Creamy Red Wine Beef Stew (Slow Cooker Recipe for Cozy Fall Nights)
There’s something about the first chill in the air that makes you crave real comfort food — the kind that fills the whole house with warmth and the smell of something slowly simmering away. When the temperatures start to drop here in Tennessee, we always reach for this creamy red wine beef stew recipe. It’s hearty, rich, and just about the coziest thing you can make in a slow cooker on a crisp fall day.
This slow cooker beef stew with red wine is packed with tender chunks of beef, baby potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, carrots, and peas, and all cooked low and slow in a creamy, flavorful broth that gets its depth from a splash of good red wine. It’s one of those easy family dinners that makes enough to feed a crowd with plenty of leftovers for the next day.
We love this recipe for a few reasons: it’s the perfect fall comfort food— rich, hearty, and satisfying; the slow cooker does all the work while your kitchen smells incredible; it uses simple ingredients you probably already have on hand; and the red wine and heavy cream create a velvety, cozy stew that tastes like it simmered all day (because it did!).
Ingredients:
3½ lbs beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch cubes
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large yellow onions, diced
4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp all-purpose flour (for browning stage)
1½ cups dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir)
4 cups beef broth (plus ½ cup extra for thickening)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
2 bay leaves
1½ lbs baby potatoes, halved
2 cups pearl onions (optional)
1½ cups frozen peas
1½ cups frozen corn
1½ cups chopped green beans (fresh or frozen)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp flour (for thickening, separate from above)
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Instructions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper, then brown in batches until golden. This step adds rich flavor. Transfer the beef to your slow cooker as you go.
In the same pan, add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5–7 minutes until softened, then stir in garlic and tomato paste. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for a minute before deglazing the pan with the red wine. Scrape up the brown bits — that’s where all the flavor lives — and let it simmer for 2–3 minutes.
Load the slow cooker. Pour the wine and vegetable mixture over the beef. Add the beef broth, thyme, bay leaves, potatoes, and pearl onions. Stir it all together.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on Low for 8–9 hours or High for 4½–5 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
Add veggies and cream. About one hour before serving, stir in the peas, corn, and green beans. Then, in a small jar or bowl, mix ½ cup beef broth with 2 tablespoons of flour, shake or whisk until smooth, and pour it into the slow cooker along with the heavy whipping cream. Stir and let it cook for the final hour — it will thicken into a beautiful, creamy stew.
Serve and enjoy. Remove bay leaves, taste, and adjust salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes.
Make It Ahead or Freeze It
This red wine beef stew actually tastes even better the next day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove or in the slow cooker on low.
When the air gets cool and the leaves start to turn, this slow cooker creamy beef stew is the kind of meal that just feels right. It’s simple enough for a weeknight but special enough for Sunday dinner — a warm, hearty hug in a bowl.
So pour a glass of the same red wine you cooked with, curl up on the couch, and let this cozy beef stew recipe do what comfort food does best.