It hasn’t risen above 25 degrees in the past 6 days here in Knoxville. Most mornings it has been 8-10 degrees (yes, that is Fahrenheit!) and last Tuesday it was 4 degrees. You read that right…4 degrees. My poor little fingers and toes have been frozen for a week! This California girl is not used to this kind of cold! So there has been a lot of soup cooking at my house in hopes of warming myself from the inside out. This Crockpot Vegetable Beef Stew makes the job super easy and delicious. And can I just say how much I love the smell of vegetable beef stew cooking in my house? It’s like being at Grandma’s house for 9 hours. Let me show you how to make it:
First, you’ll need your cutting board and a good knife. Chop up 3 medium carrots, 3 stalks of celery, and 2 large potatoes all into 1 inch pieces. I left the skin on my potatoes because the skin carries all the vitamins. Pour all of those into a Crockpot that is at least 6 quarts.
Now, chop up a large onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Sprinkle in 4 and 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 teaspoon of dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and a bay leaf.
On top of the spices, place 2 pounds of beef stew meat that has been cut into 1 inch pieces. Cutting everything to about the same size ensures that the vegetable beef stew will cook evenly. Pour a can (14 oz) of diced tomatoes and a can of low-sodium beef broth over the top.
Cover the Crockpot and cook on LOW for 8 or 9 hours. Stir it occasionally if possible.
When it is done, use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetable beef stew into a separate bowl. Cover the bowl in order to keep it warm and throw out the bay leaf. Leave as much of the liquid in the slow cooker as possible.
Increase the heat on the Crockpot to HIGH and add in a premixed slurry of 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of flour. It works best if you mix the slurry first and then pour it into the beef liquid, rather than adding them in separately.
Cook this flour mixture for 15 minutes or until it begins to thicken. You will need to stir it regularly so that it doesn’t clump. Once it is thickened, pour the sauce over the vegetable beef stew that you have ready in the separate bowl. Let the sauce drizzle down into the cracks and stir it so that everything is coated.
Serve the vegetable beef stew immediately. However, if you want to keep it warm throughout the evening, simply return the vegetable beef stew to the Crockpot and turn it to WARM. This is a great dinner for families whose members come and go throughout the evening but still want to enjoy a warm meal.
I usually serve this vegetable beef stew with Fluffy Yeast Rolls. The dough can be made up to 5 days in advance. I just scoop out the amount of rolls I want to make and 30 minutes later my house smells like a bakery! They taste amazing dipped in the broth of this stew! If you love your Crockpot as much as I do, you may want to try out my 5 Ingredient Crockpot Orange Chicken or my Healthy Enchilada Quinoa. My Crockpot Baby Back Ribs and Salsa Verde Chicken are also really popular. And for more soup ideas, check out my Recipe Index to pick your favorite.
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Crockpot Vegetable Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 diced carrots
- 3 stalks chopped celery
- 2 potatoes chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 4 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 lbs beef stew meat cut in 1 inch pieces
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 14 oz can reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Chop all the vegetables and beef into 1 inch pieces to ensure uniform cooking.
- Layer the first 10 ingredients into the Crockpot.
- Pour the tomatoes and broth over the beef.
- Cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.
- Remove the vegetable beef stew with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl.
- Leave the liquid in the Crockpot.
- Make a slurry with the water and flour and then add it to the liquid in the Crockpot.
- Turn the heat to HIGH and cook the liquid for 15 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetable beef stew, stir, and serve warm.
- Return all the stew to the Crockpot and turn to WARM if you need to keep it warm.