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–+ servings
Whole30 Slow Cooker Beef Stew - a bowl of beef stew filled with red potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions in a dark beef broth in a white bowl topped with a sprig of fresh thyme sitting on top of a marble table with a white and blue striped napkin, a gold spoon, fresh herbs. Another bowl of beef stew in the top left corner.
5 from 1 vote

Whole30 Slow Cooker Beef Stew

A Whole30 compliant beef stew that is gluten-free and dairy-free and can be made in your crock pot or slow cooker! 
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 8 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs beef chuck - cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon oil - avocado oil, olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 lb pearl onions - or 1/2 large white or yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 lb baby red potatoes - skins on and cut in half or quarters
  • 1/2 lb carrots - about 3 large carrots, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
  • 32 oz beef broth - make sure gluten-free
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 whole bay leaves - dried
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme - or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoon tapioca starch - or cornstarch if not doing Whole30
  • 1/2 cup water or beef broth

**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!

Instructions

  • Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon of oil. Working in batches, add beef to the pan and brown on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. Don't crowd the pan. Add the beef to the slow cooker as it gets browned. Repeat with remaining pieces of beef. 
  • Once you have finished browning the beef, add lemon juice to the pan to help deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the browned bits on the pan and add to the slow cooker. This is the flavor.
  • Add the pearl onions, red potatoes, and carrots to the slow cooker with the beef. Give a quick stir to combine and evenly distribute.
  • Pour the beef broth over the beef and vegetables.
  • Stir in the salt, tomato paste, minced garlic, bay leaves, and fresh thyme.
  • Cook on the low setting for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. You want the beef to be tender and easily shredded. Lightly shred the beef with two forks in the slow cooker. I don't like mine completely shredded and like to make sure there are still big chunks.
  • In a small bowl, combine tapioca starch (or cornstarch) with water or beef broth. Whisk until there are no clumps. Pour into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Let cook an additional 30 minutes to thicken the soup.
  • Serve with a sprig of fresh thyme or over mashed potatoes for a complete meal. 

Notes

Whole30 compliant, gluten-free, dairy-free
*Always check your labels to make sure your ingredients are gluten-free! This is key for the beef broth in this recipe!
**Check tomato paste ingredients to ensure that the only ingredients are tomato and salt for Whole30 compliance. 

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 1013mg | Potassium: 1059mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6530IU | Vitamin C: 13.3mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4.5mg
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