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Slow Cooker Vegetable and Beef Stew for Comforting Dinners


slow cooker vegetable beef stew 1

Hearty beef stew is a favorite in our home. Slow-braised beef combined with vegetables and a rich tomato and balsamic base makes a comforting meal on chilly days.

I have a traditional stove-top beef stew that takes 4–5 hours and several steps to braise properly. It’s delicious, but I wanted a simpler method that still delivers deep, slow-cooked flavors—so I adapted it for the slow cooker.

slow cooker vegetable beef stew 2

Slow cookers make it easy to achieve tender meat and layered flavor with minimal hands-on time.

This slow cooker vegetable beef stew captures those comforting flavors with far less effort. It fills the house with a wonderful aroma and delivers satisfying, fork-tender beef and well-seasoned vegetables—perfect for busy days or when you want a set-it-and-forget-it meal.

If you want a straightforward, flavorful stew that’s easy to prepare and perfect for cold weather, give this slow cooker recipe a try.

slow cooker vegetable beef stew 3

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 6 hr
Total Time: 6 hr 15 min

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed to brown meat
  • 1 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast, boneless, cut into bite-size chunks
  • 4 Yukon potatoes, diced
  • 4 carrots, sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 cremini mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, rosemary, thyme, basil, kosher salt, and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Working in handfuls, dredge the beef chunks in the seasoned flour until coated, then add them to the hot skillet.
  3. Brown the meat on all sides, working in batches if the skillet is crowded. You don’t need to cook the beef through—just achieve a good brown crust.
  4. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
  5. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, tomato paste, garlic, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and bay leaves to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
  6. Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours, or until the potatoes and carrots are mostly tender.
  7. Add the mushrooms. Remove about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and whisk the cornstarch into it until dissolved, then return the mixture to the slow cooker and stir well.
  8. Continue cooking for another 1–2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  9. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Servings: 6