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Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings

This is one of those set-it-and-forget-it meals that fills the house with amazing smells all day. The dumplings cook right on top of the stew in the last hour, so you get tender beef and fluffy dumplings all in one pot.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Stew

  • 3 lbs beef stew meat cut into cubes
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 medium carrots sliced
  • 3 stalks celery sliced
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Dumplings

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup milk
  • Fresh parsley for garnish optional

Instructions

  • Toss beef cubes with flour until coated.
  • Add beef, onion, carrots, and celery to slow cooker.
  • Whisk together beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper, then pour over beef and vegetables.
  • Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until beef is fork-tender.
  • At the 7-hour mark, mix flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, and salt in a bowl.
  • Stir in melted butter and milk until a soft, sticky dough forms.
  • Drop large spoonfuls of dough on top of stew to make 8-10 dumplings.
  • Cover, switch to high heat, and cook 50 minutes to 1 hour until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
  • Test dumplings with a toothpick for doneness.
  • Serve immediately garnished with parsley if desired.