Our easy slow cooker beef stew with onion soup mix is a protein packed one pot meal we make every single month. With potatoes, carrots and onions this is probably one our favorite stew meat recipes my Grandmother used to make.
Looking for a new comfort meal? Try cooking chunks of beef in Lipton onion soup mix, that packet makes everything so flavorful and easy. Get out some beef stew meat, potatoes and carrots and let’s get started. Just one easy Crockpot recipe that will remind you of your childhood.
Yes we have made a “traditional” slow cooker beef stew before and that is amazing too. It is one of the homemade meals my mom made when I was growing up. She never had much time in the morning to prep much before work but every once and a while this was served.
Packed with vegetables and bite size fork tender beef I will say it was one of my favorite meals. The easier the better really. Using Lipton soup mix is key to fast prep, let me show you…..
Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
- This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
- I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉
Beef Stew Ingredients
You will want a package of large bite size pieces of beef, yes I typically just buy a package of already cut stew meat but You actually don’t have to use already cut up meat. If you have a chuck roast or steak on hand you can cut that up into bite size pieces too and use that. I like to use what I have on hand or what is in the freezer I can defrost. If you buy meat in bulk too you probably do the same thing.
- Potatoes cut into large chunks, russet or red potatoes work
- Carrots peeled and cut into large chunks or baby carrots
- 1 packet of onion soup mix is the secret ingredient. I buy these in bulk because I use it to make slow cooker pork roast onion soup mix too
- I add more freshly sliced onions too
- Vegetable oil or olive to brown the meat initially
- Tomato paste will make the sauce thicker
- Flour to thicken the onion gravy
- Worcestershire sauce and onion seasoning packet
This really is a one pot meal so you don’t need a side dish but our cheddar bay biscuits are great if you want some carbs.
Is there a difference between onion soup mix and French onion soup mix?
Not much. French uses a yellow variety while the other can use a variety of types. If you buy the packets at the store with dry seasoning in them, or use our Lipton French onion soup mix recipe. There are only a few ingredients and is way cheaper than buying it. If you use this often I’d make a batch to store and use.
Then you can make dishes like this one and our meatloaf recipe from Lipton onion soup mix on a weekly basis and know you have all the things in your cupboard.
Variations
You can tweak the flavors a ton with this meat. Even with American versions there is a ton of difference. Some insist on potatoes and lots of vegetables and others think potatoes don’t belong. You can add a ton of flavors from other countries too like our Puerto Rican beef stew recipe.
Crockpot Brunswick stew is great, and packed with potatoes like this one as well. The thing I love about stews in general is that you can add your favorite veggies. It was a great way for us to get our kids to actually taste them too because they became so very tender.
Do you need to brown stew meat before adding to Slow Cooker?
I mean you won’t ruin the dish if you have no way to do this but it is highly suggested, especially in this case because we toss the outsides with flour. Browning initially will keep the meat as moist as possible because cooking the outsides locks in the juices. Tossing in flour creates a bit more of a crust on the outside which makes for a great texture, and some falls off into the cooking liquid making it thicker.
How Long to Cook Beef Stew in Slow Cooker on Low
I always always suggest that you use low with one exception, if you are cooking a frozen roast in slow cooker. BUT these are in much smaller pieces so low is the preferred temperature for sure to get it as fork tender as possible. You just want to cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until meat is very fork tender.
The larger your pieces of protein are the longer it will take to reach fork tender status but this timing should do it for anything that is around bite size. Jump to recipe card below to get started.
What is the best thickener for beef stew?
You can use some flour or cornstarch and water to whisk together to create a roux. Arrowroot works as a gluten free option for this as well. If not this then potato flakes like the ones used to make instant mashed potatoes are actually a great option as well to get the gravy thicker.
You shouldn’t need any other seasonings when this is served. My husband is more of a salt person than I am so he usually adds some to everything but that is another story….. I usually whip up some pull apart bread as a side but other than that it’s a complete meal, truly.
Hope this is added to your meal rotation because y’all love it so much. If you add something else into your mix that turns out great let us know. We will give it a go on our next round and see what we think. 😉
Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Onion Soup Mix Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3 lbs stew meat, or cubed beef in large bite size pieces
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 pkg onion soup mix
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 small onions, sliced
- 8 cup beef broth
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cuted into 2" pieces
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into dials
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Instructions
- Prepare the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag add the flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Shake gently to combine. Add the meat to the bag, seal, and turn until the meat is entirely coated by the flour.
- In a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add the oil. Carefully add about half of the meat to the skillet and brown on all sides. Remove the brown meat and place in the slow cooker to keep warm.
- Repeat until all of the meat is browned. Add the sliced onions to the skillet. Cook until softened. Stir often to avoid burning. Transfer the onions to the slow cooker. Pour about one cup of the beef broth into the skillet, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any cooked on pieces.
- Pour all of the broth from the skillet into the slow cooker. Add the vegetables to the slow cooker over the meat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef broth, remaining salt, garlic powder, dried thyme, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix packet and tomato paste.
- Pour over the vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until meat is very fork tender.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe doesn’t say when to put in onion soup mix. I mixed it with the broth.
Sorry about that, you’re right. Fixed