Crock Pot Beef Stew With Onion Soup Mix

Crock pot beef stew

​The Spruce

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Yield: 9 cups

Beef stew is a hearty winter dish, and when it's made in the slow cooker, it's also simple to prepare. This easy crock pot beef stew gets its fabulous flavor from the beefy onion soup mix and tomatoes, and can be a complete meal thanks to the potatoes, carrots, and celery. If you like, you can brown the beef in oil or bacon drippings before adding to the slow cooker; this adds a nice texture to the meat.

Serve this filling beef stew with crusty rolls or biscuits for a satisfying family dinner.

“Making beef stew from scratch can be a little labor intensive and require some fussing. This beef stew has a rich hearty flavor without the fuss thanks to a crockpot and a package of onion soup mix.” —Joan Velush

Crock Pot Beef Stew With Onion Soup Mix/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil, or bacon drippings, optional

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 1 packet beefy onion soup mix, such as Lipton

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon, granules or base

  • 1 cup water

  • 4 medium potatoes, cubed

  • 3 medium carrots, sliced

  • 1 stalk celery, sliced

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice

  • 1 medium clove garlic, crushed

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste

  • Salt to taste

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1/4 cup cold water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for crock pot beef stew
    ​The Spruce
  2. If desired, heat the oil or bacon drippings in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef cubes and brown on all sides. 

    Cubed beef in a skillet
    ​The Spruce
  3. Put the beef (browned or not) in the slow cooker with the onion soup mix, bouillon, water, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, and pepper.

    Beef and vegetables in crock pot
    ​The Spruce 
  4. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beef and vegetables are tender.

    Beef stew ingredients in a covered slow cooker
    ​The Spruce
  5. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper as needed.

    Beef stew in a slow cooker
    ​The Spruce
  6. Make the slurry by combining the cornstarch with the cold water.

    Cornstarch and water mix
    ​The Spruce
  7. Add the slurry to the crock pot, turn the heat to high, and stir until thickened.

    Beef stew in a slow cooker
    ​The Spruce
  8. Serve the beef stew with crusty bread and enjoy.

Tips

  • The stew has very little water in it, but as it cooks, the condensation adds more liquid. If your slow cooker has a tendency to cook faster, check and add more water as needed.
  • If you need to speed up the cooking time, you can cook on high and leave for 4 to 5 hours instead of 8 to 10. Just be sure to check on the liquid level and add more water if the stew looks dry.
  • Waxy potatoes that are low in starch and high in moisture are the best potatoes for beef stew; Yukon Gold, small red potatoes, new potatoes, and fingerlings are good choices. These potatoes also have thin skin, and therefore don't require peeling. It's best to avoid russet potatoes as they are low in moisture and high in starch, which means they will become mealy and mushy in the stew.

How to Store

Let the stew cool completely before transferring to airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze up to 5 months. Let the stew thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a covered saucepan over medium heat.

Recipe Variations

  • Other hearty root vegetables can be substituted for the potatoes and carrots, such as parsnips and rutabaga.
  • 1 cup frozen green peas can be added to the stew along with the cornstarch. They only need a few minutes to thaw.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
388 Calories
8g Fat
39g Carbs
42g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 388
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 112mg 37%
Sodium 1014mg 44%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 7g 24%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 42g
Vitamin C 29mg 147%
Calcium 104mg 8%
Iron 6mg 31%
Potassium 1375mg 29%
*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.)

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