Want a dinner you can set and forget? Stir up a batch of this Mushroom Beef Stew with Kalamata Olives for a hearty, flavorful supper any night of the week. This is one of those Crowd Pleasing Recipes that Won’t Break the Bank.
This easy slow cooker beef stew will be one you can put on repeat. Serve it with Baked Rice for a hands-free dinner prep.
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We all have busy days, don’t we? Or days when we just don’t want to do anything.
Lazy days, jam-packed days, it doesn’t really matter. It’s always nice when dinner is ready without a lot of work and hassle. That’s when the slow cooker can come in super handy — and this recipe for Mushroom Beef Stew with Olives!
Why Make This
It’s easy prep and hands-free cooking. This Mushroom Beef Stew with Olives is quick to prepare and then cooks on its own without any fuss.
Mushroom Beef Stew with Olives is freezer-friendly. If you’re not feeding a crowd, you can easily freeze this stew for easy meal prep lunches and quick reheat dinners.
The flavors are amazing! The salty Kalamata olives, hearty beef chunks, and umami-rich mushrooms come together in a great melange of flavors. It’s definitely one of thos Cheap Crock Pot Meals You’ll Actually Love!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this Mushroom Beef Stew with Kalamata Olives:
oil – I like to use olive oil in savory dishes, but you can use whatever oil you normally cook with.
beef chuck roast – Beef chuck is a great meat for making stew. Avoid buying any chunked meat labeled, “stew meat”; it’s generally not worth the money.
seasonings – salt, pepper, bay leaf, and herbes de Provence. I like to prepare my own herbes mixture, but you can buy a bottle or even use a different mix. Italian Seasoning Mix would be a good option.
onion and garlic – These aromatics bring great flavor to the mushroom beef stew. I use fresh for both, but you can use onion flakes and jarred garlic if you’re in a pinch.
mushrooms – I like to use fresh mushrooms, but you can use dried or canned mushrooms instead.
tomato sauce – The tomato sauce helps thicken the broth and brings acid as well as a rich flavor to the stew.
salty olives – Kalamata olives are the easiest to find, but any briny black olive will be good here. If you omit the olives, add more salt to taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Here’s how to make Mushroom Beef Stew with Olives:
1. In a large nonstick skillet heat the oil until shimmering. Add the beef cubes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides and remove to the crock of a 5 quart slow cooker.
2. In the drippings left in the pan, sauté the onion, mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are clear and the mushrooms start to brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the herbes de Provence and season with salt and pepper. Transfer this mixture to the crock.
3. Add the tomato sauce, water, and bay leaf to the crock, stirring gently to combine. Cook on LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Right before serving, stir in the olives. Serve hot.
Instant Pot Directions
If you’d like to cook the stew in the electric pressure cooker, follow steps 1 and 2 as directed, except place the meat and vegetables in the cooker insert. Add the seasonings and liquid.
Secure the lid and close the pressure valve. Set the machine for 25 minutes manual and then allow a 10 minute natural release before releasing the pressure and taking off the lid. Stir and serve.
FAQs & Recipes Costs
Mushrooms are delicious in stew and add a great umami flavor. You can use fresh, canned, or dried mushrooms in stew.
If using fresh mushrooms, wipe them with a damp cloth and trim off the ends. Quarter or slice them and sauté briefly before adding to the stew.
Beef stew is delicious served on its own or over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- oil – $0.04
- beef chuck roast – 8.97
- onion – $0.54
- mushrooms – $1.85
- garlic – $0.15
- herbes de Provence – $0.15
- tomato sauce – $0.80
- bay leaf – $0.02
- Kalamata olives – $2.00
While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $14.50 for a big batch of Mushroom Beef Stew, about $1.81 /serving.
More Great Stew Recipes
Tell us what you think!
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Mushroom Beef Stew with Kalamata Olives
Equipment
- 6-qt oval slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 lb boneless, beef chuck roast trimmed and cubed
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 onion chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms (sliced)
- 5 clove garlic halved
- 2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅓ cup Kalamata olives or other salty black olives
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet heat the oil until shimmering. Add the beef cubes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides and remove to the crock of a 5 quart slow cooker.
- In the drippings left in the pan, sauté the onion, mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are clear and the mushrooms start to brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the herbes de Provence and season with salt and pepper. Transfer this mixture to the crock.
- Add the tomato sauce, water, and bay leaf to the crock, stirring gently to combine. Cook on LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Right before serving, stir in the olives. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on February 14, 2016. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Adrienne
Amazing! Because of family’s aversion to mushrooms, I blended the mushrooms into beef broth in sub for the water. Wonderful broth and so tasty.
Angie S
I adapted for stovetop because I was using leftover beef and a 45 minute simmer was plenty of time. No olives for this family, but the herbes de Provence give this dish plenty of favor! I use your homemade herbes blend; it’s so much better than the commercial one I tried years ago.
AS
Adapted time for IP but followed ingredients to a T and this turned out wonderfully!
Julie
I made this tonight as part of one of the protein meal plans. Served over cauliflower rice. Delicious! (no mushrooms and olives for me.)
Jessica Fisher
Glad you enjoyed it!
Danielle L Zecher
What is the issue with stew meat? I’ve been trying to make Irish beef stew for years, always using stew meat, and it’s always terrible. Now I wonder if that’s part of the problem.
Jessica Fisher
I’ve read that meat packaged as “stew meat” is just random bits that may or may not do well in an actual stew. I prefer chuck for my stews.
Audra Taylor
Jessica, I just love these recipes. I have Good Cheap Eats and was reading it this morning over breakfast! I am going to try the stew next week, so hearty and excellent tips to make it tasty.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks so much! Bon appetit!
Jeanne
Made this in my crockpot – could only find a 2 3/4 pound chuck roast so went ahead and used it and this turned out fantastic. Will use the left overs for nachos. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe !
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it!
Alisha
Looks good! I love using my slow cooker. There are a few meals that turn out great but so often they are mushy and tasteless.
Jessica Fisher
I find that you really can’t let them go all day. Some recipes, like chicken, need much less time. I rarely do vegetable dishes because of the mush factor.
Danise
Jessica,
Have you ever tried the Instant Pot? You can saute your meat right in the pot and then set it to cook on the slow cooker setting. Only one pot to clean and it’s dishwasher safe.
Jessica Fisher
I have a Power Cooker (which is the same thing), but I haven’t used its slow cook setting yet. I use it for perfect rice, though. Thanks for the reminder!
El
I am an Instant Pot devotee! Although I found that it doesn’t do the rice as well as a proper rice cooker, the sauté function is glorious. Fry up the good stuff, and let t go! It’s great when I’ve forgotten dinner and I only have 30mins to get dinner on; the pressure cooker makes me so happy : D
Jessica, I’d love your ideas on how to adapt your slow cooker meals for an electric pressure cooker. Any tips? Thanks a mill!
Jessica Fisher
I have not played with the pressure cooker setting very much. It’s something I need to work on.