Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Cozy, delicious, and rich, this gluten-free Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is loaded with potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms alongside tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. It’s paleo-friendly as well!

The slow cooker is such a lifesaver. I love how you can start a recipe when you have time and then let it go throughout the day while you do other things, and by dinner time, you’ve got a delicious meal waiting for you.

Also, try my other stew recipes such as: Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe (Whole30 & Paleo), Turnip and Carrot Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Easy Instant Pot Chicken Stew, and Healthier Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe.

While you can skip browning the meat in your pan, I really recommend this step. It only takes a couple of minutes, and then the slow cooker does the rest of the work for you. When you brown the beef, it caramelizes the outside of the meat and gives your stew a richer flavor once it’s done. Trust me on this one!

The best part about this healthy slow cooker beef stew is that there is enough that there are always leftovers, and boy, does this stew taste even better when it is reheated. You can even meal prep this so you get a warm, cozy stew at work for lunch throughout the week. Stew, like my Cabbage and Sausage Stew, is such a great make-ahead and freezer meal!

Want more slow cooker recipes? Try my Easy Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe, Easy Whole30 Pumpkin Chili Recipe, or my Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato.

How to Make this Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

• Beef chuck roast — cut into 2-inch chunks.
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Gluten-free all-purpose flour — or arrow flour for Paleo and Whole30
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• White onion — chopped
• Garlic cloves — minced
• Tomato paste — this really helps build the layers of flavors
• Worcestershire Sauce — a small amount goes a long way in helping build flavor as well.
• Carrot — cut into 2-inch chunks.
• Yukon Gold potatoes — diced into 2-inch pieces.
• Low-sodium beef broth
• Bay leaves
• Peas — fresh or frozen work.
• Fresh chopped parsley — for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the Beef to Brown

1. In a large bowl, pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season with salt, pepper, and flour.
2. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
3. When the skillet is hot enough, add the meat and sear on all sides until golden brown. It will take about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker.
4. In the same skillet, add onions and garlic, and if necessary, add a little bit more olive oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the browned meat bits. Add tomato paste and Worcestershire Sauce. Mix everything well.

Cook the Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1. Transfer it to the slow cooker
2. Add remaining ingredients (don’t add the fresh parsley) to the slow cooker. Give a good stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Close the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours.
4. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the peas, and garnish with parsley before serving.

Tips and Notes for This Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• Did you know you could freeze tomato paste? I find that I always open a can of tomato paste, and then it ends up in my fridge for a while, and sometimes it ends up going bad because the recipe doesn’t use the whole can. Freeze it and thaw it whenever you need some!
• It might be tempting to get stew beef for beef stew (I mean, it’s called stew meat), but I really recommend you get a chuck roast and then cut it yourself so all your meat is similar in size and the same type of meat!
• Don’t be tempted to skip the bay leaf! The bay leaves add a lighter note to the healthy slow cooker beef stew and help the other flavors shine. It’s a small step and a single ingredient, but it does a lot.
• I find that the longer the stew simmers on low, the more tender the beef becomes. For melt-in-your-mouth beef, I like to cook it on low for 8 hours.
• Avoid opening the slow cooker while your beef stew is still cooking. This releases the heat that was built up, and it’ll take time to rebuild all that lost heat, and your beef stew might not turn out as great as intended.
• Everything is cut into 2-inch chunks so they can cook evenly in the slow cooker together. If you cut them into larger chunks or smaller chunks, you’ll have to adjust the cooking time.
• To make Paleo or Whole30 friendly, use arrowroot flour.

Storing, Reheating, and Freezing Tips

• Store all leftovers in an airtight container inside your fridge for up to 5 days.
• Leftovers can be quickly reheated in the microwave, or you can reheat them by simmering them on the stovetop. Simmering it on the stovetop to reheat might make your beef stew thicker, but I think that’s a great bonus side effect.
• You can freeze leftovers in freezer bags for up to 4 months. Be sure to thaw in the fridge beforehand and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Serving Ideas

Here are some great recipes to go with your healthy slow cooker beef stew!

• Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
• Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
• Easy Roasted Vegetables Recipe

Watch the Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew Web Story.

3.70 from 79 votes

Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Cozy, delicious, and rich, this gluten-free Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is loaded with potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms alongside tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. It's paleo-friendly as well!

© Author: Olivia Ribas

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 5 hours hours

Total: 5 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lb. beef chuck roast  cut into 2-inch chunks.
• ▢ Kosher salt to taste
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour or arrow flour for Paleo and Whole30
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup white onion chopped
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1/3 cup tomato paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• ▢ 1 cup carrot cut into 2-inch chunks.
• ▢ 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes diced into 2-inch pieces.
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 1/2 cup peas
• ▢ Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, pat beef dry with a paper towel. Season with salt, pepper and flour.
• Add olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot enough add the meat and sear on all sides until golden brown. It will take about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker.
  
• In the same skillet, add onions and garlic and if necessary add a little bit more of olive oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to get all browned meat bits. Add tomato paste and Worcestershire Sauce. Mix everything well. Transfer it to the slow cooker.
  
• Add remaining ingredients (don’t add the fresh parsley) to the slow cooker. Give a good stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  
• Close the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours.
  
• Remove the bay leaves, stir in the peas, and garnish with parsley before serving.
  

Tips

• For the best flavour and texture, I recommend you get chuck roast instead of stew meat. 
• Avoid opening the slow cooker to check on the stew. Opening the lid releases the heat that was built up and it’ll take time to re-built all that lost heat.
• Make sure to cut the chuck roast into even pieces. If they are larger or smaller than 2-inch chunks, you'll have to adjust the timing. 
• To store: Store leftover beef stew in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. 
• To reheat: You can reheat the stew in the microwave or on the stovetop. 
• To freeze: Freeze leftover stew in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat before enjoying. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 Calories: 418kcal Carbohydrates: 16g Protein: 32g Fat: 18g Cholesterol: 64mg Sodium: 368mg Potassium: 305mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.