Chunky Beef Stew {Crock Pot}

Husband did the sexiest thing this Sunday. Sitting at the supper table, he grabbed my hand, looked me square in the eye and said, “This is the best thing you've ever cooked since the day I met you.”

I think that has more to do with him being a “meat and potato” man than with me being some culinary genius but I’ll take it.

I've been cooking a lot of crock pot meals in the last two months since Brutus has been playing baseball every Sunday so when Husband asked for beef stew I was all over it!

I make my beef stew the same way I make my pot roast, I just cut up the meat and vegetables smaller and cook it in the crock pot. I would like to have added peas but since I was making it per Husband’s request I decided not to ruin his whole week by adding peas.

And he might have said, “But don’t put any peas in it.” and “You’re not going to put peas in it are you?” and “I don’t like peas in it” a time or two.

Beef Stew
1 3-4 pound chuck roast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
2 envelopes Beefy Onion soup mix (such as Lipton’s)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups water
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
8-10 small potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup cornstarch

Cut chuck roast into 1.5 - 2 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear chuck roast pieces in batches (don’t overcrowd the pan or the meat won’t sear properly). When seared, place chuck roast pieces in a large crock pot.

Optional step… I like to sauté the onions and then the carrots in the same pan that I seared the meat in because I think it really helps develop the flavor but you don’t have to.

Add carrots and onions to crock pot.

Combine soup mix, garlic, water and worcestershire sauce and stir until soup mix is dissolved.

Optional step… I deglaze the skillet with the soup mixture to capture all the glorious flavor but, again, you don’t have to.

Add soup mixture and potatoes to crock pot and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. One hour before the stew is done, ladle out about 1/2 cup of broth. Set aside to cool.

Increase crock pot temperature to high. Add cornstarch to a small bowl then whisk in cooled broth until smooth. Add cornstarch slurry to crock pot, cover and continue cooking for 30 minutes or until broth has thickened.

I like to turn the heat off and let mine rest for about an hour before serving, but again, you don’t have to :)

PRINTABLE RECIPE