Crock Pot Beef Stew for Two

This Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe is plump full of onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic and tender beef stew meat all nested together in a red wine reduction sauce with just a small kick of spice. I love to serve it with Best Cornbread Recipe or Cheddar Pull Apart Bread.  This recipe was written for two hearty servings but it can certainly be doubled or tripled to suit your needs.

The crock pot is such an asset in the kitchen anytime of year.  In the relentless warmth of the summer it can keep you from heating up your kitchen with your stove.  In the dead of the winter it can provide you with wonderful warm cozy meals like this Crock Pot Beef Stew for Two. A great  recipe is always a good reason to turn on the crock pot.

This savory Crock Pot Beef Stew is chock full of hearty flavor and goodness.  Tender beef, carrots, potatoes, and onions come together in a rich flavorful gravy.  Perfect over egg noodles or served by itself with a crusty piece of French bread.  Boy food doesn’t get much better than this.  I love crock pot cooking.  The crock pot “cooks all day while the cooks away. ”  Now this savory recipe is perfect for a couple. I cook it in my smaller crock pot but it can easily be doubled or even tripled in a larger crock pot.

How do you make Crock Pot Beef Stew?

First in a large Ziploc bag combine the flour, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Add the stew meat and shake well to coat. Heat a little vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the coated stew meat and cook to brown on all sides. Remove from the heat and add to the bottom of the crock pot.

Now heat a little more olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned on the edges stirring several times. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute stirring constantly. Add to the crock pot on top of the beef.

Using the same skillet add the wine over medium low heat. Using a spoon loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the wine by half while continuing to stir. Now add Worcestershire sauce. beef broth, Cajun seasoning, cumin and bay leaf.  Simmer for about five minutes to meld all the flavors together. Pour wine/broth mixture over the beef and onions. Cook covered on low for eight to ten hours or high for four to five hours adding the carrots, potatoes and celery halfway through the cooking process.  Remove the bay leaf prior to serving. If desired serve over egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

Helpful tips for making Crock Pot Beef Stew

• If time allows do not skip the flouring and browning of the stew meat. It adds flavor, dimension and really helps thicken the sauce.
• You can substitute more low sodium beef broth in place of the wine however keep in mind that it will take longer to reduce.
• Cajun seasoning adds a lot of flavor without being overly spicy nonetheless if you have a sensitive palate reduce to 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon.
•  Need to add everything at the same time? Then add the potatoes, carrots and celery to the crock pot at the same time that you add the beef.  They will be pretty soft at the end of the cooking cycle but they will still be delicious.
• When your meat and vegetables turn tender move the temperature to warm to keep from overcooking your meal.

More Crock Pot Recipes

Crock Pot Beef Stew for Two

This Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe is bursting with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic and tender melt in your mouth beef stew meat all nested together in a red wine reduction sauce with just a bit of kick.

4.83 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal beef

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours hours

Total Time: 7 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 710kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• ¾ lb beef stew meat
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 carrots cut in chunks
• 2 potatoes cut in chunks
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning more or less to taste
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

• In large Ziploc bag combine flour, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Add stew meat and shake to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add coated stew meat and cook to brown all sides. Remove from heat and add to crock pot.
• Heat 1-2 more tablespoons vegetable oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned on the edges; approximately 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for additional 1 minute; stirring constantly. Add to crock pot on top of beef.
• Using same skillet add wine over medium low heat working to loosen browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the wine by 1/2 while continuing to stir. Add Worcestershire sauce. beef broth, Cajun seasoning, cumin and bay leaf, Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Pour wine/broth mixture over beef and onions in the crock pot.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours adding carrots, potatoes and celery halfway through the cooking process.  Cook just until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.

Notes

• If time allows do not skip the flouring and browning of the stew meat. It adds flavor, dimension and really helps thicken the sauce.
• You can substitute more low sodium beef broth in place of the wine however keep in mind that it will take longer to reduce.
• Cajun seasoning adds a lot of flavor without being overly spicy nonetheless if you have a sensitive palate reduce to 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon.
•  Need to add everything at the same time? Then add the potatoes, carrots and celery to the crock pot at the same time that you add the beef.  They will be pretty soft at the end of the cooking cycle but they will still be delicious.
• When your meat and vegetables turn tender move the temperature to warm to keep from overcooking your meal.

Nutrition

Calories: 710kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1193mg | Potassium: 2248mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 10801IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 8mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Mention @smalltownwomanfoodnut or tag #smalltownwomanfoodnut!

On the hunt for more delicious recipes?  Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

This post was originally published August 30, 2016 and was republished October 3, 2019 with new content.