This summer beef stew is made in the slow cooker so the house stays cool. Enjoy this classic dish with a summer vegetable twist!
It feels weird posting a recipe for beef stew smack in the middle of summer.
But, when you get a box that weighs approximately 100 pounds full of beef from the cow you had butchered and split with friends and your second freezer is packed to the brim barely able to close, these are the kinds of things you do.
Seriously though, I have so much beef in every cut you can imagine that I’ve forbidden myself from buying any beef whatsoever from the store.
I even tried feeding the liver to Ginger because…gross but she literally spit out the pieces onto the floor and ate around it, so that was fail.
This package of stew meat was right on top of the box in the freezer and instead of pushing it aside and ignoring it until colder weather, I figured why not make a summer beef stew using the abundance of seasonal produce we have going on right now?
And of course, in the slow cooker because there ain’t no way I’m keeping my oven on for 3+ hours to braise stew right now.
Reading this in the winter? Try this Instant Pot Beef and Mushroom Stew instead. There’s options for slow cooker and stove-top in that recipe as well.
There’s really nothing fancy to this dish, it’s just good old comfort food made seasonally appropriate.
If I had an open bottle of red wine on hand, I would’ve subbed that in for half the beef broth so feel free to do that.
It will only lead to even more flavor.
The trick to keeping this stew fresh and summer-like is adding the vegetables during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Otherwise, you’re going to end up with zucchini and pepper mush and that’s no way to treat these summer gems right now.
Plus, they retain their vibrant color and a bit of bite when thrown in at the end.
Any grain will do for serving, from traditional rice and mashed potatoes to more exotic choices like couscous, farro or barley.
I went with a cheesy grits/semolina mixture just because I had two almost empty canisters of both in the pantry that I wanted to get rid of.
In retrospect, adding some fresh corn kernels into the stew would’ve been even better!
So wait for a rainy day, ignore the temps and humidity outside and get this slow cooker summer beef stew going.
There’s no reason to wait for fall to enjoy some comfort food!
And if you need a vegetarian version of summer comfort food, this ciambotta recipe (Italian vegetable stew) is just that!
Love this slow cooker summer beef stew recipe?
Then you will love this Summer BLTC Sandwich, Summer Harvest Cheddar Quesadilla, and Summer Slow Cooker Frittata.
Slow Cooker Summer Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4-1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons flour, *see note
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- chopped fresh basil for garnish
- grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Place olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove-top.
- Toss beef with flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl until all the pieces all equally coated.
- Add beef to the hot pot and brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer beef and all it’s juices to the slow cooker.
- Add garlic, bay leaf, shallots, tomato paste and broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and set for 6 hours on low heat.
- Add zucchini and peppers 30 minutes before timer is up (after 5.5 hours of cooking), stir gently to combine and continue cooking with lid on for remaining 30 minutes. (*see note)
- Serve with grain of choice (shown with creamy cheese grits).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
How do you make the cheesey grits? Can you use another grain?
Just buy grits and follow package directions and add some cheese to the process!
Good end of summer recipe. I added fresh herbs, mushrooms, tiny potatoes and grape tomatoes. With those additions, it was enough to feed a family of four adults. It needed about an hour on high after adding the veggies in order to cook them to tenderness.
I’m thinking of preparing this stew for my coworkers and me. If I brown the meat the night before and then proceed as directed, do you think 3 1/2 hours on hi is sufficient for the stew to cook?
Yes, I think that should work!
can i put this on the stove in a le creuset!!
Yes, I’m sure that would work fine. Like noted in the slow cooker directions, I wouldn’t add the vegetables until closer to the end though so they don’t get mushy.
I made this today and it was YUM! Who knew that beef stew could be so summery! Thank you :-)
So glad you liked it, saw your post on Instagram :)