This recipe for warm and wonderful beef stew features sweet carrots and crispy breadcrumbs and cooks up into tender perfection in the slow cooker!
I have never, and I mean never, met a beef stew that I couldn’t make friends with. When it comes to beef stew I am basically just a girl who can’t say no…but I do have certain requirements. And my biggest one?
NO POTATOES.
Nope. I love potatoes in many scenarios, but not in my beef stew…they get too soggy, and even if you put them in towards the end of the cooking process, they just take up too much room.
Nope, I like my beef stew carbs in other ways…in this case, via some crispy breadcrumbs on the top and some creamy polenta or pasta or rice on the bottom. Mmmmmm.
Or (as my ever-wise and cooking whiz brother has reminded me) if you want potatoes, this stew would be all kinds of awesome on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes!
The overall recipe is classic beef stew – beef chuck cubes seared and then cooked low and slow with a conglomeration of carrots and leeks and other goodies until it is tender and perfect.
When it is done, scoop out a little broth, whisk a some flour to make a slurry and pour it in to thicken up the sauce – you’ll turn up your slow cooker to high for this part.
In the meantime, you want to be making a potful of creamy polenta or rice or pasta or mashed potatoes, and toasting up a handful of fresh breadcrumbs.
Whatever you do, I am begging you not to skip the breadcrumb part. It seems like such a little thing, but they add the perfect, perfect finishing touch of crunchy deliciousness.
Now all that is left to do is ladle a nice puddle of whatever base you are using on to each plate, scoop out some beef stew on top, scatter on some breadcrumbs and parsley and serve it up.
Warm and wonderful and just right for the a shivery night’s supper.
Happy beef stew!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Crispy Breadcrumbs
This recipe for slow cooker beef stew features sweet carrots and crispy breadcrumbs and cooks up into tender perfection in the slow cooker!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker and Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 2 pound beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups chicken broth (yes, chicken broth, not beef)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into one inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup flour
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (whirl 1–2 slices of bread in your food processor)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet and sear the beef cubes on all sides.
- Put 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups of chicken broth, 4 tablespoons tomato paste, a teaspoon each of thyme and allspice into the slow cooker and whisk it up until well combined.
- Add the seared beef, 6 peeled and chopped carrots and one peeled and chopped sweet and cook for another 8 hours on low or until beef is tender.
- Scoop out about a cup of the stew liquid, whisk in another half cup of flour (I like to shake it in through a small fine mesh strainer to avoid any lumps), pour this mixture back into the slow cooker, turn it up to high and cook for another 30 minutes or so to thicken the sauce.
- While the sauce is thickening, make the breadcrumbs by heating a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir until brown and crispy.
- Taste and season stew with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into warmed bowls (over polenta, pasta, rice or all by itself!) and garnish with breadcrumbs and parsley. Serve at once.
sylvie says
Hey polenta is a great idea!
It turns a usual dish into an amazing dish : )
I agree! I love pretty much anything that is on a bed of polenta. :)
Karen Clark says
This stew recipe sounds delicious! I am a big fan of stew over polenta and is the way I usually serve my stew. I don’t think my husband would be happy with his stew without potatoes but I may just make this one. If he misses his potatoes, I’ll just add them next time!
I know there will be folks who need their potatoes, and I totally get it! :)