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–+ servings

Slow Cooker Beef Tips

close up overhead shot of a slow cooker full of beef tips garnished with parsley
This slow cooker beef tips recipe features tender beef simmered in flavorful gravy that the entire family will love. 
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs 15 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 402 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds top round London broil beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 onion mushroom dry soup mix, from a 1.8 ounce box
  • 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 large bay leaf (use two if they are small)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (plus additional for garnish)
  • ¼ cup water, room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions
 

  • In a large, heavy-duty skillet on high heat add the olive oil and half of the cubed top round beef. Sear the beef on all sides for 2 to 3 minutes or just until browned. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Add the other half of the cubed beef to the hot skillet and sear the pieces, all on sides, for another 2 to 3 minutes. At this point, you are just looking to get a good sear on the beef cubes and not cook them all the way through. You will still have some pink to the meat.
  • To the insert of your slow cooker, add the diced onions, sliced white mushrooms, and the browned top round beef cubes and their juices from the plate. There is a lot of great flavor in the juices from the seared beef.
  • In a large bowl, add the beef broth, packet of onion mushroom dry soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and fresh chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Add the liquid mixture to the slow cooker on top of the beef and vegetables.
  • Set your slow cooker to HIGH heat for 3½ hours. Put the lid on your slow cooker and allow it to cook undisturbed.
  • After your slow cooker beef tips have cooked for 3½ hours, you will need to remove the bay leaf and make your cornstarch slurry to thicken the liquids and create a gravy.
  • To a small bowl, add the room temperature water and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch has dissolved and you have created a slurry. Remove the lid to the slow cooker and stir in the slurry to the beef broth. Allow your beef tips to continue to cook for an additional 15 to 30 minutes or until your liquids have thickened into a gravy.

Notes

  • You can save time with your prep work by getting beef stew meat from your butcher counter. This is a tougher cut of beef, like the top round London broil, so it goes great with slow cooker meals because the meat has time to get tender.
  • If you want to make your slow cooker beef tips and gravy in the morning before you start your day, you can set the slow cooker to LOW for 6 to 7 hours. When you are ready to add the cornstarch slurry to thicken up your broth and create a gravy, you will want to remove the lid and turn your slow cooker up to HIGH and allow the broth to thicken.
  • If your slow cooker has a ‘sear’ setting on it, you can brown your meat directly in your slow cooker and skip the extra skillet. This would make your slow cooker beef tips a true one-pot meal. You can skip the step on searing your beef cubes; however, I highly suggest that you do not. By searing/browning the beef cubes, you are locking in the juices and creating a great texture, and color, to your beef tips that do not happen if you just add the raw beef to the slow cooker.
  • Using slow cooker liners to line your insert make clean up a snap once dinner is finished.
  • You can turn your slow cooker to the warm setting for up to 2 hours if needed to keep it warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 55gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 1025mgPotassium: 1052mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 118IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 5mg