Description
This Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew is a hearty and flavorful meal perfect for a comforting dinner. Tender beef stew meat is browned with pancetta and vegetables, then slow-cooked with tomatoes, red wine, and Italian seasonings to develop a rich, savory broth. Green beans and peas are added towards the end for freshness and color, making this stew a complete and satisfying dish best served with polenta, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes alongside crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat & Protein
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
- 2 ounces pancetta, diced small
Vegetables
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup Italian flat beans or green beans
- 1 cup peas
Liquids & Broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Pantry Staples & Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Brown pancetta and vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced pancetta and sauté until browned. Then add the diced carrots, onion, minced garlic, and sliced mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the vegetables soften. Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker.
- Coat and brown beef: Season the beef stew meat with salt and pepper. Toss the beef pieces with the flour until evenly coated. In the same skillet used for the pancetta, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the beef pieces on all sides. Once browned, add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Transfer the beef and wine mixture to the slow cooker.
- Make broth and add to slow cooker: Whisk the remaining flour from the bowl with the beef broth until smooth to avoid lumps. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker along with the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and the bay leaf.
- Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the beef to become tender.
- Add vegetables: During the last hour of cooking, stir in the green beans and peas. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender but still vibrant.
- Serve: Remove the bay leaf and season the stew to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve the hot stew over polenta, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. Accompany with crusty bread for dipping and soaking up the flavorful broth.
Notes
- For a thicker stew, mix an additional tablespoon of flour with cold water and stir it in during the last hour of cooking.
- You can substitute pancetta with bacon if pancetta is unavailable.
- Use fresh Italian flat beans if possible for authentic flavor; green beans are a suitable alternative.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and taste even better the next day.
- Adjust the amount of red wine based on preference or substitute with additional beef broth for a milder flavor.
