Rich and flavorful, this Crockpot Italian Beef Stew is made with a beefy, herby tomato broth and fork-tender bites of beef and vegetables. It’s straight-up comfort food!

blue pottery bowl of Italian beef stew, plus fresh thyme, basil, and oregano


 

Cozy Crockpot Italian Beef Stew Recipe

When winter weather kicks in, it’s amazing how our cravings so quickly turn straight to comfort food. I’ve been making menu plans for the upcoming weeks, hungry for slow cooker chili with honey cornbread muffins for dipping, sloppy joe’s, and my famous lasagna soup with that ooey-gooey cheesy yum. My parents recently spent the weekend with us and we made hard cider pot roast and pan-banging chocolate chip cookies…bring on all the comfort food!

Also. I’m so happy to (finally!) add this Crockpot Italian Beef Stew recipe to our soup archive. I’ve been playing around with this recipe the past couple of winters, and it’s now ready for you! Cozy in and enjoy!

* This is a sponsored post, created in partnership with Red Gold.

Why You’ll Love This Italian Beef Stew Recipe

  • Cozy and comforting. As noted above, this Italian beef stew is the perfect dish for those cold winter nights. It’s just a hearty “meat on the bones” recipe that will warm you up from the inside out!
  • Easy to make. The slow cooker does 90% of the work on this recipe, making it a wonderful (almost) hands-off dinner.
  • Rich, savory flavor. Red wine in the broth, fresh herbs, and tomatoes give this beef stew layers of rich, savory flavor.

For more cozy, comforting recipes, check out my booyah soup, Irish beef stew and slow cooker beef and barley stew.

beef stew and cans of Red Gold diced tomatoes and tomato paste

Canned tomato products from Red Gold are some of my most dependable pantry staples when it comes to making comfort food for our family. I turn to them not only for their excellent quality, but also for their infinite variety – especially when I’m craving soup and slow cooker recipes.

A Little Background on Red Gold

Red Gold is Family Owned, Grown & Made.

The company started out as a father-daughter team, helping their country by canning tomatoes for U.S. troops during World War II. Today, more than 75 years and four generations of family later, Red Gold is a full-time operation with over 40 Midwest family farm partnerships.

Red Gold and the Reichart family have remained committed to providing the best quality tomato products, with the freshest, best-tasting tomatoes. They incorporate sustainable farming practices to deliver tomatoes that are steam packed fresh with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. And I love that they are packed in Non-BPA/BPS lined cans – which means you don’t get that nasty “tin can” taste!

ingredients to make beef stew, including beef chuck roast and Red Gold canned tomato products

Recipe Ingredients

The richness of this stew relies on flavorful beef plus a beautiful beefy tomato broth that’s deepened by red wine. Here are all the players in this hearty crockpot Italian beef stew recipe:

  • Beef chuck roast – use a well-marbled cut for the richest, beef-iest flavor
  • Flour
  • Salt & pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Butter – Use unsalted to control the salt level.
  • Veggies & aromatics – Yellow onion, carrot, and garlic add flavor and texture to the stew.
  • Red wine – A robust, dry red wine is the magical complement to beef and tomato.
  • Red Gold Tomato Paste – my favorite way to amp up rich tomato flavor
  • Beef broth – I tend to use low-sodium.
  • Herbs – fresh thyme, fresh oregano and bay leaves
  • Cremini mushrooms – these add great texture and an earthy flavor
  • Fresh basil leaves – beautiful and flavorful for garnish, if desired
overhead close-up photo of Italian stew in a blue pottery bowl

Tips for the Best Beef Stew

I have a few simple tips for you, to guarantee the best Italian beef stew possible!

  • Use a flavorful cut of beef. An inexpensive cut is best – beef chuck is my preference, and really the only one I will use. It’s full of flavor and the slow cooker will magically transform this otherwise tough cut of meat into irresistible, fork-tender bites of beefy heaven. If you can’t find chuck, top round would be my second choice. Just know that it will not be as good as chuck!
  • Get a good sear on the beef. This creates enormous flavor. Also be sure to give each piece of beef enough room to get truly browned. If you pile all the beef pieces on top of each other, they’ll just steam instead of brown – which will give you slumpy gray lumps of beef. Super sad.
  • Don’t skimp on the cook time. The slow cooking process produces a stew with an intense, well-rounded flavor and fabulously tender chunks of beef. My recipe states a cook time of 4 hours – and while it usually doesn’t take quite that long for the beef to become fork-tender, I always allow that time to ensure the best overall flavor and texture.
  • But don’t overcook it, either! Yes, it is possible to overcook a beef stew. When it comes to soups and stews, there’s nothing I dislike more than when vegetables are cooked to a mushy mess.
beef stew in a blue bowl, with a glass of red wine

Serving Suggestions

Can you imagine how delightful it would be to dunk a piece of warm, crusty bread into this gorgeous stew? Or how about steaming-hot (traditional) popovers or these sturdier sourdough popovers?!

I might also suggest, as my photo depicts, a glass of dry, robust red wine for sipping. How lovely.

close-up view of stew in a blue bowl

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Beef stew makes for some of the most excellent leftovers on the planet. And you know how I love leftovers!

  • Fridge. This homemade stew recipe will keep very well for a few days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Reheat. Simply reheat single or multiple servings in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.
  • Freeze. Italian beef stew also freezes perfectly. Use either larger freezer-safe containers or smaller single-serving freezer containers, and then thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Here are a couple more awesome beef stew recipes for you: Everyone loves my Slow Cooker Beef Barley Stew and Irish Beef Stew!

Like this stew recipe? Save it to Pinterest!

Pinterest image of Crockpot Italian Beef Stew
a blue pottery bowl with Italian beef soup, garnished with fresh basil leaves

Crockpot Italian Beef Stew

Yield: 8 servings
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 4 hours 25 minutes
total time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Rich and flavorful, this Crockpot Italian Beef Stew is made with a beefy, herby tomato broth and fork-tender bites of beef and vegetables. It's straight-up comfort food!
4.3 Stars (6 Reviews)
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Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs. well-marbled beef chuck roast cut into 1″ to 1-1/2″ pieces, any large pieces of solid fat discarded
  • ¼ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 T. olive oil divided
  • 1 T. unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 1 large carrot diced
  • 6 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 c. robust dry red wine
  • 29 oz. two 14.5-oz. cans Red Gold Diced Tomatoes
  • ⅓ c. Red Gold Tomato Paste
  • 4 c. low sodium beef broth
  • 1 T. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 T. chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 large carrots sliced into 1/4″ coins
  • 16 oz. cremini mushrooms quartered
  • fresh basil leaves plus additional thyme and oregano leaves, for garnish if desired

Instructions

  • Place beef pieces in a medium mixing bowl that has a tight-fitting lid. Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper evenly over the beef. Cover bowl tightly, then flip and shake the bowl a few times to completely coat the beef. If you do not have a bowl with a lid, place these ingredients in a ziplock bag and then flip and shake to coat the beef. Set aside.
  • If using a slow cooker with a brown/sauté function: Heat slow cooker and add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the tablespoon of butter. Once hot, add diced onion and carrot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté 1 more minute. Remove vegetables to a large plate or a rimmed pan. If you do not have a brown/sauté function on your slow cooker: Complete this step in a large nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
  • If using a slow cooker with a brown/sauté function: Add 2 more tablespoons of the oil to the hot slow cooker, still on the brown/sauté function. Once oil is shimmering hot, add half the beef in an even layer. Once the bottom sides of the beef pieces are very nicely browned (which means, added flavor!), flip them over and brown opposite sides. I use a tongs for flipping. Then remove beef to the plate with sauteéd vegetables. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and let it come to shimmering hot. Then add remaining half of beef in an even layer, and repeat the browning process. Remove beef to the plate with other beef and vegetables. If you do not have a brown/sauté function on your slow cooker: Complete this step in a large nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
  • If using a slow cooker with a brown/sauté function: Turn slow cooker to high heat and add wine, scraping and stirring any remaining bits and juices from bottom of slow cooker. Bring wine to a boil, and then cook for 2 minutes. If you do not have a brown/sauté function on your slow cooker: Complete this step in the same large skillet used to cook the vegetables and beef, scraping and stirring any remaining bits and juices into the wine.
  • If using a slow cooker with a brown/sauté function: Add beef and vegetables back to slow cooker. Then add diced tomatoes (do not drain), tomato paste, beef broth, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, carrot coins, and mushrooms. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Then taste test to see if stew needs more salt and/or pepper. With the ingredients I use, I usually add an additional 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper at this point. Cover and cook for 1 more hour, to allow the flavors to deepen and the beef to get "fork-tender". If the beef is not ultra tender after 4 hours, let it cook a bit longer until it is. If you do not have a brown/sauté function on your slow cooker: Carefully pour hot wine into slow cooker, and turn slow cooker to high heat. Follow remaining instructions from this Step 5, until beef is fork-tender.
  • Discard bay leaves. To serve, ladle hot stew into individual bowls. Garnish with fresh thyme, oregano, and small basil leaves, if desired.

Notes

from a farmgirl’s dabbles

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 605kcal Carbohydrates: 37g Protein: 45g Fat: 32g Saturated Fat: 11g Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 121mg Sodium: 1463mg Fiber: 15g Sugar: 22g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
© Brenda | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Soup
a blue pottery bowl with Italian beef soup, garnished with fresh basil leaves
Red Gold tomatoes logo

Before I let you go, I’d like to draw special attention to Red Gold’s continued history of giving back and honoring those who have served our country – through their partnership with Folds of Honor Foundation. For every Red Gold Folds of Honor Ketchup purchased, a portion of the proceeds goes to providing educational scholarships for the children and spouses of those who have fallen or been disabled while serving our country. Great ketchup. Great cause!

For more deliciousness with Red Gold tomatoes, here are a few more recipes featured on a farmgirl’s dabbles:

Be sure to check out Red Gold on their website. You can also find them on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Thank you to Red Gold for sponsoring this post – it has been both an honor and a pleasure to partner with them over the past several years. All opinions are my own.