Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Stew

This Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Stew recipe is simple to make and perfect for the fall and winter weather. It can be prepared as a one-pot meal in your crockpot, slow cooker or Instant Pot that’s hot and ready for you to eat when you arrive home after a long day at work. You can’t beat the classic flavors in this simple stew recipe – it’s one of my go-to favorites! The recipe calls for sweet potatoes, but regular potatoes can be used just as well (since potatoes are Paleo)! Of if you’re striving to be low carb, you can totally exclude the starchy tubers and use chunks of cauliflower instead. Either way, this recipe is hearty, healthy, delicious, and filling. It will quickly become a favorite in your Paleo recipe collection!

Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Stew
Overall Rating
Your RatingYou must log in

Get started right now with our FREE Paleo Starter Kit:

Inside, you’ll discover...
  • 25 Delicious Paleo “Starter” Recipes
  • Our complete “Paleo Food Swaps” guide
  • A complete starter shopping list
  • Tons more free resources

Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Stew

Servings 4

Total Time: 4 hours

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4-6 hours

Nutrition Information

calories 282

carbohydrate 23g

protein 27g

fat 9g

Ingredients

  • 1 pound(s) beef - stew meat cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 medium onion(s) chopped
  • 1 medium garlic clove(s) diced
  • 3 medium carrot(s) peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium celery stalk(s) chopped
  • 1 medium sweet potato(es) peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 head(s) cabbage(s), green chopped
  • 2 cup(s) water or broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
  • 1 can(s) tomatoes, diced (14 oz) with juice (optional)
  • 1 whole bay leaf(s)
  • 1 tablespoon(s) Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon(s) arrowroot powder (optional)

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients into crockpot/slow cooker and turn temperature to high. You can also pre-brown your meat to help lock in the flavor (see note below).
  2. Cover and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, which takes about 2 - 6 hours on high heat. You can also leave this cooking on low heat all day (up to 10 hours), but make sure that the temperature is turned to low, that the lid is on tightly, and that there is adequate liquid to prevent the meat from drying out due to evaporation.
  3. If desired, the stew can be thickened towards the end of cooking by mixing in arrowroot powder.
  4. (Optional) To serve, garnish with a sprig of parsley and serve over cauliflower mashers.
  5. Notes: You may want to brown the meat in a separate pan before transferring to the crockpot. Pan- searing the meat before putting it in the slow cooker helps to lock in the moisture for a more flavorful meat. To do this, add 1-2 Tbsp. of Paleo-friendly fat (i.e. lard, tallow, olive oil, etc.) to a pan and turn up the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle and rub some extra salt and pepper on the meat before adding meat to the pan. Brown the meat (along with the garlic and onions) in the pan for several minutes on each side, being careful when rotating meat to not splash grease onto your skin. When the beef is uniformly browned and the garlic/onions are softened, transfer them to the slow cooker, and then follow all instructions above.