Are you looking for a super easy beef stew recipe that is knock your socks off good? Look no further. This Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe is hands down my favorite of all time! 
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I found the original recipe for this family favorite in Gooseberry Patch’s One Pot Meals Cookbook. I substituted a couple of the ingredients to match what I had in my pantry, but the results were still that classic fall-apart tender stew. We all just loved this recipe… truth be told, I may have loved it just a little too much.
The Best Crock Pot Beef Stew {I never made}
I have been working a lot of hours. And, an unusual amount of those hours have been outside of the house. That means while I might be scheduling the menu, tweaking recipes, doing the grocery shopping, taking the photos and editing and posting the recipes, not every recipe on here or GOODEness Gracious are always made by me. {gasp!} Ya see, we only post what we eat for dinner and sometimes– especially these days– Puddie (the hubs) is doing the cooking so the family can eat at a decent hour. And so goes the story of the best Crock Pot Beef Stew that I never made (but totally took credit for). I had been wanting to try this recipe for ages.
Only I made notes that instead of tapioca, I wanted to switch out barley and also switch out the cocktail veggie juice for my favorite Tomato Juice. I did the shopping, I did the meal planning. But once again, I was away in meetings and I popped a text to Puddie to toss everything in the slow cooker so it would be ready in time for dinner.
He did… only he forgot so he put it on about three hours too late and I got a call saying we needed to figure out something else for dinner. So I quickly flipped to the next meal and popped him another recipe of ingredients on that week’s menu. So if you are keeping count (but who wants to do that anyways 😉 ) Puddie has now cooked not one but two dinners for the family. I get home and we have dinner. The stew finishes and gets put in the fridge for dinner the next night. Stew is always better the next day anyhow, right? So after another busy day of chaos, the family settles in for dinner and we dig into the yummy stew.
Everyone is going crazy over the amazing stew. Such complex flavor! The beef is sooo tender. Oh the barley was the perfect add!
And then I pipe up without thinking and with all seriousness and say,”This is incredible! I do believe this is the BEST Beef Stew I have ever made!”
My husband looks at me like I had done lost my mind.
“No, I’m serious honey, this stew is fantastic,” I say, trying to convince him. I mean what stew is he eating? This stuff was killer good!
“You think it is the best stew YOU have ever made, huh?”
“Yes. It is incredible… Did you taste those carrots?!”
He thinks I am pulling his leg. I still have no idea why he is acting so put out. I mean I just fed him the best beef stew of his life.
“Honey, I made the stew.”
I laughed out loud. I totally had thought I made it and I was making sure everyone else thought I had too!
So there you have it. Here is the best Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe I never made.
Looking for a great slow cooker? This one is currently one of my favs!
Crock Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Beef Stew Meat-Cubed
- 2 Potatoes- Peeled and Quartered
- 3 Stalks Celery- Chopped
- 4 Carrots- Peeled and Chopped
- 2 Onions- Quartered
- 2 Cups Tomato Juice
- 1/3 Cup Barley
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Arrange beef and veggies in the slow cooker
- Combine remaining ingredients and pour over top.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Dee Ann says
March 1, 2014 at 11:42 pmThis is going in the crockpot tonight for Sunday lunch tomorrow! It’s supposed to be cold and rainy…perfect lunch! Thanks for the recipe!