Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes
Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes is a cozy, one-pot meal made with tender stew beef, baby potatoes, garlic, and plenty of butter for a rich, comforting dinner that practically cooks itself.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1.5 pounds baby potatoes, halved Yukon gold or other waxy potatoes
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder or dry onion soup/seasoning mix
- 1 teaspoon steak or all-purpose seasoning optional but recommended
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 0.25 cup water or beef broth optional, for a bit more sauce
Optional Add-Ins
- 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed added near the end of cooking
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or green onion, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Step 1: Lightly grease the inside of a 5–6 quart slow cooker. Pat the beef stew meat dry with paper towels and trim any large pieces of fat. Rinse the baby potatoes and cut them in half so they cook evenly.
- Step 2: Add the beef stew meat and halved baby potatoes to the slow cooker, arranging them in an even layer (they can be side-by-side or gently mixed together).
- Step 3: Sprinkle the onion powder or soup/seasoning mix, garlic powder, steak seasoning, salt, and pepper evenly over the beef and potatoes. Scatter the minced garlic over the top so it is distributed throughout.
- Step 4: Place the slices of butter on top of the beef and potatoes. If using, pour the water or beef broth around the edges of the slow cooker to create a little extra sauce.
- Step 5: Cover and cook on low for about 6–7 hours, or on high for 3–4 hours, until the beef is very tender and the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
- Step 6: If adding green beans, stir them in during the last 45–60 minutes of cooking so they become tender but not mushy.
- Step 7: Gently stir the beef and potatoes to coat everything in the garlic butter sauce. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, spooning extra sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker over each portion and garnishing with chopped parsley or green onion.
Notes
For extra flavor, you can sear the beef chunks in a hot skillet before adding them to the slow cooker, but the recipe also works well as a simple dump-and-go meal. If the sauce seems too thin at the end of cooking, remove the lid for the last 20–30 minutes on high, or lightly mash a couple of potatoes into the sauce to thicken it.