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Beef stew was one of my favorite meals growing up, so I loved creating this recipe. Warm and full of flavor, you’ll savor every bite of this Beef Stew in the Crock Pot!
When it comes to eating, I’m embarrassed to admit the number of different diets I have adhered to over the years. For a long time I was a strict vegetarian (the concept of being a vegan always appealed to me, but I knew I’d never last a week). After a while, I missed dairy and eggs so much that I morphed into a lacto-ovotarian. Then one day I decided I had to starting eating fish again and became a pescetarian.
I should note that I didn’t refer to myself with these names. It was more that people would notice I was abstaining from eating meat or fish and they would ask me, “what kind of ______arian are you?” Well, after years of living under these relatively pretentious labels, I’m back to being a foodatarian (I think I totally made that word up but it sounds less highfalutin than saying I’m an educated omnivore, consuming pretty much everything under the sun, but making informed decisions about what I eat and how it is produced.
After years of depriving myself of foods I actually craved, I realized that the thing I missed most was beef. I eat red meat very infrequently now, but when I do, I savor every bite. One dish I adored in my childhood was beef stew and I experienced so much nostalgia creating this recipe. Tons of assorted nutritious vegetables and chunks of lean meat simmering in its own juices come together to create a simple yet hearty crock pot dish that’s perfect for these chilly months.
I’m about moderation in all things and hopefully I will inspire my kids to love a little bit of this and a little of that and responsibly experience all the amazing foods our bodies are able to enjoy!
Beef Stew in the Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup low sodium beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 15 ounce can unsalted diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Place the cubed meat and flour and in a Ziploc bag, seal and shake until the pieces are fully coated with flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and sear the pieces of meat for 4 minutes until all sides are nicely brown. Remove the meat from the pan and place in the crock pot.
- Add the red wine and stock to the sauté pan and bring to a boil for one minute, scraping off the bits of meat that have caramelized in the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the reduced liquid to the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cook on low in slow cooker for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours.
Do you think oxtail would work instead of the chuck meat in this recipe?
Can I still cook this without a crock pot? If so, what do you suggest? I’m struggling to find things to cook for my toddler b/c he is such a picky eater. Feedings have become a part of my day that I don’t look forward to.
Made this on Tuesday and it was delicious – will be adding to my regular monthly menu. Side note, I do think my stew was a little on the sweet side and I think it might have been because of my onion and wine varieties. To get it perfect next time – what type of onion do you recommend white, yellow, red, etc and what type of red wine? Do you buy one that is called “cooking” wine? I used what I had, a Pinot Noir and it may have been on the sweet side. Nonethe less, thanks again!
and p.s., this stew looks delicious!
thanks for writing the intro regarding dietary choices. I was a vegetarian for 10 years, then returned to eating meat for 4 years, then back to vegetarian. I’ve just reintroduced fish as of Jan. 1, but I do feel like I am depriving myself of foods I crave. I don’t limit any of my daughter’s choices (I ensure they are healthy, but I don’t insist she follow a certain type of diet), but it is tough to sometimes admit you may want a certain type of food after making the decision not to consume it (and you are “publicly” identified as a ____arian).
Catherine, I do not have a crock pot…yes, perhaps I should go out and get one… I was wondering if you could instruct me on how to make this recipe on a stove top.
I would love to try it!!
Made this today and it was easy and very delicious!
“Stewing Beef” is just pre-cut cubes from the beef chuck. If it is tough that usually means it hasn’t been cooked long enough. If it is coming out tough even after being cooked in the slow cooker for several hours try cutting it into smaller cubes prior to cooking. It can also get tough by being over-cooked or cooked to quickly, but that shouldn’t happen in the slow cooker, that’s more of a stove-top problem. I hope you have more success with this recipe because beef stew is such a comfort food!
What kind of beef cut is chuck? I’ve made stews with the cut up stewing beef that you can buy at the grocery store but it always seems tough. I’m wondering where you can buy chuck?
I am thankful all the time for the person who invented the slow cooker. What a servant it is in our household!
No worries, the alcohol in the wine will burn off. Puree some and give it to your 1 year old. Yum!
This recipe sounds great, and the wine in it brings up a question I’ve had for a while: When you cook with wine in a recipe like this, does all of the alcohol evaporate out, or will some be left in the stew? Would there be enough wine remaining in the stew to worry about feeding it to a one year old?
Thanks!
Hi there!
We are gluten / dairy / soy / nut free, and the flour we use most often is Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour. It’s a good overall replacement in most situations.
I agree with Karen that the rice flour would be great too. 🙂
Thanks for the crock pot recipe, I’ve been looking for these now that the weather’s colder!
Sarah, I am gluten free and use either brown rice flour or almond meal to sub for regular flour. I think the brown rice flour would work best here – and yes, it’s to thicken!
Is there something I can sub for the flour to make this gluten free? I imagine the flour has a thickening purpose.
I made it with venison on Friday, and boy was it yummy! It was even better reheated tonight for dinner!