Easy Slow Cooker Italian Pasta Beef Stew

This Slow Cooker Italian Pasta Beef Stew is delicious and great for a weeknight meal! Made with super simple ingredients for a delicious dish.

Five ingredients. Six steps. Six hours of hands-off cooking while the slow cooker does everything.

This is the kind of recipe that exists for the days when you have beef stew meat, a packet of Italian dressing mix, and absolutely no energy for anything more complicated. The dressing mix does all the seasoning work — garlic, herbs, vinegar, salt — and the butter melts into the meat over six hours, creating a rich, savory sauce that coats the egg noodles when you stir them in at the end.

One thing worth knowing: cook the noodles separately and stir them in after the meat is done rather than adding them to the slow cooker to cook. Pasta added to a slow cooker too early turns mushy — egg noodles specifically overcook fast. Cook them on the stovetop while the beef is finishing, drain them, and stir them directly into the slow cooker for the last few minutes.

If you want to customize it, this recipe takes additions well. A cup of frozen peas or carrots stirred in with the noodles at the end adds vegetables without any extra prep. Swapping egg noodles for small shells or macaroni works fine — same timing. And if the finished stew is thinner than you’d like, stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons of cold water and let it cook on high for another 10-15 minutes to thicken.

What is Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew?

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew is a hearty and flavorful combination of beef, noodles, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and spices.

All of these ingredients are slow cooked together to create an amazing dinner that the whole family will love. This dish is perfect for busy weeknights because all you need to do is throw the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do its magic.

Ingredients:

Beef stew meat (1 lb): Pre-cut stew meat from the grocery store is fine here — chuck is the most common and works well because the higher fat content keeps it moist through the long cook. Cut any very large pieces in half so everything is a similar size and cooks evenly.

Dry Italian dressing mix (1 packet): The entire packet goes in. This is doing all the seasoning work — garlic, herbs, vinegar, salt. Good Seasons is the standard brand. Don’t add additional salt before tasting at the end since the packet is already quite salty.

Butter (1 stick, 8 tablespoons): Cut into four pieces and placed on top of the meat before cooking. It melts slowly into the beef and dressing mix over six hours, creating the sauce that coats the noodles. This is a significant amount of butter for a reason — it’s the richness that makes this taste like more than three ingredients.

Egg noodles (1 lb, cooked separately): Cook and drain the noodles right before the meat is done. Stir them directly into the slow cooker — they’ll absorb some of the sauce and take on the flavor of the Italian dressing and beef. Wide egg noodles work best for this type of stew; they hold up better than thin noodles.

How to Make Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew?

Place the stew meat in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the Italian dressing mix over the meat and stir to coat. Cut the stick of butter into four pieces and place them on top of the seasoned meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. When the meat is done, cook and drain the egg noodles, then stir them directly into the slow cooker. Mix and serve.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily customize it to suit your tastes . You can add more vegetables such as carrots, celery, zucchini or eggplant.You can also switch up the type of pasta you use – think small shells, macaroni, etc. And for a spicier stew, you can always add some chili flakes or hot sauce.

FAQs

How do you thicken Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew?

If your stew is too thin, there are several ways to thicken it. One option is to add a thickening agent such as cornstarch or flour. Simply mix the cornstarch or flour with some cold water and then stir it into the stew.

Another option is to simply stir in some tomato paste, which will help to thicken the stew. Finally, if you want a thicker, creamier stew, you can stir in some heavy cream at the end of cooking.

Can this Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew be frozen?

Yes, this Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew can easily be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply let it cool completely and then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag before freezing.

To reheat, simply thaw the stew in the refrigerator overnight and then heat it up in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Here are some more delicious slow cooker recipes to try: