The Easy Slow Cooker Beef Casserole is the kind of home-cooked classic that wraps you in warmth and comfort from the very first bite. It’s a dish that effortlessly combines hearty ingredients, slow-cooked flavors, and sheer simplicity, making it a favorite for anyone seeking a nutritious and satisfying meal with minimal fuss. Perfect for busy families, chilly nights, or anyone looking to enjoy a hands-off, delicious dish, this recipe brings together the best of traditional cooking with the convenience of modern kitchen appliances.
Casseroles have long been a staple in kitchens around the world, especially in colder months. They offer the perfect opportunity to stretch humble ingredients into something truly flavorful and filling. This particular version makes full use of a slow cooker—also known as a crockpot—a time-saving kitchen tool that’s beloved for turning tougher cuts of meat into tender, melt-in-the-mouth morsels. By simmering the ingredients at a low temperature for hours, the slow cooker allows flavors to meld deeply, resulting in a rich, savory dish with minimal active cooking time.
The ground beef in this recipe provides a protein-rich base that is also budget-friendly and widely available. Browning the beef before adding it to the slow cooker not only enhances its flavor but also prevents it from becoming greasy during long cooking times. Alongside the beef, a generous amount of vegetables—namely carrots and celery—deliver both nutrition and texture. These veggies break down beautifully in the slow cooker, becoming tender and sweet while also contributing to the body of the casserole’s sauce.
What truly sets this beef casserole apart is the rich, fragrant sauce that it develops as it cooks. Built from a base of beef stock and red wine, the sauce gains complexity from ingredients like red wine vinegar, tomatoes (both chopped and passata), garlic, and aromatic herbs like thyme. A touch of Marmite may seem like an unorthodox addition, but it deepens the umami quality of the dish, enhancing the savory notes without overpowering the natural flavor of the meat.
The results are comforting and incredibly versatile. While the casserole stands well on its own due to the inclusion of vegetables, the flavorful sauce makes it perfect for serving with a scoop of creamy mashed potatoes, a chunk of crusty bread, or even over rice or polenta. The slow cooker also turns this into a great “set it and forget it” dish—prep it in the morning, and come home to dinner already cooked.
Overall, this Easy Slow Cooker Beef Casserole balances simplicity with depth of flavor. It’s the kind of recipe that you can turn to again and again—both for its ease and its ability to bring people together around the dinner table. Whether you’re an experienced cook or a beginner, this recipe is an invitation to savor the joy of a well-made, home-cooked meal.
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
8 medium carrots - peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces- 8 small celery stalks - cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 kilogram ground beef (minced beef)
- 2 medium yellow onion - peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK)
- 250 ml red wine
- 500 ml beef stock (beef broth or beef bouillon)
- 400 grams tomatoes - chopped
- 2 tablespoons passata or crushed tomatoes (tomato puree with seeds removed)
- 3 pinches chili flakes (chilli flakes in British English)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon marmite
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 sprigs thyme
Instructions
- Place the carrots and celery in the bowl of your slow cooker.
- Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and brown the beef in batches, removing each batch to a bowl once browned. Next, sauté the onions until soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle in flour and continue to cook, stirring. If it starts to catch, add a splash of stock. Continue to stir, add the wine splash by splash, pour in the stock, and cook uncovered until the mixture has thickened and reduced. This is important to get rid of the alcohol.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients and the beef, bring the mixture to a simmer, then pour it over the carrots and celery in the slow cooker bowl. Give everything a good stir, cover and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.
