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A close-up of hearty slow cooker vegetable stew with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes in a rich broth.
Daniel

Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew

A hearty, hands-off stew that turns humble vegetables into a rich, satisfying dinner with minimal effort.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Vegetables
  • 1.5 lb russet potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 large carrots cut into 1/2-inch rounds
  • 3 stalks celery cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
Aromatics & Seasoning
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
Liquid
  • 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium preferred
Finish
  • 1 cup frozen peas no need to thaw
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley chopped, for serving

Equipment

  • 6-quart Slow Cooker
  • Large skillet

Method
 

Prep
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes until softened and just starting to brown at the edges. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1 minute until the paste darkens slightly and smells sweet.
  2. Pour in 1 cup of the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Transfer this mixture to your slow cooker.
  3. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, thyme, smoked paprika, bay leaf, and remaining 3 cups broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine, making sure the potatoes are mostly submerged.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender but not falling apart. The mushrooms will have released their liquid and the broth should look rich and slightly thickened.
  5. Stir in the frozen peas and let sit for 5 minutes to warm through. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley.

Notes

For extra depth, brown the mushrooms in the skillet before adding the onion - this builds serious savory flavor. The stew keeps beautifully for 4 days refrigerated and tastes even better the next day. Serve over buttered egg noodles, with crusty bread, or on its own for a lighter meal.