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5-ingredient slow cooker beef stew with carrots and potatoes in a rich gravy

5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Tender beef chuck, potatoes and carrots in a rich savoury gravy, made in the slow cooker with just 5 main ingredients and 15 minutes of prep.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb 900 g beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1 1/2 lb 680 g baby potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into large chunks
  • 4 medium carrots about 400 g, peeled and cut into thick coins
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10.5 oz / 298 g
  • 1 packet dry onion soup mix 1 oz / 28 g
  • 1 cup 240 ml beef broth or water
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste optional, for deeper colour
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper plus salt to taste at the end
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water optional, to thicken
  • chopped fresh parsley to serve (optional)

Method
 

  1. Load the vegetables first: put the potato and carrot chunks in the bottom of a 5–6 quart slow cooker. Vegetables take longest to soften, and sitting at the bottom in the cooking liquid helps them cook evenly.
  2. Add the beef: arrange the chuck chunks on top of the vegetables. Season with the black pepper.
  3. Mix the gravy base: whisk the condensed soup, onion soup mix, beef broth and tomato paste (if using) in a bowl until smooth, then pour it evenly over the beef and vegetables. Do not add extra salt yet — the soup mix is salty, and you can adjust at the end.
  4. Cook low and slow: cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or on HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the potatoes are soft all the way through. Try not to lift the lid during cooking.
  5. Thicken if you like: for a thicker gravy, stir in the cornstarch slurry during the last 30 minutes on HIGH.
  6. Rest and serve: turn the cooker off, leave the lid off for 10 minutes, taste and add salt only if needed, scatter with parsley and serve warm.