Old-Fashioned Beef Stew
The stew your grandmother made, adapted for the slow cooker. Everything goes in raw; the long cook does the tenderizing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 min
- Yield: 8 bowls 1x
- Category: Soups & Stews
- Method: Slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 carrots, sliced thick
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper until coated.
- Brown the beef in the oil in a hot skillet, working in two batches so it sears instead of steaming. Scrape everything into the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery and potatoes to the crock.
- Stir the broth, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce together, pour it in, and add the bay leaves and thyme.
- Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, until the beef and potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaves, stir in the frozen peas, and let stand 10 minutes before serving with bread and butter.
Notes
If the stew is thinner than you like, stir 2 tablespoons cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water and cook on High, uncovered, for 15 minutes.