You don’t need garlic and onions to have a ridiculously tasty beef stew! This easy slow cooker beef stew uses a few pantry staples to add a flavor punch that’s perfect on a chilly fall night. Pop this in the slow cooker on a Saturday morning before running errands or going to sports practice, and you’ll come home to a hearty dinner that warms you from inside out.
When people hear that our son is allergic to garlic, their first reaction is almost always pity. “Oh, garlic is SO GOOD, how can you stand it?!?!?” Don’t get me wrong, garlic is a tricky allergy. It’s not even required to be listed on an ingredient label, so grocery shopping can be an exercise in futility. But in all honesty, it hasn’t been as bad as we feared. In fact, it’s encouraged me to get more creative in the kitchen with flavorings.
Unpopular opinion: you don’t NEED garlic. In anything. Except maybe garlic bread.
Case in point: this easy slow cooker beef stew. This recipe literally involves chopping some stuff, throwing said stuff into your slow cooker, turning it on, and walking away for 5-7 hours. There is no garlic or onion in this recipe, but it is not short on flavor! And there’s a good chance you have everything you need for this stew in your pantry, except for probably the stew meat.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is pretty low maintenance. You don’t need to brown the meat in advance, or prep anything ahead of time. If you really wanted to, you could even swap in those tiny bite-sized potatoes and baby carrots and not even chop them up. Our grocery store sells pre-chopped carrots and celery, which would save you even more time!
All slow cookers are different, so your cooking time might vary from mine. In my slow cooker, this beef stew cooks on high for about 5 1/2 hours, or on low for about 7-8 hours. But it also depends on how large or small your chunks are, and whether or not your partner picked up the lid several times to “check on things.” The stew is done when you can pierce the potato chunks easily with a fork, and the meat is tender and falling apart slightly.
I hate stews that really should be called soups because there is so much liquid. This beef stew should give off enough liquid as it cooks to form a thick sauce on its own. If your stew feels a bit dry at the end, you can add a 1/4 cup of safe beef broth, additional diced tomatoes with juice, or even a touch of water with the green peas just to loosen things up.
Making Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew Allergy-Friendly for You!
As written, this recipe is dairy free, gluten free, garlic free, and Top 9 allergen free. The ingredients are fairly simple, so there really isn’t too much more that you can change. You can substitute a different kind of vinegar for the balsamic, or leave it out completely. My husband can’t have beans, but he is okay with peas. If you’re not okay with peas, feel free to just leave them out along with anything else that isn’t safe for you.
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Delicious beef stew without garlic or onions is possible! Prep this easy slow cooker meal in the morning, then let it cook all afternoon while you get other things done. Come home to a warm, comforting meal at the end of the day. This beef stew makes a lot and tastes even better the next day, so it's perfect for a crowd or for meal prep. If you don't need that much, it's easy to cut the recipe in half!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb. cubed beef stew meat (approximate size of family pack)
- 3 lb. russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 5 large carrots, peeled and cubed
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 (14.5 oz) can no salt diced tomatoes, with the juice
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
- Fresh parsley for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Prep your potatoes, carrots, and celery with peeling and chopping as needed. Place into a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add beef, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, rosemary, thyme, and pepper into the slow cooker with the vegetables. Stir until combined and the tomato paste is evenly distributed. Nestle the bay leaves into the mixture on opposite sides of the slow cooker.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker, and set to high heat for 5 hours time, or on low heat for 8 hours time. When the timer is up, open the slow cooker lid to give everything a stir and check for doneness. You should be able to easily pierce the potatoes with a fork, and the meat should be cooked through and tender enough to shred apart. If your stew isn't cooked through yet, set your timer for an additional hour then check again. Every time you open the slow cooker it takes about 20 minutes to return to full temperature, so keep that in mind when checking on your stew!
- Once the vegetables and meat are cooked through and tender, stir in the frozen peas and continue cooking for 5 additional minutes to warm the peas through. Remove the bay leaves and serve as is or with your favorite bread to soak up the juice! Top with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- To cut this recipe in half, simply use 1 or 1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, 1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, 3 large carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 c. diced tomatoes with juice, 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. each kosher salt, rosemary, and thyme, a large pinch of pepper, 1 bay leaf, and 3/4 c. frozen peas. The instructions are the same!
- This recipe keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days, so it's perfect for meal prep. It also freezes well, just store in an airtight container for up to 3 months!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 26gNutrition facts may vary based on the ingredients, swaps, and products used.