Crockpot Classic Beef Stew

I was craving some beef stew now that Fall is here, & it has been such a long time since I have actually made beef stew that I decided to look up some recipes. I remembered I wanted to try boeuf bourguignon, but decided not to because I don’t like mushrooms, even though this recipe is pretty darn near a boeuf bourguignon. I was intrigued by the tomato paste & red wine, so I decided to give it a go, tweaking it just a tad.

This recipe was pretty robust! The beef is supremely tender, the gravy was nice & thick, & the potatoes & carrots make it nice & hearty. The tomato paste, wine & thyme make it really flavorful. The more bites I took, the more I decided I really liked it! If you don’t have a great stew recipe, give this a try. I think it’s quite unique, even though it’s a classic dish.

Crockpot Classic Beef Stew
Crockpot Classic Beef Stew

Crockpot Classic Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs top round beef/steak, cubed (or bottom round if it's cheaper, but for some reason the stew meat was ridiculously expensive & this nicer cut was on sale.)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, more if needed
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 6oz can tomato paste
  • 1 cup red cooking wine
  • 2-3 small/medium potatoes, large diced
  • 1/2 lb baby carrots
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt & black pepper, as needed

Instructions

  1. Coat cubed beef in flour. Heat half of olive oil in a large skillet. Brown half of the meat mixture, seasoning with kosher salt & black pepper as it is in the pan. Transfer to a 6-qt slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil & beef, seasoning well. (I had to split my stew up in two crockpots because I don't have a 6-qt slow cooker, just 4-qt & 2-qt.)
  2. Add onions to the same skillet, season with kosher salt & pepper, & cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste & coat the onions; transfer to the crockpot.
  3. Pour wine into the skillet & scrape up any browned bits; add to the crockpot.
  4. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, & thyme. Cover & cook on low heat for 7½ hours, or on high for 4 hours. Serve with fresh rolls, or crusty bread to soak up the gravy.
Recipe altered from MyRecipes