Slow Cooker Beef Stew

slow cooker with ladle full of beef stew

There are hundreds of Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipes, why make this one? Because you get rich, delicious flavor with no pre-browning or pre-cooking required! Plus, there is NO FLOUR added to this recipe, just a rich, flavorful and smooth sauce.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 15

Servings

Calories 301kcal

Author Jennifer Draper

Ingredients

2 pounds beef tips
1/4 cup sweet onion peeled and diced
4 oz carrots peeled and cut into large chunks (or use baby carrots)
16 oz potatoes cut into large bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons small tapioca pearls
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons herb and garlic seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup beef broth

Instructions

Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
Stir one more time before serving

Notes

Use lean beef tips, sirloin tips, tenderloin tips or stew meat. If in doubt, request help from the market butcher.
Any brand of seasoning labeled as garlic and herb should work. If it's salt free, you may need to add more salt to the stew after cooking.
If you don't have tapioca pearls, you can thicken with a flour or cornstarch paste. Mix 2 tablespoon with and equal amount of water and stir in and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes on high. Repeat as needed.
For potatoes, I'd recommend Yukon gold if you want them to hold their shape while still being mild and buttery tasting. If you don't mind them getting softer and some of them dissolving a bit, you can use russet potatoes which is what I did.
you can broth the meat in an olive oil/butter mixture if desired before slow cooking, but I don't find this to be necessary for the success of the recipe
to save time, feel free to use baby carrots so you don't have to peel them
you can also leave the skins on the potatoes as they will cook up nice and tender, just be sure to scrub them before cutting

Nutrition