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Looking down at a bowl of beef stew with chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes, peas, and celery in a brown broth.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This slow cooker beef stew is made by browning beef and sautéing vegetables before slow cooking with potatoes and carrots in a savory broth.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 530 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil split
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 2 pounds stew meat (chuck roast cut into 1-1.5 inch cubes)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup celery sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cups carrots chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1.5 pounds baby yellow potatoes cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • fresh parsley chopped for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil:

    Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan or 5-quart braising pan over medium-high heat.

  • Coat beef in flour:

    In a large shallow bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, celery salt, and several generous pinches of salt and pepper. Coat beef cubes in the flour mixture.

  • Brown beef batches:

    Place half the beef into the pan and brown on all sides. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and sear the second batch of beef. Move all beef to the slow cooker insert.

  • Sauté onion and celery:

    Without cleaning the pan, add butter and let it melt over medium heat. Toss in onion and celery with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring now and then, for about 4 minutes.

  • Cook garlic and tomato paste:

    Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and dried thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.

  • Deglaze with Worcestershire and vinegar:

    Pour in Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.

  • Transfer to slow cooker with vegetables:

    Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add carrots, potatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Gently mix everything together.

  • Cook on high or low:

    Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

  • Thicken with cornstarch slurry:

    Mix 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water. Stir the slurry and frozen peas into the stew and cook on high for 1 hour.

  • Finish and garnish:

    The stew is ready when potatoes are fork-tender and meat falls apart easily. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top before serving.
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