Make-ahead friendly and wholesome, this Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Discover how to keep it both hearty and nutritious!
There's something about hot stews and soups that makes me so happy. Whether it's my Slow Cooker Hot and Sour Soup, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, or my Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup, I always get that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
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I’ve shared my Hearty Beef Stew before, which is amaze-balls good, but it does take quite a bit of time and effort from start to finish, like most delicious stew meat recipes.
Enter the all-amazing slow cooker. If you need help using a slow cooker check out my post on How To Use A Slow Cooker.
Using a slow cooker to do all the hard work for you is totally what I’m about right now. I’ve got things to do, people! Soccer practice to watch. Spelling words to help learn. New recipes to test. I need all the help I can get on these busy weeknights to get a healthy, delicious, and family-approved dinner on the table.
Luckily, this crockpot beef stew is just the thing. It’ll feed you all week, is super easy, and is exactly what slow cookers and cold months were made for. So grab your slow cooker and the necessary ingredients and make your life easier, healthier, and tastier with this healthy beef stew recipe for an easy dinner tonight!
Ingredients For Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Chuck Roast: A tough, lean cut of beef that’s ideal for stews. When slow-cooked, it breaks down into tender, flavorful pieces. Great cuts of beef for this stew include: Chuck Roasts, Bottom Round Roast, Rump Roast, Top Round, or Pot Roasts. Look for lean, tough cuts of meat that will break down and become tender over time in the slow cooker.
Chickpea Flour: Lightly coats the beef before browning, adding a crisp crust and helping the stew thicken as it cooks.
Beef Broth: Savory and rich, beef broth creates the base of the stew and deepens the overall flavor.
Yukon Gold Potatoes: Creamy and slightly buttery, Yukon gold potatoes hold their shape well in the slow cooker while adding heartiness.
Carrots: Sweet and earthy, carrots soften as they cook and give the stew a classic comforting flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 3: In the same pan, add the diced yellow onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant. Transfer this into the slow cooker, over the meat.
Step 5: Stir to combine, and then add the bay leaf. Set the slow cooker to the Low setting for 6 to 7 hours* or on high for 3 to 4 hours, stirring about half way through. The stew is ready when the meat is tender and falls apart and the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.
Step 6: If you’d like to make the stew a little thicker, you can combine add a little arrowroot starch with beef broth or the juices from the stew, and then stir to incorporate. The stew will thicken within about 1-2 minutes after adding the arrowroot starch.
FAQs
Is Beef Stew Healthy?
My stew recipe is definitely a healthy stew recipe. However, not all beef stew recipes are created equal in the healthy department. Many beef stew recipes contain a lot of refined flours and oils.
To make this slow cooker beef stew healthy, I made the following changes:
- replaced all-purpose flour with chickpea flour to coat the beef
- replaced all-purpose flour with arrowroot starch to thicken the stew
- used a leaner cut of beef to reduce the overall fat in the stew
- used a slow cooker to cook over a long period to create more flavor
So, how healthy is this slow cooker beef stew? Well, one bowl (which is all you’ll need to fill you up!) contains just 383 calories, 44 grams of protein, and 4.5 grams of fiber. That makes this meal well-balanced, filling, and easy on the waistline.
What Is Good Stew Meat for Beef Stew?
One of the most awesome things about beef stew is that the best cuts of beef for the stew are shockingly inexpensive. That means you don’t have to spend a ton of money on the top cuts to ensure the meat is tender. Instead, you should look for lean, tough cuts of meat that will break down and become tender over time in the slow cooker.
Look for the following cuts which are the best types of meat for beef stew:
- chuck roasts
- bottom round roast
- rump roast
- top round
- pot roasts
If you’re having trouble, the butcher can also cut you special cubed stew meat from one of these cuts as well.
How Long To Cook Beef Stew in Slow Cooker?
This crockpot beef stew should be cooked until the meat and the potatoes are tender. When the meat falls apart and the potatoes are soft when you poke them with a fork, the healthy beef stew is ready.
As for the exact time, you have 2 options:
- you can set the slow cooker on low and cook the beef stew for 6-7 hours;
- or set the slow cooker on high and cook the healthy stew for 3-4 hours.
It’s entirely up to you and your schedule. The slower it cooks (on Low), the more flavor will develop, but it will still be tasty using the High method.
How To Thicken Beef Stew
Thick stew is a thing of beauty so it can be a big bummer if you don’t wind up with that thick, luscious stew. If you find yourself with this issue, just combine a few tablespoons of beef broth or the juices from the slow cooker with 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch, and whisk together. Once that mixture is smooth, add it into the beef stew and it should thicken it within a minute or so. You can repeat as needed to reach your desired thickness.
Another way to thicken beef stew is to blend some of the contents into a puree. To do this, remove the meat from the slow cooker and puree about ⅓ of the cooked veggies using a kitchen blender or immersion blender. This will naturally thicken the broth.
Can you Freeze Beef Stew?
Since this slow cooker recipe makes quite a lot of beef stew, you’ll likely find yourself with plenty of leftovers. Good news: You can easily freeze leftover beef stew for later. Here are some tips for how to freeze slow cooker beef stew:
Allow the soup to cool completely. Since slow cookers retain heat very well, you may want to transfer to a large bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool more quickly.
For easy thawing and storage, freeze in either…
- gallon size freezer bags (for family style)
- quart-sized freezer bags (for individual portions)
- freezer safe containers (Check my post Ultimate Guide To Meal Prep Containers for more help)
To freeze the slow cooker beef stew:
- leave enough space at the top of the bag to allow for expansion during freezing.
- squeeze as much air as possible out of the top of the bag and seal securely.
- place the soup-filled freezer bags in the freezer, in a single, flat layer (using a rimmed baking sheet is helpful).
- allow to freeze completely.
- then, stack them on top of each other or standing side by side.
When ready to eat, thaw bags of frozen beef stew in the refrigerator overnight.
