Go Back

Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings

Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings with tender beef and vegetables simmered hands-off on LOW, then topped with fluffy herb dumplings. Bisquick dough is dropped in and cooked until set, giving you soft, golden dumplings in a thick, hearty stew.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
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 the flour, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated, then heat the olive oil in a hot cast iron skillet. Brown the beef for a few minutes until deep golden on the outside, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
Build the stew
  1. Add the onion, garlic, and tomato paste to the slow cooker, then pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the carrots, celery, baby potatoes, and dried thyme, and spread everything into an even layer.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the beef is tender and the vegetables have softened. Visual cue: the stew should look thick and bubbling gently around the edges.
Cook the dumplings
  1. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH, then stir Bisquick baking mix, milk, and fresh parsley into a soft dough. Visual cue: it should be thick but spoonable.
  2. Drop tablespoons of the dough evenly over the hot stew, spacing them apart so they don’t merge. Cover and cook for 30-35 minutes on HIGH without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are cooked through and spring back when lightly pressed.

Notes

For the best texture, keep the lid closed during the dumpling cook time so steam stays trapped and they set properly. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (dumplings may soften slightly when reheated). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat milk for the dumpling dough and swap in a lower-sodium beef broth.