Skip to main content
Meat

Beef Stew

An easy slow cooker beef stew that's ready when you are. Throw store cupboard ingredients into the slow cooker with some inexpensive braising steak and serve with mash.

Serves 6

Difficulty
Easy
Slow Cooker Recipe
Preparation Time
Less than 30 minutes
Cooking Time
Over 2 hours
Calories Per Serving
293
Bob's  Kitchen Recipe Card

Ingredients for  6  Servings

  • 600ml
    Just-boiled water
  • 1
    Beef stock cube
  • 2 tbsp
    Tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp
    Yeast extract
  • 900g
    Good-quality braising steak, trimmed and cut into roughly 4cm chunks
  • 100g
    Smoked bacon lardons, or sliced smoked back bacon
  • 2
    Onions, thinly sliced
  • 4
    Carrots (about 400g), peeled and cut into roughly 3cm chunks
  • 4
    Celery sticks, trimmed and cut into roughly 3cm lengths
  • 3 tbsp
    Plain flour (25g)
  • 1 tsp
    Flaked sea salt, plus extra to season
  • 1 tsp
    Dried mixed herbs
  • 1
    Bay leaf (dried or fresh)
  • -
    Ground black pepper

  • To Serve

  • Mashed potatoes

Approximate Times

  • Preparation :
    Less than 30 minutes
  • Cooking :
    Over 2 hours

Method

  1. Pour the just-boiled water into a heatproof measuring jug, add the stock cube, tomato purée and yeast extract. Stir well until the cube has dissolved and set aside.
  2. Put the beef, bacon and vegetables in a slow cooker, sprinkle over the flour and add the salt, herbs and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss together. Add the stock mixture and stir well.
  3. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8–10 hours, until the beef and vegetables are tender. Serve the beef stew with mashed potatoes.

Notes

Beef shin or beef brisket will also work in this stew. You can pack the slow cooker the night before and keep it in the fridge, but you must add cooled beef stock instead of hot. Take the packed slow cooker out of the fridge for 30 minutes before putting it on to reduce the risk of cracking the dish. The stew will take 10 hours if started from cold.