A bowl of this Easy Slow Cooker Irish Stew with Beef and Guinness will fill you with delicious meaty flavours at a budget price.

Easy Slow Cooker Irish Stew with Beef and Guinness

There are three things I love about this recipe – it’s easy to make, uses a slow cooker and freezes well. I would serve it with fresh steamed green beans and slices of buttered baguette to mop up the juices. Yum!

When I travelled through Ireland, I made it my mission to try as many Irish Stews as possible to feed my Irish genes.  They were frequently on the menu and often well-priced, so it was a good choice.  The stews varied quite a lot.  Some seemed more like flavoured mashed potato, while others were more meaty with big chunks still on the bone.

This recipe comes from Nathan Anthony, who has the popular Instagram blog Bored of Lunch and is from his cookbook The Healthy Slow Cooker Book. His recipes are easy and simple to use, with ingredients you’ll find at your local store without hunting through every shelf. (I’m looking at you, Ottolenghi!)

Nathan lives in Northern Ireland and started his blog during lockdown to give folk something positive to focus on and develop recipes to suit his busy working lifestyle. He says this recipe is controversial in Ireland, but he loves it, and it’s the way his Mum has always made it.  I like using a slow cooker because it takes so much stress out of meal times when everything is done ahead.  It is easy to remove the cooking container from the slow cooker and slip the dish straight into the fridge (I put a tea towel underneath the hot container), and then bring it out to reheat on high the next day.

TIP: Double this Easy Slow Cooker Irish Stew with Beef and Guinness recipe to feed eight or freeze half for another day.

Irish Stew with Beef and Guinness

Easy Slow Cooker Irish Stew with Beef and Guiness
Yield: 4 serves

Easy Slow Cooker Irish Stew with Beef and Guinness

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

This is a rich Irish Stew with heaps of flavour. The Guinness adds to the gravy but you won't taste it, and the alcohol evaporates.

Ingredients

  • 400ml Guinness
  • 500g diced beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • handfull of fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 2 - 3 beef stock cubes
  • 600ml boiling water
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 - 2 bay leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 7 potatoes, peeled and quarted
  • Gravox or 1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour mix to a paste with 1 tablespoon water (optional but will give a thicker sauce)
  • fresh parley to garnish (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in your slow cooker, then stir and season to taste.
  2. Cook on high for four hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.
  3. Use a spoon to break up some of the potatoes into the sauce
  4. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley

Notes

Serve with plenty of buttered fresh crusty bread to mop up all the juices.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 662Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 558mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 9gSugar: 7gProtein: 45g

Eatdrinkandbekerry.net offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

I find my slow cooker is one of my favourite kitchen appliances.  I use it more in winter than summer, but it gets a work out all year round.  Try making your spaghetti bolognese sauce in it and enjoy the rich flavour!

Here are some other slow cooker recipes to try

The Healthy Slow Cooker Book