Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

Now that soccer season is in full swing again, my slow cooker is getting a workout. I actually have three slow cookers (my sturdy, old-timer, non-programmable slow cooker, my nifty, new programmable slow cooker and, my baby slow cooker). One of them is usually on and cookin’ at any given time, whether I’m making bone broth, dinner or some lovely slow cooker oatmeal for breakfast the next morning.

Anyway, back to the beef stew . . . there are few things I enjoy more than walking into the house after a long day of work, homeschooling, errands and kid-chauffeuring and smelling this slow cooker beef stew recipe as it leads the whole family into the kitchen for a bowl of comfort.

My Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe is Perfect for Frugal Families

As I was digging around in my freezer while planning last week’s menu, I found one lonely pound of grass-fed beef stew meat. It was lonely because the stew meat is one of the first things I use when we have grass-fed beef. I try to use 2-3 pounds at a time and hope to never have a single pound by itself in the freezer because one pound of stew meat is not enough to feed hungry guys.

I was able to stretch this little pound of beef stew meat with enough vegetables to feed everyone, though. I discovered that a pound of grass-fed beef stew meat combined with a hearty helping of lovely vegetables and a side of generously buttered sourdough bread can fill tummies in a frugal way.

And, if you’re trying to eat less meat and get more veggies into your family’s diet, this is a great way to do it. Your meat-lovers will be satisfied and you’ll be happy that everyone is getting plenty of colorful vegetables to eat.

Here’s the recipe!

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

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Ingredients

1 pound beef stew meat thawed
2 cups of water
3 jumbo potatoes peeled and chopped (for a lovely paleo twice, use sweet potatoes)
2 medium onions diced
1 pound of whole carrots peeled and chopped
1/2 pound of green peas
1 container of fresh mushrooms I think they're 8ozs usually
6 cloves of minced garlic
6 ounces of tomato paste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

Instructions

Place the ingredients in the slow-cooker.
Set the slow-cooker to low.
Cook for 6-8 hours.

Notes

When I'm in a hurry to get this recipe in the slow cooker, I use 2 tsp of garlic power and 2 tsp of onion powder in place of the minced garlic and onion.