Description
This Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew is a hearty, comforting dish perfect for a leisurely meal. Tender beef stew meat is browned with crispy pancetta, sautéed vegetables, and then slow-cooked with a robust blend of Italian seasonings, red wine, tomatoes, and fresh green beans and peas. The rich flavors meld beautifully over 8 hours, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth stew that pairs wonderfully with polenta, egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat & Fat
- 2 ounces pancetta, diced small
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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 & Canned Goods
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Dry & Seasoning
- 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 of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced pancetta and sauté until it is browned and crispy. Add the diced carrots, onion, minced garlic, and sliced mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to sauté the vegetables until they are softened and fragrant. Transfer this mixture into the slow cooker.
- Coat and brown beef: Season the beef stew meat generously with salt and pepper. Toss the beef with the all-purpose flour in a bowl until evenly coated. In the same skillet used for the pancetta and vegetables, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the flour-coated beef in batches, ensuring a nice crust forms. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Transfer the browned beef and red wine mixture into the slow cooker.
- Make broth and add to slow cooker: Whisk the remaining flour left in the bowl with the low-sodium beef broth until it is smooth and lump-free. Add this broth mixture to the slow cooker along with the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Stir gently to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Cook the stew: Cover the slow cooker and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. This slow cooking process allows the beef to become tender and the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Add green beans and peas: During the last hour of cooking, add the Italian flat beans (or green beans) and peas to the slow cooker. This keeps the vegetables tender-crisp and vibrant in color.
- Serve: Once cooking is complete, remove the bay leaf. Serve the Italian beef stew hot alongside creamy polenta, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. Accompany with crusty bread for dipping into the rich sauce.
Notes
- Be sure to brown the meat and pancetta thoroughly to develop deep, rich flavors in the stew.
- Adding the green beans and peas near the end preserves their texture and color.
- Use dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot for best results.
- Season to taste before serving, as the stew reduces and flavors concentrate during cooking.
- Leftovers reheat well and the flavors continue to deepen after resting.
