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Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings

Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings is a classic American slow-cooked beef stew topped with tender, fluffy golden herb dumplings. Browned beef and a rich broth simmer together for hours, then dumplings cook through on HIGH without lifting the lid.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 530
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

beef chuck, cubed
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck, cubed
all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
salt
  • 1.5 tsp salt
black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
onion, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
garlic, minced
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
beef broth
  • 3 cup beef broth
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
carrots, sliced
  • 4 carrots, sliced
celery stalks, sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
baby potatoes, halved
  • 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Bisquick baking mix
  • 2 cup Bisquick baking mix
milk
  • 0.67 cup milk
fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Toss the beef with flour, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high, then brown the beef and transfer it to the slow cooker.
Slow-cook the stew
  1. Add onion, garlic, tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, celery, baby potatoes, and dried thyme to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the beef is tender.
Make and cook dumplings
  1. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH. Stir Bisquick baking mix, milk, and fresh parsley into a soft dough.
  2. Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough over the hot stew, keeping them spaced. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30-35 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are cooked through.

Notes

For the best thick stew, keep the lid closed after adding the dumplings so steam cooks them evenly. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently until hot throughout. Freezing is not recommended for dumplings, because their texture can soften after thawing. If you want a lighter option, use reduced-sodium beef broth and Worcestershire.