Slow Cooker Braised Steak And Onions

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the slow cooked braised steak and onions recipe in the points below:

• Everyday ingredients: everything you need to make the recipe can be sought from all major supermarkets. They are easy to get your hands on year round ingredients that will be readily available.
• Comfort food: comfort food without the carbs (except if you serve it with a bed of mashed potatoes 🤣). All of the flavors are wholesome and tasty and make you want to slow cook every day. The whole family will love the dish and ask you to make it again and again!!
• Packed with veggies: there is a ton of veggies in this recipe! We use onions, carrot and mushrooms and they cook to perfection in the slow cooker.
• Winter food: when you have swapped your summer clothes for your winter ones, you know its time to crank out the slow cooker recipes and stews! This steak and onions recipe is perfect for the cooler months as it has a hearty and satisfying sense about it. It will help warm you from the insides out!
• Taste and texture: from the soft melting onions to the literally fall apart steaks and chewy mushrooms and carrots, there is a lot of texture to love about this recipe. Use some mashed potatoes to sop up the juices and sauce and you have a balanced complete meal 😉👌.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the slow cooker braised steak and onions recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Salt and pepper: we use salt and black pepper to season the steaks before we add them to the slow cooker.
• Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves finely chopped, chunky chopped garlic like you see in the photo above or store bought minced garlic. Choose whichever type is the most convenient for you.
• Thyme: this dried herb offers a ton of flavor in the recipe!
• Tomato paste: thick and rich, this helps to create a depth of flavor in the steak sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce: a secret sauce known for giving a little oomph to recipes!
• Corn starch: we use a little corn starch to thicken the sauce (to make it like an onion gravy) towards the final stages of the cooking time.
• Carrots: peeled and chopped into chunks.
• Onion: peeled and sliced into rings.
• Beef stock or broth: beef stock or beef broth as it is known in some countries. This is the main component of the sauce and helps to keep everything moist and juicy as the steaks cook.
• Steak: I use and recommend beef oyster blade steak for this recipe. Usually you can get 4 in a pack which is the perfect size for the slow cooker. They break apart during the cooking process and offer an inexpensive cut of steak that melts in your mouth!
• Mushrooms: sliced into pieces or halves, both options work. The mushrooms don't need as much time to cook as the other vegetables, so we add these towards the end of the cook time so that they don't go mushy.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the braised steak recipe. We start by seasoning the steaks. You will need a cutting board for this initial step.

• Season the steaks with salt and pepper (Photo 1)
• Add the onions to the slow cooker (Photo 2)
• Then add the carrots (Photo 3)
• Place the seasoned steaks on top (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Slow Cooker Braised Steak And Onions

To make the slow cooker braised steak and onions start by seasoning each of the steaks. Then use tongs to flip the steaks to the other side and season this side for each steak also.

Next begin creating layers in the slow cooker.

Starting with spreading the onions out across the base of the slow cooker insert and then adding the peeled chopped carrots on top.

• Add the dried thyme (Photo 5)
• Then add the garlic (Photo 6)
• Add the tomato paste (Photo 7)
• Pour in the Worcestershire sauce (Photo 8)

Next sprinkle the dried thyme across the steaks and dollop in the garlic.

When ready spoon the tomato paste into the slow cooker and then pour in the Worcestershire sauce as you see in the photos above.

• Pour the beef stock in and cook (Photo 9)
• Later add in the sliced mushrooms (Photo 10)
• Mix together water and corn starch (Photo 11)
• Pour this in to thicken the sauce (Photo 12)

Next add in the beef stock as you see me doing in the photos above. When you have pop the lid on and let the dish cook for around 5 hours. After these 5 hours of cook time are up (keep the slow cooker temperature on low heat) add the sliced mushrooms and let them cook for about 30 minutes.

When ready mix together the water and corn starch, to the point where this is smooth with no clumps. Then pour this into the slow cooker, give it a stir and let it cook for another 30 minutes. The total cook time for the recipe is around 6 hours, but you can stretch this to 7-8 hours if desired or turn the dial to 'warm' after 6 hours until you are ready to serve the dish.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

The easiest way to serve your slow cooked steak and onions is on a creamy bed of mashed potatoes or air fryer chips for the modern day version. The Horseradish Mashed Potatoes offer a lovely pairing.

Or for other types of potatoes try the Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, Creamy Garlic Potatoes, Skin on Roast Potatoes or the Garlic Butter Potatoes.

For a potato bake pairing try the Potato And Sweet Potato Bake, Potato And Onion Bake, Potato And Cauliflower Bake or the Potato And Broccoli Bake 😄👌.

You won't need a salad side or bread or other sides, this is a filling and hearty meal that you will practically lick the bowl clean for!

Sprinkle some parsley on top, a little cracked pepper and you are good to go! As much as we have lovely depths of flavors, we have really simple ingredients that delightfully come together to create this blissful dish and there is not a lot more to it than that.

For wine, try a chilled rose or a crisp pinot gris. Or for red wine lovers, a glass or 2 of pinot noir will go down a treat.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Allow the dish to fully cool. Then portion leftover steak and onions into an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.

How to Freeze

Or in place of refrigerating leftovers, portion into air tight containers and then stack in the freezer. They can be frozen for 2-3 months and are best fully thawed before being reheated.

How to Reheat

Next day leftovers have even more flavor than the day they were cooked!

For refrigerated leftovers, transfer them to a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Then heat on high in the microwave for 1 minute intervals until warmed through. Test before leaving the kitchen to ensure the dish is fully reheated and not still cold in the centre.

Or allow frozen portions of the dish to full thaw. Then reheat following the steps in the point above.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use store bought beef casserole pieces if you wish too or a large piece of blade steak, braising steak, chuck steak or chuck roast that can be cooked as such and then shredded with 2 forks towards the end of the cook time.
• If you want to use stock cubes and water to make the beef broth you can. This is a very economical choice as stock cubes are always very cost effective but the price of packaged broth can go up and down a bit.
• You can use fresh thyme in place of the dried thyme if you wish too. Or you can use fresh parsley as an alternate herb.
• If you want to add 2 bay leaves you can. These then need to be removed prior to serving the dish.
• If you want to simply cook the steak and onions in the slow cooker and then steam or roast vegetables for the side, that option will work (albeit involve a little bit extra work by separately cooking them).
• Root vegetables are the best choice when slow cooking as they are robust and perform well. If wanting to explore other vegetable options, try serving the dish with frozen (and then cooked in the microwave peas) or steamed greens like broccolini.
• You can use plain flour and water to make the slurry to thicken the sauce. This however, will have gluten whereas corn starch won't (something to keep in mind depending on who you are cooking for).

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• There is no need to spray the slow cooker bowl with oil, simply throw everything straight in!
• I don't sear the steaks for this recipe as I find that it is an unnecessary step (plus more washing up). If you insist on using a frying pan to brown them before adding to the slow cooker you can. (You do you and all 😄👍).
• For a non potato base to serve the dish, try roasting some pumpkin or giving it a spray with olive oil and a quick cook in the air fryer.
• For a non thickening agent in the recipe, you can remove the lid of the slow cooker for the final hour or so to allow the liquids to evaporate somewhat and thicken the sauce.
• This is a great recipe to meal prep. Simply make it on a weekend when you have more time then portion and freeze for the night's when you know you won't.
• If you love slow cooking, then you might also like the Pasta Bake, Pulled Lamb, Pork Chops With Apples, Lamb Stew, Lamb Ribs, Spaghetti Bolognese, Savoury Mince or the Pumpkin Soup 😉👌.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Do you cook onions before adding to slow cooker?

No, it is not necessary to cook onions before adding them to the slow cooker. Then can simply be layered on the base of the slow cooker insert.

What liquid do you use to braise meat?

Stock or broth, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider, wine or beer are all good braising liquids. Some perform better than others when slow cooking and it is best to reduce the quantity of alcohol if wanting to slow cook a recipe.

Should meat be browned before braising?

No, it is not essential to brown the meat before braising. Especially when slow cooking and wanting to dump and go with the ingredients, also avoiding extra cleaning up.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

Here are some more ideas to help you sort dinner on busy night's where you find yourself going here, there and everywhere but the kitchen!

• Thai Minced Pork
• Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta
• Ham Fettuccine Alfredo
• Baked Ziti With Meatballs
• Chorizo and Prawn Linguine
• Chicken Pesto Linguine
• Tuna Fried Rice

It is time to get our steak and onions on my friend. This is a delicious slow cooker recipe that I hope you turn to again and again! You can also find all of my comfort foods or dinner recipes in the one spot!

Adrianne

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