Beef. It’s what’s for dinner!
During the chilly winter months, its all about soups and stews. This slow cooker beef and potato stew will become a family favorite! In the morning, you simply throw all the ingredients into your slow cooker and by dinnertime you have a delicious pot of stew ready to eat. I like to make a big batch of this stuff because it tastes even better the following days.
This stew is best served with a couple slices of toasted crusty bread to soak up all the savory juices.
I have found that Yukon Gold potatoes are best for this dish. Red potatoes don’t absorb liquids very well and Russets fall apart with prolonged cooking. Yukon Gold are perfect because they don’t require peeling, they keep their shape, and they cook to be creamy and flavorful.
I added tomato paste and soy sauce to enhance the beefy flavors while increasing the umami goodness. Carrots are hard to overcook, they maintain their shape and provide a nice sweetness to this beefy stew.
And my top secret ingredient in thickening this stew- potato flakes (instant mashed potato)! While I’ve never made mashed potatoes from a box, I do love using instant mashed potatoes as a thickener. It is a nice alternative to using cornstarch or making a roux. You simply add the potato flakes into the hot stew, stir to combine and it instantly thickens. The starch in potatoes make it a natural thickener. And don’t worry about using instant potatoes- they are made using real potatoes that have been cooked then dehydrated.
Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Stew, serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1- 10.5 oz can condensed French Onion soup
1 cup water
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, excess fat trimmed
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half or quarters
1 medium onion, large dice cut
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
2 cups frozen peas
additional salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup potato flakes (instant mashed potato), as need to thicken stew
crusty bread, toasted for serving
Instructions
1.Add chicken broth, onion soup, water, tomato paste, and soy sauce into bowl of slow cooker. Whisk to break up and distribute tomato paste.
2. In a large bowl, season beef with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
3. Add seasoned beef, potatoes, onion, and carrots to slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on high for 6-7 hours until the beef is tender.
4. Before serving, add frozen peas and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup potato flakes to thicken soup. Add additional potato flakes 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired thickness. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toasted crusty bread.
*Note: As with most braised dishes, this stew tastes much better the following day once the beef has absorbed all the flavors. Simply reheat gently and serve as usual. DO NOT BOIL when reheating because it will dry out the meat.
- 1 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1- 10.5 oz can condensed French Onion soup
- 1 cup water
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, excess fat trimmed
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half or quarters
- 1 medium onion, large dice cut
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 2 cups frozen peas
- additional salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup potato flakes (instant mashed potato), as need to thicken stew
- crusty bread, toasted for serving
- Add chicken broth, onion soup, water, tomato paste, and soy sauce into bowl of slow cooker. Whisk to breakup and distribute tomato paste.
- In a large bowl, season beef with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Add seasoned beef, potatoes, onion, and carrots to slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on high for 6-7 hours until the beef is tender.
- Before serving, add frozen peas and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup potato flakes to thicken soup. Add additional potato flakes 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired thickness. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toasted crusty bread.
- *As with most braised dishes, this stew tastes much better the following day once the beef has absorbed all the flavors. Simply reheat gently and serve as usual. DO NOT BOIL when reheating because it will dry out the meat.
