Everyone has one of those meals that they keep up their sleeve: Go-to Meals that are fail proof and yummy and everyone thinks you're a hero when they smell it cooking. This slow cooker Beef Stew with Dumplings is that hero making kind of meal. Rich gravy, tender meat and pure deliciousness in a one pot wonder.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
I'll say right now, I absolutely love my slow cooker. I was a little hesitant many years ago because I thought stews like this were the only thing you could make in it and while we love a stew, we don't eat them continuously and so I figured I wouldn't really get a huge amount of use out of it.
Wrong. I use it all the time and while it definitely gets used for stews, there's so many other things you can make in it. Have a read here of our families top 10 Crockpot recipes.
When the weather turns colder and the darker nights draw in, this slow cooker beef stew with dumplings really comes into its own. You'll have super tender pieces of slow cooked beef, with soft potatoes and vegetables cooked in one pot, with a very kid friendly mopping sauce that the dumplings are perfectly suited for soaking up and enjoying every last delicious mouthful.
The beauty of this sort of dish is that you can use a cheaper cut of beef because the slow cooking with tenderise it, and the cooking time allows all the flavors of the ingredients to really come out.
This recipe is a really good one to make if you've got other things to be doing and want to come home to a warming meal without the time spent slaving over the cooker. The house is filled with the yummy smell of stew, it it just feels...homely. And it's so easy to make, there's really no skill involved and you can let the slow cooker do all the work while you take all the credit when everyone tucks in!
How To Make Dumplings For Stew In A Slow Cooker
And then there's the dumplings. Now, don't be tempted to skip the dumplings. They take around 60 seconds to make and lets face it, stew wouldn't be the same without fluffy, gravy coated dumplings to soak up the last bit of gravy on your plate.
They're cooked in the stew towards the end, and they really complete the recipe. The dumplings are the last part of the recipe to go into the slow cooker and when they're made up, just place them on the top of the stew in the slow cooker and push them down slightly so they can start cooking in the sauce.
How To Store Beef Stew
If you have leftovers of beef stew, once they're cooled, you can keep them, covered, in the fridge for 2 days. To reheat them, simply put them in the microwave for a few minutes until piping hot again, or reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes until hot.
Can You Freeze Beef Stew?
If your beef was fresh to start with, you can freeze this stew for another night.
This is really handy and you can take the stew out to thaw on the day you need it and let it defrost all day while you're out. Pop the completely defrosted stew in a hot oven to reheat it. I cover the stew while it's reheating with some tin foil so the dumplings don't become to crispy on top. You can take the foil off for the last few minutes of reheating so they're not soggy when you serve it.
You can keep this stew in the freezer for up to a month.
More Easy Clean Eating Dinners
- Chicken and mushroom curry
- Meatballs in tomato sauce
- Sheet pan Caprese chicken
- Kid friendly cottage pie
How To Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew With Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Beef Organic, diced
- 6 large Potatoes Quartered
- 2 - 3 large Carrots Sliced into ½ inch slices
- 2 Onions Diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Finely sliced
- 1 Cup Tomato Pureed or crushed
- 2 Cups Beef or Vegetable Stock
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 tbsp Plain flour
- ½ tsp Rosemary Dried
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1½ cups Plain Flour
- 100 g Butter cold
- Cold Water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker except potato, carrots and flour. These will be added later so that it gives meat time to get tender. High Setting for 1 ½ - 2 hours until meat is cooked through but still a bit tough. Add carrots and potatoes.
- Mix the flour together with a bit of water to form a paste. Stir into stew.
- Close the lid and cook for 1 - 1 ½ hours
- The Dumplings.
- ½ an hour after adding your vegetables to your stew, its time to add the dumplings to the stew so that they can cook in the final hour.
- Using your hands, blend flour and butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add a bit of cold water (around ¼ cup) so that it comes together as a pliable dough. Knead briefly until dough is smooth. Divide dough into walnut sized balls (Makes around 12 dumplings). Put uncooked dumplings on top of the stew, pushing down slightly so that they are slightly submersed in gravy. Replace lid and cook for 1 hour.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew With Dumplings Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stew With Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Beef Organic, diced
- 6 large Potatoes Quartered
- 2 - 3 large Carrots Sliced into ½ inch slices
- 2 Onions Diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Finely sliced
- 1 Cup Tomato Pureed or crushed
- 2 Cups Beef or Vegetable Stock
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Plain flour
- ½ teaspoon Rosemary Dried
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1½ cups Plain Flour
- 100 g Butter cold
- Cold Water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker except potato, carrots and flour. These will be added later so that it gives meat time to get tender. High Setting for 1 ½ - 2 hours until meat is cooked through but still a bit tough. Add carrots and potatoes.
- Mix the flour together with a bit of water to form a paste. Stir into stew.
- Close the lid and cook for 1 - 1 ½ hours
- The Dumplings.
- ½ an hour after adding your vegetables to your stew, its time to add the dumplings to the stew so that they can cook in the final hour.
- Using your hands, blend flour and butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add a bit of cold water (around ¼ cup) so that it comes together as a pliable dough. Knead briefly until dough is smooth. Divide dough into walnut sized balls (Makes around 12 dumplings). Put uncooked dumplings on top of the stew, pushing down slightly so that they are slightly submersed in gravy. Replace lid and cook for 1 hour.
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