This BEEF STEW recipe is a Lazy Cook's Dream! Crockpot Beef Stew That Practically Makes Itself
This comforting slow cooker beef stew is the ultimate lazy cook's dream. Tender chunks of beef chuck roast are combined with potatoes, carrots, celery, and a beefy onion soup mix, then left to cook low and slow until everything is meltingly tender. The beauty of this recipe is that no additional liquid is needed — the meat and vegetables release enough moisture to create a rich, flavourful gravy. Finish with frozen peas stirred in at the end, and serve over crusty French bread for a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal that's perfect all winter long.
Watch: This BEEF STEW recipe is a Lazy Cook's Dream! Crockpot Beef Stew That Practically Makes Itself
Original recipe video — click to play
Ingredients
Main
- 1360 g beef chuck roast, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) chunks
- 680 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Maris Piper or King Edward work well
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 2 sticks celery sticks, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- 5 tbsp plain flour
Used to coat the beef and thicken the gravy
- 225 g frozen peas
Add in the last 30 minutes of cooking
Seasoning
- 1 envelope beefy onion soup mix
Approximately 40 g. If unavailable in the UK, use a sachet of French onion soup mix combined with 0.5 tsp beef bouillon powder.
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
Adjust to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 leaf dried bay leaf
Remove before serving
Method
- 1
Cut the beef chuck roast into roughly 2.5 cm (1 in) chunks. Place the beef pieces into a large bowl and toss with the plain flour, salt, black pepper, and dried thyme until evenly coated.
~10 minsTip: The flour coating helps thicken the gravy as the stew cooks.
- 2
Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Peel the carrots and slice into rounds. Slice the celery sticks. Mince the garlic cloves.
~10 mins - 3
Place the flour-coated beef into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and minced garlic on top.
~3 mins - 4
Sprinkle the beefy onion soup mix over the vegetables. Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce over everything and tuck in the bay leaf. Do not add any additional liquid.
~2 minsTip: The meat and vegetables will release enough natural juices to create a rich gravy.
- 5
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
~8 hrsTip: Avoid lifting the lid during cooking as this releases heat and moisture.
- 6
About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the frozen peas. Replace the lid and continue cooking until the peas are heated through and tender.
~30 mins - 7
Remove the bay leaf. Give the stew a gentle stir to combine the gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Serve over crusty slices of French bread.
~2 mins
Nutrition
Detailed nutritional information is coming soon. For now, we recommend using a tool like MyFitnessPal to calculate values for your specific brands and quantities.
Frequently Asked Questions
The beef and vegetables release a surprising amount of natural juices as they cook slowly, which combines with the flour coating and soup mix to create a rich, thick gravy. Adding extra liquid would make the stew too watery. Trust the process — there will be plenty of sauce by the end!
Comments
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