Crockpot Ground Beef Stew

Ground beef stew made in the crockpot inside a white slow cooker.

Crockpot Ground Beef Stew is packed with ground beef, buttery potatoes, carrots, and a richly seasoned savory beef broth. It's budget-friendly, comforting, and perfect for busy nights.

Course Crock Pot, Dinner, Slow Cooker

Cuisine American

Keyword crockpot ground beef stew, ground beef stew, stew recipe with ground beef

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 7 30

Total Time 7 55

Servings (2 cups each)

Calories 367kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion finely diced
2 celery stalks finely diced
1½ pounds ground beef
3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (cut into 1-inch pieces)
4 carrots (peeled and sliced ½-inch thick)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2½ cups beef broth
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the diced onion and diced celery. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the vegetables begin to soften.
1 medium yellow onion, 2 celery stalks
Add in the ground beef and cook and crumble until it's no longer pink. Carefully drain, or soak up with a paper towel, any excess grease from the skillet. Leave the ground beef, onion, and celery in the skillet after draining the grease.
1½ pounds ground beef
Add the garlic cloves, tomato paste, dried thyme, dried rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper into the ground beef mixture. Cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste darkens slightly.
3 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Transfer the ground beef mixture from the skillet to a slow cooker. Add in the potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Stir gently to combine.
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 4 carrots, 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce, 2½ cups beef broth, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 bay leaf
Cover and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours or HIGH heat for 4-5 hours. The potatoes and carrots should be fork-tender.
Stir in the frozen peas. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, until the peas are heated through. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
1 cup frozen peas
Ladle the stew into bowls and serve hot. Enjoy!

Notes

It's really important to chop the potatoes into 1"-inch cubes and the carrots about ½-inch thick in slices. This helps everything cook through without the vegetables getting too soft. If the vegetables are cut too small they will turn into soft mush with the longer cook time in the crockpot. If they're cut too big then they won't cook in time to fork-tenderness.
Wait until the end to add the frozen peas. They only need about 20 minutes to heat through.
I love the flavor that beef bone broth adds to the stew; I use the Kettle and Fire brand because it tastes the best. Use beef broth, beef stock, water + beef bouillon, or the reduced-sodium versions if you are wanting to cut the salt content. I think regular beef broth or stock will add the most flavor. Remember that the longer crockpot cook time does tend to slightly mute the seasonings and flavors in the stew.

Nutrition