy on its own or with some mashed potatoes or crusty bread.
Ingredients
To make 6 servings
- Approx 900g beef
- 4 carrots
- 1 large onion
- 700ml beef stock (from a cube is fine)
- 1 clove of crushed garlic or a teaspoon of easy/lazy garlic
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée/paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon cornflour (optional)
- Mashed potatoes, bread, etc. to serve (optional)
How to make Super Simple Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
- Start by roughly chopping up the veg.
- Cut up the beef into approx 2-3cm cubes if not already and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and brown the beef for around 3-5 minutes. You may have to do this in batches as you don’t want to crowd the pan.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker.
- Fry the garlic and onions in the same fan for a couple of minutes, until onions begin to soften. Add to the cooker with the other chopped veg.
- In a jug, make up the beef stock per pack instructions and add to the slow cooker.
- Add in the minced garlic (or a teaspoon of easy/lazy garlic), Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste/purée, herbs and the bay leaf.
- Stir everything together well and cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Optionally, to thicken the stew, combine two tablespoons of cornflour with around three tablespoons of cold water and stir into the slow cooker before cooking on high for a further 30 minutes. Alternatively, you could add some beef gravy granules.
- Serve either on its own or with mashed potatoes or crusty bread.