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Slow Cooker Beef Stew that makes the family run to the table, with the addition of Herbed Dumplings – it’s a total winter warmer, and a winner because it’s hands off!
Update: This was originally posted in February of 2009, and has been updated to improve reader experience.
Everyone loves a good beef stew, right? RIGHT!! This one is great, it has dumplings as well. And everyone loves those! Well. Everyone in MY house.
I love the smell of it all cooking, then you drop your dumpling dough in, leave it a little while and you have a flavorful and hot dinner ready to go. It really is the BEST.
Love this Slow Cooker Beef Stew? Tweet it!A basic recipe kicked up a notch with the addition of herbed dumplings. It’s a bowl of comfort and warmth if you ask me (and you didn’t, but this is my blog – so I can pretend you did). Can you imagine the delicious smells wafting out of your house when you make this?
How to make Beef Stew:
(full printable recipe below)
- Add all ingredients except for flour and water in a 6 qt slow cooker.
- Whisk together the flour and water until well blended, and stir into the stew.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours (or High for 4-5 hrs).
- For the herb dumplings
- In a medium bowl, mix baking mix, thyme and sage.
- Stir in milk just until mix is just combined.
- Drop dough in large spoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) on top of beef stew.
- Switch the heat setting to high, and cover.
- Cook until a toothpick inserted in the dumplings comes out clean (about 20 minutes).
- Devour.
Ingredients in Crockpot Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings:
Beef chuck – cut into 1 inch pieces – see notes below for the best cut of beef to use for stew
Baby carrots – you can switch these out for regular carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
Celery – adds a delicious flavor to the stew, and cooks down so is really soft when eaten
Onions – slice into thick chunks, or quarters
Canned tomatoes – these will form the base of the gravy
Potatoes – feel free to skip peeling. Cut them into chunks
Red wine – lends a delicious flavor to the gravy, use a good quality red wine that you enjoy drinking. Sub beef broth if you wish!
Seasoning – Salt, Thyme, Mustard powder, pepper
Constarch & water – for a slurry to thicken the gravy (you can switch out for flour)
Baking mix, thyme, sage,& milk – these will be your dumplings. Feel free to use fresh or dried herbs in this
What cut of beef to use in stews?
I like to use chuck, it’s a pretty tough cut so it needs time to break down and become tender. I usually pick a lean looking piece, and cut it into chunks for the stew.
- Chuck: also known as chuck roast, shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, or stewing beef
- Round: also known as rump roast or bottom round.
Top Tips for Crockpot Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings
- To prevent dumplings from becoming soggy on the bottom, drop the dough onto the stew pieces rather than directly into the liquid. The dumplings will steam rather than settle into the liquid and become soggy. Also, be sure the stew is piping hot – so the dumplings will start to cook from the steam right away and become fluffy.
- Red peppers are a yummy addition to this – they bring a sweetness that balances well with the other ingredients.
Looking for more crockpot recipes? (Click the link for more, but here are my faves)
Cuban Ropa Vieja – from Lemon Blossoms
WANT TO TRY THIS CROCKPOT BEEF STEW?
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Crockpot Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 lb beef chucke cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 2 stalks celery about 1 cup, chopped
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 medium potatoes chopped roughly
- ¾ cup dry red wine can sub beef broth
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
- ¼ cup water
- 3 Tbs cornstarch
Herb Dumplings
- 1½ cups baking mix
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sage
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for flour and water in a 6 qt slow cooker.
- Whisk together the flour and water until well blended, and stir into the stew.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours (or High for 4-5 hrs).
For the herb dumplings
- In a medium bowl, mix baking mix, thyme and sage.
- Stir in milk just until mix is just combined.
- Drop dough in large spoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) on top of beef stew.
- Switch the heat setting to high, and cover.
- Cook until a toothpick inserted in the dumplings comes out clean (about 20 minutes).
- Devour.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
Recipes written and produced on Kylee Cooks are for informational purposes only. Kylee is not a certified nutritionist. Nutritional data provided on Kylee Cooks has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.
