Most folks love a good beef stew recipe, and it's even better if that recipe can be converted to a slow cooker beef stew! This recipe can be made in an electric or non-electric crockpot or on the stove.
Whoa whoa, non-electric crockpot? What sorcery is this?!
Yeah, I thought the same thing when I first saw the Wonderbag pop up on my Facebook feed. So I decided to reach out and see if they might be open to sending me one to try... They were, and while I waited for it to come in I started planning all the recipes I wanted to try!
You can read my full review of the Wonderbag here, but just know that I completely and totally recommend it for a LOT of reasons!
Irish Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Cabbage & Carrots
Anyway, among the other recipes I wanted to try in my new off-grid crockpot, I knew I wanted to make this beef stew. Not only is it just delicious, but it's also grain and starches free while still being a hardy and filling meal.
So while this stew "as-is" can be considered both a keto beef stew and a paleo beef stew, it certainly doesn't have to stay that way!
If you want to add potatoes to this recipe, it would be out of this world amazing! Since we are going low carb for our son's health issues though, we kept it grain and starch free for now.
Eventually I'll be sure to serve it with a side of our favorite sourdough bread (with a huge slab of grass-fed butter on top)!
Making Irish Crockpot Beef Stew Video
Irish Beef Stew Recipe
Though this recipe is fairly new to us, it is already a family favorite. The recipe made about a gallon and a half of soup and it was gone in 3 meals. I'd say that's a winner!
I guess I'm just on a bit of an "all things Irish" kick this week, and that's completely ok right? Ha!
If you want to make this recipe in something other than a Wonderbag, see the recipe notes for alternate cooking instructions.
Irish Roast Beef & Cabbage Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Shoulder Roast (cubed)
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 2 lbs Carrots (sliced)
- 1 large Yellow Onion (diced, large)
- 1 head Cabbage (shredded)
- 6 cups Water or Broth
- 1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
- 8 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Honey
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic (to taste)
- Fresh Thyme Sprigs (to taste, I used 6)
Instructions
- Cut and brown roast chunks in butter with salt, pepper, garlic.
- Add 1 head chopped cabbage, 2 pounds carrots, 1 large yellow onion
- Combine tomato paste and honey with 1 cup of water (or broth). Mix until smooth and add to stew pot.
- Add remaining water (or broth) and red wine.
FOR COOKING IN A WONDERBAG
- Bring to a boil, cover and boil for 15 minutes. Add fresh thyme, cover, and add to Wonderbag.
- Allow to slow cook for 2-4 hours, but no more than 8. Serve with crusty bread (optional)
FOR ELECTRIC CROCKPOT
- Follow the instructions through step 4. Cook on low for 5-8 hours, or high for 3-5 hours.You DO NOT need to bring all ingredients to a boil before placing in crockpot if you are using an electric crockpot.
FOR STOVETOP
- Follow the instructions through step 4. Then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 45 minutes.
Bailey Hammonds says
It’s in the crockpot now, I followed the recipe exactly except I did throw in a can of fire roasted tomatoes . Gotta say it smell delicious and I’m hoping my boyfriend loves it as much as he does my usual recipe. I was happy to find this recipe because so many others call for little to no water, which is not the way my momma used to make it. Will update after we’ve eaten it. Recipe was a little confusing. Like, do you add an extra cup of water for the honey mixture or do you subtract it from the listed 6 cups? I just added an extra but I wasn’t sure. Also, timing for different methods was confusing. I felt like I was cooking all the ingredients THEN slowcooking them. Not sure if if I did it right. Thanks!
Victoria says
Hi Bailey! I hope you find that you love it as much as we do! Thank you for your feedback on the recipe – it’s written to be used with a non-electric crockpot (wonderbag) with modifications below in the recipe notes for how to make it in an electric crockpot or on the stove. But I can totally see how that would be confusing, so I updated the recipe a bit to avoid any future issues for people!
Thanks again! I also updated the information about the honey and water :-) All the best!
Brandi L Holloway says
I really liked this recipe! Only complaint is it turned out a bit too fatty for me. Gonna try using a leaner cut of meat next time. Thanks for sharing!
Victoria says
Hi Brandi! I’m glad you liked it! Yes, I tend to trim the fat off of the roast, because I’m super picky about chewing on fat! We’ve also made it with ground beef (brisket) and it’s amazing that way too! Thanks for the feedback!