A slow-cooker stew of browned ground beef, potatoes and carrots in a tomato broth, with frozen peas stirred in during the last ten minutes.
Twenty minutes at the hob, seven or eight hours unattended, and a short finish on High. Eight servings.
Why This Recipe Works
- Browning the beef with the onion and draining the fat is the only active cooking in the recipe, and it does two jobs — it develops flavour the crock cannot, and it keeps a layer of grease off the finished stew.
- Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce together. The tin of diced holds its shape and brings acidity; the eight-ounce tin of sauce dissolves into the broth and thickens it. Using either alone gives a noticeably thinner or chunkier result.
- One-inch potato cubes are large enough to survive eight hours on Low without dissolving, and their starch is part of what thickens the stew as they soften at the edges.
- Worcestershire at a tablespoon against two cups of broth. It brings the savoury depth that a long, gentle cook with no browning of the vegetables would otherwise lack.
- Peas go in frozen at the end and on High. Frozen is right — thawed peas are already soft, and ten to fifteen minutes from frozen is exactly enough to heat them through while they keep their colour and bite.
Almost Everything At The Start, One Thing At The End
Eleven of the thirteen ingredients are in the crock by minute twenty. The peas are the exception, and the reason they are an exception is worth understanding.
In the skillet first
1 1/2 lb ground beef, 1 diced onion
Browned together to 160°F, then the fat drained off. Onion in the skillet rather than the crock means it starts sweet rather than sharp.
Into the cooker, everything else
4 sliced carrots, 1 1/2 lb cubed potatoes, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 2 cups broth, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper
Both tomato products, not one. The tin of diced brings pieces and acidity; the eight ounces of sauce brings the smooth body that makes this a stew rather than a soup with things in it.
Seven to eight hours later, on LOW
Nothing — this is the wait
Until the potatoes and carrots are tender. One-inch potato cubes will take the full window; the stew is not ready before them.
Switched to HIGH, at the very end
1 cup frozen peas
Ten to fifteen minutes, straight from frozen. Peas at the start of an eight-hour cook turn grey and collapse; this is long enough to heat them and short enough to keep them green.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef
- A pound and a half, browned to 160°F and drained. A leaner mince means less to drain but a slightly drier result; either works because the tomato and broth carry the moisture.
- Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
- A pound and a half, in one-inch cubes, either variety. Russets break down a little more and thicken the stew; Yukon Golds hold their shape better. The recipe offers both because both are right.
- Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce
- A 14.5-ounce tin and an 8-ounce tin. Two different textures doing two different jobs — this is not a case where one can stand in for the other.
- Frozen peas
- One cup, added frozen at the very end. Do not thaw them first and do not add them early.
- Low-sodium beef broth
- Two cups. Low-sodium matters because the tomato sauce, the Worcestershire and the added salt are all contributing, and eight hours of covered cooking concentrates nothing but reveals everything.
How to Make It
Brown the beef and onion to 160°F
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, until the beef reaches 160°F. Drain the excess fat.
Move them to the cooker
Transfer the beef and onion to a slow cooker.
Add everything else
Add the carrots, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Cook on Low
Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours, until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
Add the peas on High
Stir in the frozen peas and cook on HIGH 10 to 15 minutes, until hot.
Season and serve
Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
Success Tips
- Drain the beef properly — covered cooking gives the fat nowhere to escape.
- Cut the potatoes to a full inch so they last the eight hours.
- Use both tins of tomato; the sauce is what gives the stew its body.
- Keep the peas in the freezer until the moment they go in.
- Taste for salt at the very end rather than at the start; a long cook shifts the balance.
Serving Ideas
Bread and butter, or over mashed potato if you want it heavier. It is a one-pot dinner as it stands.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate up to 4 days. The potatoes keep softening and the stew thickens noticeably by the second day.
Freeze
Freezes for up to 3 months, though the potato texture softens on thawing. Cool completely before freezing in portions.
Reheat
Gently on the hob with a splash of broth. Stir carefully so the potato cubes stay whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put the beef in raw and skip the skillet?
The recipe requires the ground beef to reach 160°F before it goes into the cooker, so the browning step is not optional. It also lets you drain the fat, which a covered crock will not do for you.
What happens if I add the peas at the start?
They lose their colour and collapse over eight hours. Frozen peas need ten to fifteen minutes at the end and nothing more.
How do I make it thicker?
Leave the lid off for the last twenty minutes on High, or mash a few of the potato cubes against the side of the crock. Both work without adding anything.
Russet or Yukon Gold?
Either — the recipe names both. Russets break down slightly and thicken the stew; Yukon Golds keep their cubes intact. It is a texture preference rather than a right answer.
