Slow-Cooked Beef and Red Wine Stew with Gnocchi

This slow-cooked beef and red wine stew with gnocchi is the ultimate comfort food. It's hearty, flavourful, and easy to make.

Kylie

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3 20

Serving Size People

Equipment

Dutch Oven or you can use a Large Pot or Slow-Cooker

Ingredients

1 kg Chuck Steak cut into 2 cm chunks
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Brown Onions Diced
3 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 Carrots Chopped
2 Celery Sticks Chopped
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 cups Liquid Beef Stock
1 cup Red Wine
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme Finely Chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary Finely Chopped
500 g White Mushrooms Sliced (the mushrooms are optional)
Salt and Pepper To Taste
2 tbsp Cornflour
2 tbsp Water
500 g Gnocchi

Instructions

There is a little prep work that needs to be done before cooking this recipe. Dice the chuck steak into 2 cm chunks, and remove the big chunky pieces of fat. You don't want a mouthful of that.
Dice the onion, and chop up the carrots and celery into small pieces. Mince 3 garlic cloves in a garlic crusher, or use pre-minced garlic (1 teaspoon equals one clove).
Thinly slice the mushrooms, or use pre-sliced.
Now for the rosemary and thyme, remove the leaves from the stems and finely chop these up.
Now, heat up some olive oil in a pot or Dutch oven. Add the beef chunks, brown them up for a few minutes, and then remove them from the pot and set them aside in a bowl. No need to fuss over it for too long. It is also best to do this in batches to make the browning easier.
(Refer to the notes below for how to do this in your slow cooker)
Next, add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and white mushrooms to the same pot. Easy peasy! Please give them a quick sauté until they're softened and fragrant.
Time to amp up the flavours. Add tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, thyme, rosemary, and those beautiful mushrooms to the pot. Bring it all to a boil, and let the magic happen.
Now, reintroduce the beef to the pot and stir it well. Lower the heat, cover it, and let it simmer for a few hours. No need to babysit it—just let the Dutch oven do its thing constantly.
When the beef is tender and the flavours have melded into a tantalizing symphony, it's time for the final touches. Mix cornflour and water in a bowl until dissolved, then add it to the pot along with the gnocchi.
Stir, let it cook for a bit longer to thicken the sauce, and cook the gnocchi to perfection.
Finally, dish up your mouthwatering creation. Serving it with steamed green vegetables or crusty bread, prepare to savour the flavours. Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top for a pop of colour and freshness.

Notes

How to do this in your slow cooker:

Brown your meat on a pan or skillet. Or if you happen to have a slow cooker that is multi-function and allows you to brown your meat in that, even better.

Add onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and celery to the slow cooker, along with the browned meat. Then mix the tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, thyme, and rosemary in a separate bowl and pour over the top.

Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Once your meat is fall-apart tender, add the cornflour mixed with water to thicken and add the gnocchi, then let it cook until the gnocchi is cooked through and the sauce thickens.