Slow Cooker Beef Marsala Stew

Slow cooker beef Marsala stew will fill your house with tantalizing aromas as it simmers. You’ll look forward to dinner all day long!

A hearty beef Marsala stew simmering all day in the slow cooker may do wonders for your frame of mind, knowing that a delightful dinner is waiting for you at the end of a busy day.

I just love the flavor of Marsala. One of my husband’s favorite dishes is chicken Marsala, an classic recipe I make in my Instant Pot. Lately, we’ve been loving creamy chicken Marsala (the creamy sauce is amazing!). Another favorite is this one pan pasta recipe, chicken Marsala pasta (true confession: I love all my one pot pasta recipes!).

Marsala is often paired with mushrooms. Have you had a chance to try my Marsala roasted mushrooms? So good! So I thought, why not take my favorite beef stew recipe and jazz it up with Marsala wine and a package of mushrooms?

And yes, it turns out that combination is simply marvelous. Maybe I should rename it: Marvelous Mushroom Marsala Beef Stew. Lots of good alliteration, and lots of good flavor, too!

About This Recipe

This savory mixture of tender beef, Marsala wine, meaty mushrooms, fresh thyme, and a medley of healthy vegetables will warm your soul. Sounds cheesy but it’s kinda true. And it’s packed with loads of veggies so it does a body good, too.

When making this stew, I highly recommend taking the time to brown the meat first, to give it a deep brown color and sear in the flavor. However, if you’re in a rush, just toss the beef cubes with flour, throw everything in the slow cooker and let the slow heat work its magic!

Although most stews include potatoes, I left the potatoes out of this recipe. We really love stew with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles for a different spin on a traditional dish. Sometimes I just serve the stew with a crusty bread, like this easy homemade beer bread.

There is another advantage to leaving the potatoes out. Stews that include potatoes don’t freeze well because the potatoes tend to get a mealy texture when they’re frozen, thawed, and reheated. This beef marsala stew freezes really well with no worries about the potatoes getting yucky.

Just to get you started, I’ll describe the ingredients you’ll need and how to make the stew but be sure to refer to the recipe card below for measurements, instructions, and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

• Boneless Beef Chuck Roast: Usually buying a roast and cutting it yourself is less expensive than buying a package of pre-cut stew meat. Chuck roast is a less expensive cut of meat which benefits from slow cooking, giving the tough connective fibers a chance to tenderize.
• All-Purpose Flour, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper: The meat is tossed with this simple mixture. The seasoned flour helps give the beef a nice brown, caramelized surface.
• Olive Oil: You’ll need a bit of oil to sauté the meat and vegetables. If you don’t have olive oil, another mild flavored oil will work fine.
• Mushrooms: White button mushrooms are the least expensive and most commonly used mushroom. They have a mild flavor and meaty texture, and are very nutritious with lots of B vitamins and potassium.
• Carrots: Bright orange carrots are added to the stew for their sweet flavor, brilliant color, and nutrition. Carrots have lots of vitamin A and fiber. They are inexpensive, always available, and keep well in your fridge.
• Celery: Bright green and crispy, celery is another inexpensive vegetable that packs a lot of nutrition.
• Frozen Pearl Onions: Of course, you can buy fresh pearl onions and peel them yourself but frozen pearl onions are an amazing time saver. If you prefer to camouflage the onions in your stew, chop up a regular onion and add that to your stew instead.
• Garlic: The recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic. Feel free to increase or decrease that amount, depending on how much you love garlic. Peel the cloves and finely mince the garlic.
• Tomato Paste: You won’t need a whole can of tomato paste, only 2 tablespoons. Freeze the rest in 2 tablespoon increments to use in other recipes. The tomato paste adds rich color and background flavor to the stew.
• Marsala Wine: Look for Marsala wine that is dry, not sweet. Avoid Marsala cooking wine which has added salt and preservatives.
• Beef Stock: Look for low sodium beef stock, or no salt added, so you can control the amount of sodium in your stew.
• Thyme: If you use fresh thyme, you’ll need about 3 sprigs. If you choose dry thyme, use about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons.
• Bay Leaf: A dry bay leaf adds subtle flavor. Be sure to remove it before you serve the stew.
• Frozen Green Peas: The peas are added at the end of the cooking time so they retain their bright green color. There’s no need to thaw them first.
• Cornstarch: This flavorless white powder is often used for thickening soups and stews. Look for it in the baking supplies aisle.

How To Make This Recipe

Begin by cutting the beef into bite-sized pieces. It’s extra easy if the meat is very cold, even with a hint of frost in it. Use a large sharp knife and a cutting board.

Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a big bowl, add the meat, and toss the cubes of meat in the mixture until it’s coated on all sides.

You’ll be adding flavor to the beef by browning it. After you’ve browned the meat (it doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through), transfer it from the pan to your slow cooker. You may have to brown it in batches. It’s better to spread the meat out than to crowd it in the skillet.

Once the beef is browned, add the mushrooms to the skillet. Allow them to cook undisturbed for a few minutes before stirring them so they brown nicely. Add them to the slow cooker.

Next up: the carrots, celery, and onions. Into the skillet they go! They don’t really need to brown, just soften up a bit. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, cooking for another minute or two. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping all those delectable brown bits off the bottom of the skillet.

Now it’s time to do some slow cooking! The beef, mushrooms, and vegetable mixture are joined by the broth, bay leaf, and thyme and slow cooked until the beef is fall-apart tender (4 hours on high, 7 to 8 hours on low).

When it’s getting close to serving time, remove the bay leaf, blend the cornstarch with a bit of water; stir the mixture into the stew and allow it to cook for a half hour. You’ll see the juices in the stew thicken into a nice gravy.

Just before serving, stir in the frozen peas. They cook very quickly, in a matter of just a couple minutes.

Taste the stew to check the seasoning. Add more salt and/or pepper, if you think it needs it.

What To Serve With Beef Stew

• Mashed red potatoes
• Instant Pot mashed potatoes
• Crockpot mashed potatoes (you’ll need two crockpots if you’re making the stew and the potatoes)
• Instant Pot polenta
• Instant Pot white rice or Instant Pot brown rice
• Beer bread
• Dutch oven bread (no knead!)

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• You can skip the browning step if you’re in a hurry. The stew has plenty of flavor with the Marsala, garlic, and herbs.
• If stew just isn’t stew for you without potatoes, go ahead and add a couple of cut up potatoes or baby potatoes to your stew. You’re the cook!
• If you don’t care for Marsala, substitute red wine. The flavor will be a bit different, however.
• Looking for a faster alternative? Try my Instant Pot beef stew.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerate leftover stew in a covered container for up to 4 days. Because this stew does not contain potatoes, it freezes well, too. Cool to room temperature and store in a freezer safe container for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

To reheat the stew, put it into a saucepan or large skillet and heat it gently on the stove. You can also heat individual bowls of stew in the microwave.