Warm up on a cold day with a bowlful of easy beef & vegetable stew – a budget slow cooker recipe that the whole family will love for an easy midweek meal.
This week’s blast of autumn had me reaching for the slow cooker so I could simmer up a lovely one of my favourite family meals.
Days filled with wind and rain call for an easy beef & vegetable stew slow cooker style, with fresh crusty bread and a glass of red wine on the side (for the adults anyway)
This is just one of my best weekday recipes and oh so perfect for a lazy Sunday instead of making a roast dinner.
Beef and Vegetable Stew Ingredients
To make our easy beef stew recipe you will need…
- 1 tbs olive oil – you can use sunflower or rapeseed oil if you prefer.
- 2 brown onions – sliced into thin half moons
- 500g braising steak – chopped into small bitesize pieces
- 6 carrots – scrubbed and cut into large chunky pieces
- 2 parsnips – peeled and cut into large chunky pieces
- 250ml – red wine, we make our beef and vegetable stew with red wine but if you don’t like to add wine to your food just swap this for beef stock.
- 500g passata
- 1 Bay leaf – I grow these in the garden – check out our best herbs to grown in your garden feature here.
- 2 tsp chopped rosemary – again I grow this at home by the door.
- Salt & pepper
- Tin of butter beans – feel free to swap this for any other bean you prefer or even lentils.
How to make beef and vegetable stew
This beautiful easy beef stew crock pot recipe is super simple to make. It’s just a matter of throwing some onions, carrots, parsnips, braising steak into the slow cooker and topping them with red wine and tomatoes – add a handful of herbs and leave the slow cooker to work its magic.
Get loads more easy casserole recipes here!
Spend your day with the family, get out and about do as you please and come home to a dish of rich warming beef casserole.
- Heat the slow cooker to low.
- Lightly oil the inside of the slow cooker pan with olive oil.
- Place the slow cooker pan on the hob over a low heat (if your pan is not removable use a separate pan for this part & tip into the slow cooker later).
- Add the onions, and braising steak and gently fry to brown the meat. If you’re wondering should you brown beef before stewing, you really don’t need to when using the slow cooker, I just think it gives it a better flavour.
- Add the carrots, parsnips, red wine and passata and stir in the bay leaf and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the beef stew to the boil then transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Once the stew is cooked I like to add a tin of butter beans – just tip them in and warm the stew for around 10 minutes on the hob before serving.
Try serving with our delicious mustard mash
Can I make beef and vegetable stew in the oven
Sure you can!
You can cook our hearty beef and vegetable stew in the oven instead of the slow cooker – just cook on 180C for around 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is beautifully tender and falling apart.
Loads more delicious, easy beef recipes right here.
What vegetables can I put in beef casserole?
It’s your beef casserole so you throw in whatever vegetables you fancy – for a rich beef and vegetable stew try….
- adding mushrooms, celery, turnips or swede
- throw in some chunkily chopped Jerusalem artichokes
- add in some tinned lentils
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How do I make my beef casserole more tasty?
You can add some extra flavour to your stew really easily. Try…
- Stirring in more herbs, try thyme, oregano or sage.
- Add in some flavourful mushrooms like porcini to add a rich, earthy flavour.
- Try using jarred caramelised onions in place of regular onions, they add a sweeter more intense flavour.
- Spice things up – try adding spices, like cumin, fenugreek or even smoked paprika.
How do you make beef stew meat tender?
Cooking beef stew in the slow cooker is a super easy way to make sure the beef stew meat is tender.
Cooking it at a low temperature for a long time really tenderises the meat so it literally falls apart.
Love a great meat recipe? Try these tasty dinner ideas.
More easy stew recipes for you to try
- slow cooker pork and cider casserole – a delicious warming stew that’s just perfect spooned over creamy mashed potatoes.
- slow cooker beef and ale stew – rich and warming stew, ooooh you’ll want to dunk crusty bread into this or add a dumpling or two.
- epic Greek lamb stew – this is a FABULOUS stew, so flavoursome, you can really make a feast of this meal, serve with herby roast potatoes or couscous and steamed broccoli or even a Greek salad.
Get loads more easy dinner recipes here
What can I do with leftover stew?
Turn that leftover stew into a whole new dinner with our 10 delicious easy recipes and meal ideas. From pasta bake to quick pasties – grab the leftover stew recipes here now.
Love stews and casseroles? Check out our tasty recipe collection here.
Need some family dinner recipes inspiration?
Check out our meal planning here – it’s filled with recipes, meal planner tips and pre-filled printable meal plans weekly or seasonally. We’ve got hundreds of the BEST family recipes your whole family will LOVE!
Beef and Vegetable Stew - Slow Cooker Recipe
A rich and warming stew to snuggle up with on a cold night
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 onions - sliced into half moons
- 500g braising steak - chopped into bitesized pieces
- 6 carrots - peeled and chunkily chopped
- 2 parsnips - peeled and chunkily chopped
- 250ml red wine
- 500g passata
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp chopped rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
- can butter beans
Instructions
- Heat the slow cooker to low.
- Lightly oil the inside of the slow cooker pan with olive oil.
- Place the slow cooker pan on the hob over a low heat (if your pan is not removable use a separate pan for this part & tip into the slow cooker later).
- Add the onions, and braising steak and gently fry to brown the meat.
- Add the carrots, parsnips, red wine and passata and stir in the bay leaf and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the casserole to the boil then transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for around 8 hours - until the meat is cooked through and falling apart.
- Once the stew is cooked I like to add a tin of butter beans - just tip them in and warm the stew for 10 minutes on the hob before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 566Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 189mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 38g
Nutritional content will vary depending on the exact ingredients you use and how careful you are with measuring - this nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate - you should always calculate your own nutritional information especially if you have specific dietary requirements.
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