DinnerCountSlow-Cooker Beef Stew
Start this stew in the morning, and the house smells like dinner by the afternoon. The beef is tossed in flour, which thickens the gravy as it cooks. Then it goes into the slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and beef broth whisked with tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. It cooks for eight hours on low without anyone lifting the lid, and it feeds six.
Ingredients (serves 6)
- Beef stew meat2 lb
- Potatoes1 lb
- Carrots3 carrots
- Yellow onion1 onion
- Beef broth4 cups
- Tomato paste2 tbsp
- Worcestershire1 tbsp
- Garlic clove3 cloves
- All-purpose flour¼ cup
- Bay leaf (optional)1 leaf
- Salt & pepperto taste
How Much to Make for 2, 4, 6, or 8
For 2 people, you’ll need ⅔ lb beef stew meat, ⅓ lb potatoes, and 1 carrot.
For 4 people, you’ll need 1⅓ lb beef stew meat, ⅔ lb potatoes, and 2 carrots.
For 6 people, you’ll need 2 lb beef stew meat, 1 lb potatoes, and 3 carrots.
For 8 people, you’ll need 2⅔ lb beef stew meat, 1⅓ lb potatoes, and 4 carrots.
| Ingredient | For 2 | For 4 | For 6 | For 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef stew meat | ⅔ lb | 1⅓ lb | 2 lb | 2⅔ lb |
| Potatoes | ⅓ lb | ⅔ lb | 1 lb | 1⅓ lb |
| Carrots | 1 carrot | 2 carrots | 3 carrots | 4 carrots |
| Yellow onion | ⅓ onion | ⅔ onion | 1 onion | 1⅓ onions (buy 2) |
| Beef broth | 1⅓ cups | 2⅔ cups | 4 cups | 5⅓ cups |
| Tomato paste | 2 tsp | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 2 tbsp | 2½ tbsp |
| Worcestershire | 1 tsp | 2 tsp | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| Garlic clove | 1 clove | 2 cloves | 3 cloves | 4 cloves |
| All-purpose flour | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 2½ tbsp | ¼ cup | ⅓ cup |
| Bay leaf (optional) | 1 leaf | 1 leaf | 1 leaf | 2 leafs |
| Salt & pepper | to taste | to taste | to taste | to taste |
The amounts are rounded to what you can measure at home. Pounds are rounded to the nearest quarter or third, cups to the marks on a measuring cup, and spoons to real measuring spoons. An egg stays whole. Because of the rounding, some amounts are the same at two sizes.
- For 2: This recipe is written for 6 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 2 adult portions, which is roughly 0.3 times the recipe. This is less than the recipe assumes. Use a 3-quart slow cooker and start checking an hour or two early, because a small amount in a big cooker cooks faster and dries out.
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Before You Start
- Wash hands with soap after touching raw meat, raw egg, or raw flour, and again before you touch anything ready to eat. Keep raw meat on its own board, and never put cooked food back on the plate the raw food came off.
Steps
- Thaw the beef completely before you put it in the slow cooker. Thaw it in the refrigerator starting the day before, or seal it in a bag and set it in cold water that you change every 30 minutes. Never thaw it on the counter. A slow cooker cannot safely cook meat from frozen.
- Toss the beef in a bowl with the flour, salt, and pepper until every piece is coated. The flour is what thickens the stew as it cooks.
- Cut the potatoes and carrots into big chunks, and chop the onion and the garlic. Layer the beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Whisk the broth with the tomato paste and the Worcestershire sauce, and pour it over everything. Tuck in the bay leaf if you have one.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours without lifting the lid, because every time you lift it the stew loses cooking time. The stew is done when the beef falls apart with a fork, which is well past its safe temperature of 145°F, and the carrots are soft. Take out the bay leaf if you used one, and serve the stew in bowls.
Good to Know
- Contains Wheat, Fish. This comes from the ingredient names, so it is not a complete list. The ingredient names do not show what is inside a jar, a mix, or a sauce, and formulas change. For an allergy or intolerance, read the package every time, and never decide from this line.
- 🌡 Stew meat: cook to 145°F at the thickest part, the USDA minimum for whole cuts of beef, pork, or lamb. A thermometer is the test, and color is not. Let it rest 3 minutes before serving.
