
The Easiest Stew and Dumplings Recipe EVER!
I’m a mum. I have two kids who are always hungry and a hubby who is starving by the time he’s cycled home from work. That means I need to be able to knock out delicious, nutritious meals in double quick time. This Stew and Dumplings recipe is one of our favourites and it really is so easy to make!
A few pointers before we start
My girls are pretty good at eating vegetables but they draw the line at onions. This recipe relies quite heavily on onions so I whizz them around the food processor into more of a mush instead. If you prefer onions finely chopped instead, that’s totally fine.
Use whatever frozen veg you like. Our is a mixture of carrots, cauliflower and broccoli.
I make our Stew and Dumplings in a slow cooker so it takes roughly 5-6 hours. If you don’t have a slow cooker, pop it in the oven (GM4 / 180°C) and adjust the recipe so that the total cooking time is 2 hours:
- 1hr 40 min: Just the stew
- Then add the dumplings on top for the remaining 20mins
Ingredients
Stew
425ml Beef Casserole Mix
450g Lean Braising Steak (cubed)
2 Onions
2 Cups Frozen Veg
Dumplings
1 1/2 Cups of Self Raising Flour
3/4 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Butter
3/4 Cup of milk
Serve with…
New potatoes

Ingredients for the stew

Ingredients for the dumplings
How to make Beef Stew and Dumplings
1) Finely chop the onions (or whizz them round the food processor) and pop them in the slow cooker pot
2) Pour in the frozen veg and cubed beef
3) Prepare the casserole mix (we use a dried mix that you add 425ml cold water to) and pour in
4) Mix it all up, making sure the food is covered by the liquid
5) Put the lid on and turn the slow cooker on – “High” setting
6) Put a timer on for roughly 4 hours 20mins
**Hurray! You’re Stew and Dumplings are cooking!**
7) When the timer goes off, start making your dumpling mixture (you might want to set another timer for 10mins so you know when to add them in):
a) Sift the flour into a bowl
b) Add the salt and the butter
c) Pinch the mixture together until it is like breadcrumbs
d) Stir in the milk with a spoon (it will be very wet and sticky!)
8) Once your 10 min timer has gone off, it’s time to add your dumplings to the stew. Take the lid off the slow cooker and drop generous tablespoons of mixture onto the top of your stew (you might need an extra spoon to help push it off) – I can usually get 8-10 dollops!
9) Put a timer on for 30 mins and boil the kettle
10) When the timer goes off, put the new potatoes in a pan to steam or boil and set the timer for a final 30 mins
You just can’t beat a proper home-cooked meal and this recipe really is so simple. The beef melts in your mouth and the dumplings are light and fluffy. Now that the colder nights are drawing in, this is the perfect solution to warm you up from the inside out! Enjoy!
What are your favourite home-cooked meals? Do you like quick, simple meals or are you an elaborate cook? What vegetables do your kids like/dislike? Do you use a slow-cooker? Let me know in the comments section below 🙂
Don’t forget to pop over to the Lucy At Home t-shirt shop. You’d definitely be bossing it as a mum if you made this stew so get yourself a Mama Bear t-shirt!
Other colours and designs are available!
This looks great. I haven’t used my slow cooker since last winter. Thanks for the reminder to get it out 🙂
This looks delicious! #BlogCrush
Love slow cookers! This looks delicious.#Blogcrush
Ohhh I love dumplings so much! And it’s getting cold enough for a good stew now. Will definitely be trying this, thanks for sharing!! #blogcrush
I am yet to whip the slow cooker out this autumn but when I do I’m a so making this. Don’t think I’ve ever made dumplings so will be fun to give this a try. FB recipe xx #blogcrush
I love the idea of dumplings but not so much beef ones (being veggie at all). Looks good though! #stayclassymama
I have honestly never had stew and dumplings in my life! This looks so easy though, I reckon even I could make it! Plus my daughter draws the line at onions too! #blogcrush
Mmmmm soooooo craving stew and dumplings now. This is definitely going to be on our menu next week!!! #BlogCrush
Ooooh this looks really yummy and stews are great at this time of year when it’s getting a bit colder. I’ll have to try this sometime! #blogcrush
I don’t eat beef but love a good stew. Might try the dumplings though. Thank you for sharing with #StayClassyMama
I love a stew this time of year. I should use a slow cooker more often – it’s such a great idea x
#TriumphantTales
I’m totally gonna nick this and do it during next week for hubby! i got a slow cooker and used it like twice… now i’m soon to be home more i need better recipes than throwing seasoning and frozen veg and hoping the meat is ok hahaha!
Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next week!
Oh my gosh this looks and sounds delicious. Perfect autumnal food #FamilyFunLinky