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Full of fresh, summery flavors, our Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Stew is as easy as adding your ingredients to the slow cooker, setting the time, and letting it cook. This brightly flavorful beef stew with zucchini isn't just juicy and fork tender: it's also gluten-free and keto friendly!
Jump to:
- Beef Stew with Vegetables
- Vegetable Beef Stew Ingredients
- What Vegetables to Add to Beef Stew
- What cut of beef is beef stew?
- How to Make Beef Tender in Slow Cooker
- How to Make Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker
- How to Make Beef Stew Thicker
- Beef Stew Crockpot FAQ
- Can I freeze beef stew?
- Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe Tips
- What to Serve with Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Beef Stew with Vegetables
Is there anything better than having dinner waiting for you at the end of a long day? That's what makes my vegetable beef stew recipe one of my favorites to prepare for my family. You can set it up in the morning, give it a stir now and then, and it's ready by dinnertime with hardly any effort!
After slowly cooking all day, the beef stew meat becomes fork-tender, and the broth develops rich flavors. It will fill your whole house with an incredible aroma while it's cooking! This is one of my favorite slow cooker beef recipes to prepare ahead of time. And the best part? It's even easy to freeze!
Vegetable Beef Stew Ingredients
- stew beef, such as chuck roast, cubed
- minced garlic
- bay leaves
- shallot
- tomato paste
- beef broth
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- zucchini
- yellow bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
- fresh parsley or basil (optional) for garnish
What Vegetables to Add to Beef Stew
- zucchini
- summer squash
- yellow bell pepper
- red bell pepper
This combination gives my summer beef stew its vibrant flavors! Paired with a hearty base including garlic, bay leaf, shallots, tomato paste, and beef broth, our beef stew without wine is robustly flavorful. It's similar to a Mediterranean stew.
Compared to traditional beef stew recipes, it offers a lighter alternative. My summer beef stew with zucchini is perfect for cooking up a lighter beef stew recipe. It's comfort food that isn't heavy!
Family Foodie Tip: Add the vegetables in the last 30 minutes of cooking so they are fresh and crisp and not mushy!
What cut of beef is beef stew?
Beef stew meat is often chuck roast beef. You can either purchase a chuck roast and cube it yourself, or look for beef labeled as stew meat, which is already pre-cut into chunks already. It's so easy, just let your butcher do the work for you by cutting the beef into chunks.
How to Make Beef Tender in Slow Cooker
The secret to achieving tender beef stew meat is using a cut of beef meant for stewing and cooking it low and slow in the crockpot. Cooking the beef for hours in the slow cooker makes it tender like you wouldn't believe! It soaks up all of the delicious flavors from the broth and becomes so juicy.
How to Make Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker
- Whisk together stew base ingredients. This is a beef stew recipe without wine, so you will need: beef broth, tomato paste, shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper. Pour half into the slow cooker, then add your stew meat.
- Pour the other half of the broth over the meat, then add a bay leaf.
- How long to cook beef stew in a crockpot: Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, occasionally stirring. Cooking for the full 8 hours will give you the most tender beef.
- While it cooks, prep your summer squash, zucchini, and red and yellow bell peppers by cubing them into even pieces. In the last 30 minutes of cook time, add the vegetables. Serve, and enjoy!
How to Make Beef Stew Thicker
If you want to thicken the beef stew gravy and are not worried about making the recipe gluten-free or keto, you can thicken it:
- Whisk 1 tsp. flour in a little cold water to make a slurry.
- Stir the slurry into the stew as it's cooking. After adding the slurry, allow the stew to come to a boil.
Family Foodie Tip: Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it might clump.
Beef Stew Crockpot FAQ
Absolutely, you can add zucchini to beef stew! I recommend adding the zucchini to the beef stew toward the end of the cooking process, in the last 30 minutes of cook time. This prevents it from becoming over mushy.
Yes, this is a perfect keto beef stew recipe! It's low in carbs and light with plenty of protein.
Yes, my delicious beef stew is gluten-free! As long as you don't add flour to thicken it, every ingredient suits a gluten-free diet.
Can I freeze beef stew?
Yes! Our crockpot homemade beef stew is perfect for making ahead of time and freezing. Here's how:
- Allow summer stew to cool, then store in a heavy air-tight container. Leave about half an inch of space at the top to allow for expansion so the container doesn't burst.
- Label with the freezing date and store for up to 3 months. No thickener is used in this stew, so it's perfect for freezing without any issues of it separating!
- When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat on the stovetop over low heat, in your crockpot, or in the microwave.
Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe Tips
- Choose the right beef: It's important to make sure you choose the right beef stew meat when making this recipe, so it's fall-apart tender! I prefer to use already cubed-up stew meat, but you can also use chuck roast beef and cut it yourself.
- Adding vegetables: Don't forget to add in your fresh vegetables in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. This ensures your vegetables won't be mushy!
- Use in-season veggies: Don't feel limited to using zucchini and bell peppers. In the fall, a classic combination of carrots and celery also makes for a great vegetable beef stew. Just note, the cook time may vary for different vegetables.
- To store: Store beef stew in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Warm up beef stew leftovers in a large pot, over medium-low heat on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of beef broth as needed.
Try our Pressure Cooker Beef Stew and Beef Bourguignon next!
What to Serve with Beef Stew
Serve vegetable beef stew with a light side like roasted or grilled corn or something starchy, like rice, mashed potatoes, and crusty bread to sop up the broth.
- White rice
- Crusty bread
- Shaved corn
- Mashed potatoes
Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
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📋 Recipe
Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound stew beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or 2 teaspoons of garlic paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 shallot sliced thinly, or 2 green onions
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 zucchini cubed to bite size
- 1 summer squash cubed to bite size
- 1 yellow bell pepper cubed to bite size
- 1 red bell pepper cubed to bite size
- pinch salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional) for garnish
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Whisk together beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste.2 cloves garlic, 1 shallot, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 cups beef broth, pinch salt and pepper
- Pour half of the broth mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker, then add your stew meat.1 pound stew beef
- Pour the remaining half of the broth mixture over the meat and add the bay leaves.2 bay leaves
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Add diced vegetables in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Garnish, serve, and enjoy!1 zucchini, 1 summer squash, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional)
Notes
- Choose the right beef: It's important to make sure you choose the right beef stew meat when making this recipe, so it's fall-apart tender! I prefer to use already cubed-up stew meat, but you can also use chuck roast beef and cut it yourself.
- Adding vegetables: Don't forget to add in your fresh vegetables in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. This ensures your vegetables won't be mushy!
- To store: Store beef stew in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Warm up beef stew leftovers in a large pot, over medium-low heat on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of beef broth as needed.
Nutrition
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