Slow-Cooker Recipe: Classic Beef Stew

Made this tonight for friends and it was s huge hit!!! Everyone had seconds, the kids even loved it! Served with some country bread and wine...so delicious! Followed the recipe and added just a splash of worsteshire sauce...will keep this recipe to make again and again!!

My husband is SUPER picky about beef stews and crock pot recipes and he LOVED this! It tasted a little heavy on the red wine flavor, but we didn't mind. That's the only reason I didn't give 5 stars. My husband is low-carb so we left out the potatoes and subbed more carrots- I did use the flour but probably could use half the amount next time. I set it to high for 5-6 hours, then on low for an hour or so more. It's a keeper!

The only beef stew I ever cook!!! I use dry thyme and cut out the peas but everything else I keep to par! My boyfriend is a trainer and loves hardy stuff and he asks for this on a regular basis! I pair it with a nice glass of red wine and broil crunchy bread with butter and serve!!! It makes my mouth water... It's in my crock pot as I write!!!!!

This was far and away my favorite beef stew recipe! My family didn't go back just for seconds but thirds too! I added some corn and garlic powder (personal preference) and followed the rest of the recipe to the letter. This was absolutely delicious!!

I have been doing this recipe for a few months now and it is just amazing. It is my go-to recipe when I have a busy day and don't have any time to cook. I don't brown the meat, just put it in and cover with a bit of flour. I also use a bouillon container (the concentrated stuff) instead of a broth. I also put in a bit of paprika and this reminds me of the amazing swiss steak my mom makes ;). I also use a lot less salt. I serve it with fresh bread and top with a bit of shredded cheese. And like a previous review said I cook it for a lot longer to make sure the meat is tender (I skip the wine part too).

This is the best beef stew recipe I have made in a while. My husband loved it!

Really tender and hearty. Cooked all day on low in the slow cooker. Didn't add peas, just carrots, potatoes and added mushrooms.

Very simple and tasty. Will make agin.

I jazzed it up a bit, I must admit. I looked at the seasonings and knew it needed more. I made half the recipe (just me this week) and doubled the seasonings--threw in herbs d'provence, as well as thyme, cracked pepper and some parsley. Salted and peppered meat as well before I started. And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Beautiful (added green beans too) and savory. Perfect for a fall night alone or with family/friends.

I simplified the preparation by skipping the browning on the stove. I just put everything except the peas in the crock pot and cooked it on low for about 8 hours, putting the peas in for the last hour. I left out the flour and olive oil (no longer needed). I also changed a few ingredients for personal taste. The meat comes out very tender and it tastes great.

This was a great dinner. Added cauliflower in the pot as well as mushrooms at the end and extra broth. Will definitely make again!

This will be one of my two favorite stew recipes. My family enjoyed it--even my kids, who are not usually thrilled with stew.

so yummy with fresh butter on crusty bread!

This was good and had great flavor but I must've done something wrong because this stew had almost no sauce consistency to it at all. I was expecting a little bit of broth or juice to sop up with crusty bread but all of the juices were absorbed by the meat, potatoes, etc during cooking in the crock pot. I will add extra broth next time.

I've found out that I'm not a big fan of tomato paste in stew. Tomato paste was over powering. Otherwise, this was pretty good.

This stew is delicious and easy to make! My family loved it. I did add garlic powder, cut the tomato paste in half and added mushrooms, tho. It's a keeper!

This had really excellent flavor. I didn't use quite as much meat but I still used the rest of the ingredients to make a lot of sauce. I also left out the potatoes and placed the meat/carrots over egg noodles. I used chicken broth instead of beef just because it was what I had. We all enjoyed it, even my 1 and 3 year old. Also super easy to throw together at nap time and ready for dinner!

Fantastic stew. Maybe a little tomato heavy with the paste, but not so much it really messes with the taste. I might try replacing that with a thick beef gravy next time.

Loved this recipe! It's dark, rich and flavorful. I made it with pre-cut stew meat, red cooking wine and used dried thyme. I think next time I'll use Herbes de Provence. 11/13/11: This has become our favorite stew and the best recipe I've found on the site. I like more vegetables than called for so I double the carrots & potatoes, increase the beef stock to 3 cups (more luscious gravy!), and put a teaspoon of Herbes de Provence in the flour to coat the beef. I also find that it takes more like 5-6 hours on high to tenderize the meat and veggies.

Good hearty recipe. I, however, am not a fan of tomato sauce, so that ingrediant had a negative affect in my view. I think it would be five stars if it were cooked with a gravy-like souce/soup. As is, it is excellent for those who love tomatoes.

I made this recipe last night for my family, it was a nice warm meal for a cold winter night. The prep in the morning took over thirty minutes which I wasn't really expecting but the result was pretty good. For as long as the stew cooked (7 1/2 hrs) I was expecting the meat to be more tender, other than that I was pretty pleased...people went back for seconds and requested the left overs for lunch. I served the stew with a crusty baked french baguette.

I made it exactly according to the directions and found it pretty bland.

Thought this would be good. In reality, it tastes bland besides the wine which overpowers the broth. I say broth, because the consistency came out nothing like a stew. Don't know how others got it to come out so well. This needs more seasoning, possibly adding linguica to add more depth of flavor. Would not make again.

Very tasty, but all the prep work defeats the purpose of using the crock pot. I expect a crock pot recipe to be quick and easy - this took the whole morning. It also needed to be served over something. I used rice and then pasta when we had leftovers and both worked well. Would only make it again if I had lots of time to fiddle in the kitchen!

The beef stew recipe I've been looking for. Really good. Not sure why my carrots weren't done on low for 71/2 hours tho. Maybe something with my cooker?

Good, solid recipe. Perfect for this cold weather. Husband liked, will make again. Did not add tomato paste. Did add frozen corn at the end. Definitely better 2nd day. Might use less potato next time, or add some sweet potatoes. Also think green beans would be good. Will add more carrot next time, too.

Both my husband and I (and our guest) found this recipe incredible. The only thing we changed was the meat - we used elk instead of beef. It took me about 45 minutes to get into the slow cooker and I cooked it on high for 4 hours. I didn't bother thawing the peas before I tossed them in - frozen peas cook pretty quickly. This recipe was worth every second of prep and wait time! I served it with a loaf of french bread - perfect, and made excellent leftovers.

Excellent! My husband loves beef stew and this recipe topped all. I did add some canned sliced mushrooms. Like all stews and soups..taste better the next day. I served warmed up corn bread and cole slaw.

wow this was so tasty. I made this for me and my hubby so I cut the recipe in half. Nice flavor, sauce was perfect consistency and was so easy to make. I am a mom with a six month old so it was perfect. I served it over rice and had some rolls with it. I would make this again

great recipe! easy to throw together and let go in the slow cooker all day when you have a busy schedule...

I halved this and cooked it on low for 8 hours. Subbed ketchup for tomato paste (was out), used shredded carrots instead of baby, and added a can of diced tomatoes with garlic and quartered baby bellas. I used a can of corn at the end instead of peas. Delicious. Good flavor and thick brown gravy.

The recipe was easy to make and delicious!

The best beef stew ever. We've tried several different recipes over the years and this is the one to keep. Added a little balsamic with the wine. The taste was rich a hearty.