Crockpot Beef Stew with Tender Beef and Chunky Yukon Gold Potatoes
By Noah Bennett
Prep
20 min
Cook
600 min
Total
620 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Cook six servings of stew per week․ Brown the beef for the stew in advance and prepare other ingredients in a slow cooker to leave at work․ Eat freshly cooked stew when you return home․ Leftover stew can be refrigerated or frozen․ Beef‚ sliced Yukon Gold potatoes‚ and stew broth with Worcestershire sauce can be refrigerated or frozen․
Boneless beef stew meat or chuck with marbling is browned in two separate batches for flavor․ Browned meat is placed in a slow cooker․ A separate pan is used to cook onions and garlic․ Yukon Gold potatoes‚ carrots‚ celery‚ beef broth‚ tomato paste‚ and Worcestershire sauce are added to a slow cooker to create the base for a stew․ Season with salt and pepper․ Add bay leaves to the slow cooker․ Cornstarch can be used as a thickener for the stew․
After 10 hours of cooking‚ the beef will be tender‚ and the potatoes and carrots will be cooked but still in chunks․ Cooking the beef in uncrowded batches adds flavor․ Stirring the ingredients in the slow cooker helps incorporate the tomato paste and broth․ Common problems with this recipe include using extra-lean cuts of beef and cooking the beef on high for too little time‚ which leads to less tender meat․ Add the bay leaves to the slow cooker carefully‚ and the cornstarch mixture if desired‚ for a thicker sauce․
Serve the stew as a main course with side dishes such as salad‚ bread‚ cornbread‚ dinner rolls‚ or garlic bread with cheese․ Store leftovers in airtight containers to simplify future meal preparation․ You can also freeze individual serving sizes as the recipe suggests․ Larger pieces of vegetables and broth in the stew can make individual reheated servings easier․
Why you'll love this recipe
- A six-person recipe is appropriate for cooking one meal at a time because you can freeze portions of the dish for easy freezer meals that you can eat without further preparation․
- The stew can be frozen․ The recipe suggests serving the stew individually․ You can cook longer in the slow cooker to prepare multiple servings of the stew to freeze․
- Yukon Gold and other larger potatoes and carrots are chosen for their texture to help prevent the main dish from falling apart after 10 hours of cooking .
- Cooking the beef in two separate batches prevents crowding and lets you brown the beef in a frying pan for added flavor before adding it to the slow cooker to serve the cooked beef in batches․
- Optional cornstarch can be used to thicken the dish before serving․ It may be useful when preparing one batch of the dish for people with different tastes․
- Low-temperature‚ slow cooking of marbled stew meat is convenient for use when you are not at home․ Other preparation tasks for this dish include searing and chopping․
Ingredients
- •2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- •2 lb boneless stewing beef cubes or chuck
- •½ medium onion (chopped)
- •6 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and diced into fairly large bite-size pieces)
- •4 large carrots (peeled and cut into fairly large bite-size pieces)
- •3 sticks celery (chopped)
- •3 cups beef broth
- •1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- •1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- •1 tsp salt
- •pepper (to taste)
- •3 bay leaves
- •2 tbsp cornstarch (optional)
- •2 tbsp cold water (for optional cornstarch slurry)
Instructions
- 1
Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a skillet and sear half the beef cubes over medium-high heat, browning them on all sides.
- 2
Transfer the seared beef to a plate, add the remaining olive oil to the skillet, and brown the second batch of beef.
- 3
Transfer all of the seared beef and any juices from the plate to the slow cooker.
- 4
Add the onion to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- 5
Transfer the skillet contents to the Crockpot.
- 6
Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker, excluding the bay leaves and cornstarch. Stir or toss well.
- 7
Gently add the bay leaves and cook on low for 10 hours or until the beef is tender.
- 8
For a thicker consistency, mix the optional cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, stir it into the stew, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
380
Protein
38g
Fat
13g
Carbs
27g
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