Crock Pot Country Beef Stew

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 03/9/22
Crock pot country beef stew

Lauri Patterson / Getty Images

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 6 servings

A mouthwatering beef stew is an essential item in almost every home cook's repertoire, and low and slow is the perfect way to cook it. The benefits of slow cooking are many, but coming home to a delicious, fully cooked meal is perhaps the most rewarding. 

Make this country-style beef stew with good, lean stewing beef (chuck), or use round steak if that's what you have on hand. Vegetables include potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery, along with peas, which go into the stew about 15 to 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Substitute with mixed vegetables if you'd like.

The tapioca is a common thickener for crock pot dishes. If you don't have quick-cooking tapioca, thicken the stew with a slurry made with flour and water. See the tips below the recipe for details.

Enjoy this beef stew with a crusty artisan loaf or homemade bread and a tossed green salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds stewing beef

  • 4 medium carrots

  • 3 medium onions

  • 6 medium potatoes

  • 3 stalks celery

  • 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

  • 1 cup unsalted or low-sodium beef stock

  • 6 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 dash ground allspice

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, or oregano

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed

Steps to Make It

  1. Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes.

  2. Peel the carrots and slice them into 1/4- to 1/2-inch rounds.

  3. Peel and chop the onions.

  4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes.

  5. Slice the celery.

  6. Combine the chopped and sliced vegetables in the slow cooker with the beef, tomatoes, beef stock, tapioca, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves.

  7. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. 

  8. Taste the stew and add the allspice, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper, as needed

  9. Turn to high and add frozen peas about 20 minutes before serving.

Tips

  • If time allows, sear the beef cubes in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil before adding them to the crock pot. Browning, while not required, adds flavor, texture, and color to a dish.
  • Even though the stew starts with 1 cup of stock, condensation adds more water as the stew cooks. If you like a stew with a lot of broth, add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of stock.
  • If you don't have tapioca, thicken the stew with a mixture of equal parts flour and water. Use 1 tablespoon of flour mixed with 1 tablespoon of water for each cup of liquid. Add it, a little at a time, when you add the peas.
  • Slice and cube the vegetables the night before. Put them in a bowl and refrigerate them overnight. The next day, combine the prepared vegetables with the beef and continue with Steps 6 through 9.

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
695 Calories
26g Fat
68g Carbs
49g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 695
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 10g 52%
Cholesterol 132mg 44%
Sodium 511mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 68g 25%
Dietary Fiber 11g 40%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 49g
Vitamin C 47mg 234%
Calcium 148mg 11%
Iron 8mg 43%
Potassium 2026mg 43%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)