Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew with Apples

Homemade beef stew on cold winter days is a family favorite. This hearty beef stew is not your average beef stew recipe. The apples, garam marsala, and tender chunks of beef give this delicious one-pot meal depth of flavor.

What I love about this stew

I have always loved the savory flavors of beef stew. Growing up it was something we ate on Sunday afternoons. There are so many beef stew recipes out there, and they all seem so similar. My mom was very traditional in its flavors. It was easy and delicious. She would throw all the ingredients together in a large dutch oven before we left for church, she would place it in the oven to slow cook, and we would return home to a house full of delicious aromas. This beef stew is not my mothers beef stew, don’t get me wrong hers was amazing, but this hearty dish has a twist that will make your taste buds stand at attention! This stew recipe was inspired by a recipe for Moroccan-Spiced Beef Stew I found in my Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook.  I didn’t have the right ingredients so I improvised and came up with this new twist on an old fashioned comfort food! It is by far one of my familie’s favorite crock pot recipes.

Gather these ingredients

How to make slow cooker Moroccan beef stew

1. On stove top add olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat, when oil sizzles add onion, apple, and chopped apricots to the pan. Saute until onion begins to brown and apple starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce to medium heat and add red pepper flakes, garam masala, and smoked paprika to the pan stir, allow to cook another minute releasing the flavors of the spices.

2. While apples and onions are on the stove add stew beef to bottom of crock pot sprinkle with tapioca and salt. Layer rinsed garbanzo beans and carrots over top. Tuck the bay leaf into the ingredients. Turn cook temperature to high.

3. Spoon saute’d spiced apples and onions over top of ingredients in the slow cooker.

4. Place pan back on stove top and add 1 cup of the beef stock to the pan stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan pour over meat and vegetables in the crock pot along with additional 2 cups of braising liquids.

5. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours and on low for 9 hours.

If you have never used garam masala before you must start!  It includes a blend of coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, dried chilies, and sometimes cumin, cloves, fennel, and mace.  In the words of Guy Fieri it’s “flavortown”.  Garam masala can be found right along side all your other favorite spices at your local grocery store.

Instant Pot directions:

Start with saute mode, add olive oil, onion, apple, and chopped dried apricots to the bottom of the pot, after ten minutes add the spices. Stir to combine. Next add beef and sprinkle with tapioca and salt. Layer a can of rinsed garbanzo beans, and carrots over top of beef. (REDUCE the broth to 2 cups.) Pour 2 cups of broth over top and add bay leave. Turn instant pot on to the stew mode, on high pressure for 50 minutes.  After the 50 minutes allow time for the steam to decompress.  Release pressure valve and enjoy!

Dutch Oven directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place dutch oven on the stove top, over medium hight heat add olive oil. When oil sizzles add apples and onions saute until soft, add spices and stir to combine. Add stew beef sprinkle with tapioca and salt. Next add the remaining ingredients adding the beef broth last. Cover pot with aluminum foil place lid on top of aluminum foil to seal in the flavors.  Place in preheated oven for 5-6 hours. Just enough time for you to go to church and get back for dinner!

Tips & Variations

• Alternative ingredients: Don’t have dried apricots, use figs, raisins, or prunes. Use sweet potatoes instead of carrots.
• Serve with: creamy mashed potatoes or over rice. We often will eat this on it’s own like a thick soup with bread for mopping up the scrumptious gravy from the bottom of the bowl.
• Any leftover stew can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Be sure to allow stew to cool before placing in your refrigerator, for food safety reasons.

More of my families favorite stew recipes

Sunday Dinner ~ Beef Stew 

Burgundy Mushroom Beef Stew

Chocolate Stout Beef Stew

This hearty dish with its fall-apart beef and subtle sweetness is going to be your go to slow cooker beef stew. Be sure to give it a 5 star rating below in the recipe card. Leave me a comment or share on instagram or facebook and tag Eat2gather!

XOX, Sheila

Spicy Fall Beef Stew With Apples

Sheila

inspired by Moroccan Spiced Beef Stew ~ Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Course Main Course

Cuisine slow cooker

Servings 6 servings

Calories 791 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 lb beef stew meat 1 inch cubes of round steak works well
• 14 ounce can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 1 pound carrots
• 2 tbsp instant tapioca
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 apple cored and diced granny smith
• 1/2 cup dried apricots rough chopped
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp heaping garam masala
• 1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 large Bay Leaf
• 3 cups Beef Broth

Instructions

 

5 or 7 quart slow cooker, Cook on high for 6-7 hours/ on low for 8-9 hours.

• Place cubes of stew meat in bottom of slow cooker. Drain and rinse can of garbanzo beans (chick peas) pour beans over meat. Sprinkle instant tapioca and 1/2 teaspoon salt over meat and beans. Place carrots over top and poke some down in with the meat.
• In a skillet heat olive oil over medium heat, when oil is hot place onion, apple, and chopped apricots in pan and stir around until onion begins to brown and apple starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, garam masala, and smoked paprika to the pan stir around over heat for 1 minute, releasing the flavors of the spices.
• Pour onion apple mixture over meat and carrots in your slow cooker. Pour 1 cup of the beef broth into the skillet that the onion was in, pour this liquid in to your slow cooker, this will get any spices that may have been left in pan, you don’t want to leave any flavor behind! Pour the remaining 2 cups of broth into your slow cooker. The liquid should come up near the top of your onions and apples but should not cover completely.
• Cook on high for 6-7 hours and on low for 8-9 hours. See notes for instant pot and oven cooking methods.

Notes

Instant Pot Directions: start with saute mode, add olive oil, onion, apple, and chopped dried apricots to the pot, after ten minutes add the spices, beef, garbanzo beans, tapioca carrots, REDUCE the broth to 2 cups.  Turn on to the stew mode, on high pressure for 50 minutes.  After the 50 minutes allow time for the steam to decompress.  

Dutch Oven: preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In dutch oven on your stove top over medium hight heat add olive oil to dutch oven, add apples and onions saute until soft, add spices, beef, garbanzo beans, tapioca, carrots, and beef broth. Cover with aluminum foil, and lid on top to seal in the flavors.  Place in oven for 6 hours. 

Nutrition

Calories: 791kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 45gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 880mgPotassium: 627mgFiber: 7gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 13921IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg

Keyword apples, beef, crock pot, garam masala, root vegetables, slow cooker, stew

Tried this recipe?Mention @eat2gather or tag #eat2gather!