Description
This Slow Cooked Beef and Dumplings recipe offers a hearty, comforting meal featuring tender chuck roast simmered with vegetables and finished with fluffy dumplings. Cooked low and slow in a slow cooker, the beef becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender while the dumplings steam on top, absorbing rich savory gravy made from beef broth and seasonings. Perfect for cozy family dinners or meal prep for the week.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Stew Base
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 pounds chuck roast
- Salt, pepper, garlic herb seasoning (generous amount)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
Vegetables
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 sticks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 pounds small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Thickening Slurry (optional)
- 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup milk
Instructions
- Sear the beef: Season your chuck roast all over with salt, pepper, and garlic herb seasoning. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, and brown the roast on all sides until nicely seared. Transfer the roast to the slow cooker.
- Sauté & deglaze: In the same skillet, cook the diced onion over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until softened. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 cup beef broth to deglaze, scraping up browned bits for flavor.
- Begin slow cooking: Pour the onion mixture along with the remaining beef broth over the roast in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, but vegetables will be added halfway through.
- Add vegetables: After 3-4 hours of cooking, add the carrots, celery, and potatoes around the roast in the slow cooker. Continue cooking for the remaining time.
- Shred the beef: One hour before serving, remove the roast and shred it into bite-sized chunks (not tiny stringy pieces). If it’s difficult, let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding. Return shredded beef to slow cooker. To thicken the gravy, mix cornstarch and cold water into a slurry and stir into the slow cooker carefully before adding beef back.
- Prepare dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Stir in milk just until combined. Drop small teaspoon-sized balls of dough onto the surface of the stew, but do not stir them in.
- Finish cooking dumplings: Switch slow cooker setting to HIGH and cook with the lid closed for the final hour. Avoid opening the lid to keep steam in, which helps dumplings rise fluffy and tender.
- Serve: When dumplings are cooked, open lid and gently break dumplings apart to mix slightly. The gravy may be thin but will thicken as it cools and as dumplings sit in the gravy. Let the stew rest uncovered for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Note 1: Chuck roast is ideal for slow cooking because it becomes tender and flavorful.
- Note 2: Leaving potatoes unpeeled adds texture and nutrients to the dish.
- Note 3: All-purpose flour is used for the dumplings; you can substitute with gluten-free flour if needed.
- Note 4: Searing the beef locks in flavors and adds depth to the stew base.
- Note 5: Adding vegetables halfway through prevents them from overcooking and turning mushy.
- Note 6: Keeping the lid closed during dumpling cooking is essential to trapping steam for fluffy dumplings.
