Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Beef Stew

It’s getting COLD.

Signs of Winter are knocking at my door.

The garden has finally died and the deer have taken it over.

The lawn has been mowed for the last time  . . . yeah.

Wood Peckers are pecking holes through my house . . . grrrrr.

Sure signs of WINTER in Idaho are creeping in at full force.

Even though I HATE being cold, I’m ready.

see . . .

I could make this Old Fashioned Beef Stew everyday in the winter time, and my better half would be happy.

Happy as a lark.

Perhaps Jane Doe . . . who is annoyed by the fact that I use ALL CAPS in my Post titles,

should also WARM UP to a bowl of this soup!

It’s perfect to throw into a Slow Cooker in the morning, and come home to a nice warm, filling meal.

 I like to serve this with my Favorite Spinach Salad,

and

 piping hot Dinner rolls.

If you’re lucky enough to have left-overs, it’s even better the next day.

Fast, Easy & WARM.

Print

Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 Tablespoons oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 onion, chopped (opt)
  • I use Onion powder or flakes instead to taste
  • 2 Knorr Beef Bouillon cubes
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup sliced celery (opt)
  • * I use 1 teaspoon Bon Appetit Seasoning instead of cup up celery
  • 4 lg. potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 4 cups water

Instructions

  1. Coat meat with flour; set excess flour aside. In large skillet heat oil. Brown meat on all sides.
  2. In slow cooker, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, chopped onion, bouillon cubes, pepper, salt, sugar, and vegetables. Pour water over all. (Almost to the top of your slow cooker). Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Turn control on high.
  3. Thicken with flour left over from coating (about 1/4 cup) dissolved in a small amount of warm water. Cover and cook on high 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  4. Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with warm rolls or warm french bread

OLD FASHIONED BEEF STEW

YOU WILL NEED:

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
2 Tablespoons oil
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped (opt)
I use Onion powder or flakes instead to taste
2 Knorr Beef Bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced celery (opt)
* I use 1 teaspoon Bon Appetit Seasoning instead of cup up celery
4 lg. potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
4 cups water
DIRECTIONS:

Coat meat with flour; set excess flour aside. In large skillet heat oil. Brown meat on all sides.

In slow cooker, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, chopped onion, bouillon cubes, pepper, salt, sugar, and vegetables. Pour water over all. (Almost to the top of your slow cooker). Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Turn control on high.

Thicken with flour left over from coating (about 1/4 cup) dissolved in a small amount of warm water. Cover and cook on high 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with warm rolls or warm french bread

  • Jackie - 10/23/2012 - 6:58 pm

    Is there a recipe for your beef stew or am I just missing it?ReplyCancel

  • Lillie - 10/23/2012 - 7:59 pm

    Thanks for the meal and the sides! Love having the whole meal planned. Do you use baking potatoes? Thanks!ReplyCancel

  • Jackie - 10/24/2012 - 1:13 pm

    Thank you! I don’t think you are an idiot – you are a magician just in time for Halloween – you made it “appear” 😉ReplyCancel

  • Suzanne Perazzini - 10/24/2012 - 4:57 pm

    It’s still cold enough here to enjoy this stew.
    All caps? What’s wrong with that?ReplyCancel

  • Rachel - 10/25/2012 - 4:25 pm

    Have you ever done this stew on high for 4-5 hours instead of low for 8-10? Will I be decreasing the tenderness & flavor severely?ReplyCancel

    • Get Off Your Butt and BAKE! - 10/25/2012 - 5:02 pm

      Hi Rachel,

      I have done it on high, when I’ve been in a pinch for time. Stew meat tends to be a tougher cut of meat though, so you might want
      to think about cutting the meat chunks quite small, so that they have time to cook & tenderize. You could also use a different cut of meat.
      I’ve even cut up Sirloin steak in place of the stew meat.

      JonnaReplyCancel

  • Cynthia - 10/26/2012 - 9:28 am

    You have an asterisk (*) for using 1 tsp bon appetit seasoning instead—-instead of what?
    Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • Get Off Your Butt and BAKE! - 10/26/2012 - 2:24 pm

      Hi Cynthia,

      Gee….I don’t know where the rest of that sentence went! I use the bon appetit seasoning in place of the
      chopped celery.
      This will also add a saltier taste, so be careful how much salt you use.
      You can always add Salt, but can’t take it away.

      JonnaReplyCancel

  • JennY - 10/28/2012 - 6:51 pm

    Thanks for the wonderful post! I was literally just thinking to myself that I needed to find a beef stew recipe and this one looks great AND I love that I can throw it in the slow cooker! Take care and thank you 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Keri - 11/01/2012 - 10:23 am

    What size crock pot or slow cooker do you use (how many quarts)?ReplyCancel

  • joe - 12/01/2012 - 10:51 am

    This looks yummy! I will have to try it.ReplyCancel

  • Laurie - 12/10/2012 - 12:45 pm

    This looks so good! I’m wondering if it would freeze well. I’d like to make some ahead for my dad. He’s going to knee replacement surgery soon.ReplyCancel

    • Get Off Your Butt and BAKE! - 12/11/2012 - 3:11 pm

      Laurie,

      I’ve honestly never froze this beef stew before. You could easily make it 2 or 3 days in advance though, and just refrigerate it. That might work better.

      JonnaReplyCancel

  • Nikki - 01/14/2013 - 6:21 pm

    Made this yesterday and it was wonderful. I have been looking for a good beef stew recipe for awhile. I have tried several different ones, and couldn’t find one I liked. This one was perfect and I will be making this again.ReplyCancel

  • Lauren - 02/11/2013 - 6:30 pm

    I made this today in my slow cooker and it was amazing! It was the best beef stew recipe I’ve ever tried, thanks for sharing! Mine came out a bit spicy though and I following the directions exactly. Any thoughts on what spice could have made it a bit spicy? Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • Get Off Your Butt and BAKE! - 02/12/2013 - 10:54 am

      Hi Lauren,

      If the stew seemed to spicy for you, next time use just one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
      The bay leaf also adds a bit of spice as well, so you might add a small leaf!

      I’m glad you enjoyed it.

      JonnaReplyCancel