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Crock Pot Beef Stew

Crock pot beef stew with fall-apart beef, tender potatoes and carrots, and a deep mahogany broth thickened with a cornstarch slurry. Slow-cooked until everything is spoon-tender, then finished on High for a rich, clingy texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
Baby potatoes
  • 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
Carrots
  • 3 carrots, cut into thick rounds
Celery
  • 3 celery, sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
Beef broth
  • 2 cup beef broth
Red wine or extra broth
  • 1 cup red wine or extra broth
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
Bay leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
Cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
Water
  • 3 tbsp water
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season and layer
  1. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper so every bite has flavor.
  2. Place the potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion in the bottom of the Crockpot, then nestle the beef on top.
  3. Add the garlic, beef broth, wine or extra broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and bay leaves.
Slow cook
  1. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours, or on High for 4-5 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender and the vegetables are soft.
Thicken and finish
  1. Remove the bay leaves, then stir in the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked with water) to thicken the broth.
  2. Cook on High for 20-30 minutes, until the broth visibly thickens and clings to the stew.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve while hot.

Notes

For the best texture, cut the beef into evenly sized cubes so they all become fall-apart tender at the same time. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until hot). To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce—everything else can stay the same.