Chunky Beef Casserole–an easy crockpot or Instant Pot dinner made with tender beef, potatoes, carrots and onions.
Chunky Beef Casserole
This easy dump-and-go beef and potato dinner is high in protein and, because the beef is lean, it’s lower in calories than you might think. I love that you can throw everything into the slow cooker, walk away for a few hours and come back to dinner that’s ready to go. There’s nothing you need to stir in or finish up at the end, which makes this one especially easy. It’s also a great option for teens who need to feed themselves because once everything is in the slow cooker they really don’t have to do anything else!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Beef broth–or Better Than Bouillon mixed with water.
- Tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce
- Bay leaf–I buy these in the bulk section at Winco
- Beef round steak–chuck roast is a great substitute and will be richer.
- Yellow onion
- Carrots–baby carrots can be used to save on prep time.
- Garlic cloves–I buy a bag of peeled garlic cloves at Sam’s and keep it in the freezer for recipes.
- Russet potatoes–or Yukon gold potatoes
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Dried thyme
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Butter
Steps
Add broth, tomato paste and worcestershire into slow cooker and stir. Add in the bay leaf.
Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks. Add to the slow cooker along with the onion, carrots, garlic and potatoes.Â
Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and garlic powder. Cut the butter into 8 pieces and add into the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours.Â
Stir and serve.
Notes/Tips
- Keep the vegetables chunky. Quartering the potatoes and cutting the carrots into 1-inch pieces helps keep them from getting too soft before the beef is tender.
- Chuck roast option: If you want especially tender, fall-apart beef, substitute chuck roast for the round steak. You can also use a package of beef stew meat.
- Mushroom lover?: Try adding in 4 ounces of quartered mushrooms.
- Gluten free: this dish can be gluten free if you use gluten free Worcestershire sauce.
- Dairy free: this dish can be dairy free if you leave out the butter.
- For a thicker sauce: The liquid will be more like a flavorful broth than a thick gravy. If you want it gravy-like, stir together 1 tablespoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoons cold water at the end. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for another 10–15 minutes.
- What to serve with it: This is pretty much a complete meal on its own, but it would be great with French bread and a green salad.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
- Freezing: The beef and carrots freeze well, but potatoes can sometimes become grainy or mealy after freezing and thawing. You can freeze the leftovers, but for the best texture I prefer this one fresh or refrigerated.
- Tools:
- I used a 6 quart Crockpot*.
- Measuring spoons*
- Kitchen shears* (I used these to cut the meat)
- Paring knife*
- Cutting board*
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Chunky Beef Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours on high
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
An easy crockpot or Instant Pot dinner made with tender beef, potatoes, carrots and onions.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
20 oz beef round steak
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
6 peeled garlic cloves
16 oz Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp butter
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add broth, tomato paste and worcestershire into slow cooker and stir. Add in the bay leaf.
- Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks. Add to the slow cooker along with the onion, carrots, garlic and potatoes.
- Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and garlic powder. Cut the butter into 8 pieces and add into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- Stir and serve.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add broth and worcestershire and bay leaf into Instant Pot..
- Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks. Add to the Instant Pot along with the tomato paste, onion, carrots, garlic and potatoes.
- Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and garlic powder. Cut the butter into 8 pieces and add on top.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting.
- Stir and serve.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
More Beef and Potato recipes…
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Cozy Farmhouse Beef and Potato Casserole
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Tender potatoes, leftover roast beef, peppers and onions with cream cheese and melty provolone for an easy slow cooker dinner.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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