Mom's Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

February 25, 2017April 30, 2023

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Nothing says comfort food like beef stew. Mom’s Crock Pot Beef Stew is hearty, full of flavor and easy to put together for a busy weeknight or a Sunday night family dinner.

Mom’s Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

Barbara and I grew up on this easy beef stew. Our mom fixed it in the oven and served it with homemade bread (or canned biscuits if she was in a hurry). This was a favorite dish of our family on Saturdays in the winter.

Our dad loved coming in to the smell of beef stew after working outside on the farm. And, the smell of this cooking sends me right back to those cold winter days as the aroma wafted through our farmhouse.

However, since it required a longer cooking time, this was a meal that we only had on the weekends since our mom taught school through the week.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew in the Crock Pot

So, Barbara adapted it for the slow cooker and created Mom’s Crock Pot Beef Stew. It still has all the elements of the original, but now you can put it all together before you head out the door in the morning and come home to a warm, filling meal.

Prepping ahead for the week will save you time and energy. Consider peeling and dicing your carrots, celery and onions so that you are one step ahead. Be sure to wait to peel and dice the potatoes; they will turn brown if you do them ahead of time.

If your family are meat and potato eaters, like ours, this is definitely a meal that you need to add to your meal plan. All three of Barbara’s kids will eat this without complaining. It’s that yummy.

One note from Barbara…don’t be afraid of the tablespoon of salt in this recipe. It may seem like a lot, but it’s needed, she promises it is OK.

Ingredients for Old Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe:

• Beef Stew Meat
• Onion
• Celery
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Tomato Juice
• Instant Tapioca
• Salt

How to Make Mom’s Crock Pot Beef Stew

Full recipe steps and ingredient amounts for crock pot beef stew and vegetables is at the bottom of this post.

1. Thoroughly spray your slow cooker insert with cooking spray (or use a liner).
2. Layer the beef stew meat, diced onion, diced celery, diced carrots, cubed potatoes in the order listed in your insert.
3. Combine salt and tapioca and then sprinkle on top of other ingredients.
4. Pour tomato juice over the top.
5. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Notes About Slow Cooker Beef Stew:

• Feel free to brown the stew meat in oil to form a crust before adding it to the insert.This does give another dimension of flavor, but it is not necessary. I do it both ways just depending on how much time I have.
• You can modify the amounts of each vegetables based on what you have in the refrigerator or what your family prefers in this crock pot beef stew and vegetable recipe.Kids hate celery? Replace it with more carrots.You get the picture.
• The salt content in this crock pot beef stew with vegetables seems like a lot, but it needs it.
• You can easily double the entire recipe for this slow cooker beef stew recipe.
• Give the stew a good stir before serving to incorporate the sauce over all the layers.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry and kitchen items.

Beef Stew Meat Recipes

Have more packages of beef stew meat that need used up? Try some of these recipes:

Sunday Church Beef Tips

Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup

Beef Chunks in Sour Cream

Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup

Ramen Bowls

Linked up to Meal Plan Monday. Check out Whatcha Crockin’ Wednesday.