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 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker and Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
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.