Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Season beef: Season the cubed beef generously with 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper.

Sear beef: Heat a few generous drizzles of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then sear until browned, working in batches as needed to get a good sear (prevents steaming). Transfer to a large 7-quart slow cooker. Do not wipe the skillet clean.

Sauté the aromatics: In the same skillet, saute onion for 3 minutes. If needed, add a splash of broth to help deglaze the brown bits. Then, add minced garlic, minced thyme and rosemary, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Deglaze with wine: Stir in the red wine, scraping up brown bits to deglaze the pan. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 3-4 minutes until about half reduced. Transfer this into the slow cooker as well.

Add everything into slow cooker: Whisk beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of ground black pepper. Add this mixture into the slow cooker, along with the carrots and celery. Stir to combine. Note - if using potatoes, add them in this step.

Slow cook: Tuck in the sprigs of rosemary and bay leaves. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the beef is very tender.

Thicken stew and add peas: 30 minutes before the cook time is up, stir in the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch dissolved with water), as well as the green peas. Cover and finish cooking for the remaining time until thickened.

Finish the beef stew with freshly chopped Italian parsley, season with more salt and pepper if needed. Remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves before serving. Serve warm over mashed potatoes!