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Creamy Beef Stew with Kale and Tomato. A delicious slow cooker crockpot recipe full of beef, kale, red peppers, and carrots and seasoned with paprika, tomato, nutmeg, and thyme.

Creamy Beef Stew with Kale and Tomato in two bowls.

I’m a HUGE fan of beef stew. I make it often as part of my Sunday meal-prep ritual. This past week, however, I decided to switch things up by adding coconut cream, rutabaga, kale, and red pepper to my stew. The result was a delicious, filling and comforting healthy beef stew made in the slow cooker. It has a creamy tomato flavor with a kick.

This recipe is naturally Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and Paleo. It also has an easy Whole30 option.

Table of Contents

Side angle of beef and kale stew in two bowls with spoons inside them.

Why this recipe works

  • its a great meal prepping meal.
    • If you make it on Sunday, you’ll have Paleo beef stew for lunch or dinner for several days in the upcoming week. I also love this Hungarian beef stew recipe.
  • its got great flavor.
    • It is FULL of melt-in your mouth beef seasoned with paprika and rosemary, cooked carrots and rutabagas, flavorful kale and red pepper, and a tomato-cream sauce spiced with thyme and nutmeg.
    • The heat from the paprika and diced red pepper here is wonderful. It isn’t too hot because it is softened by the coconut cream and the result is amazing deliciousness.
  • it cooks itself!
    • as soon as you have all the ingredients in your crockpot, it cooks itself for hours

Ingredients needed:

  • beef
  • garlic
  • onion
  • paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
  • tomato paste
  • dried rosemary
  • coconut flour
  • coconut cream
  • chicken stock
  • strained tomatoes
  • maple syrup ( omit for Whole30)
  • carrots
  • rutabaga
  • kale
  • red pepper
  • nutmeg
  • dried thyme

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Aerial view of healthy beef stew in two bowls.

Additions/Substitutions

  • Instead of onion: you can make this recipe with shallots. You can also use 2 tsp of onion powder instead of onion as well.
  • Instead of coconut cream: you can use coconut milk. You can also use a dairy-free creamer ( I have used nutpods creamer before and it worked great).
  • Omit the maple syrup here to keep this dish Whole30 compliant.
  • Instead of baby carrots: you can use regular carrots and cut them into 1.5-2 inch pieces. I like using 6 carrots because I like a lot of carrots in my stew.
  • Instead of rutabaga: you can use parsnips or potatoes ( sweet or regular). I can’t always find rutabaga at the store so instead, I use parsnip.

Step by step stew instructions:

Seared meat in frying pan.
Step 1

Step 1: Sear the meat.

Cook the onion, garlic, and tomato paste in a pan. Then add the stew meat, paprika, salt, pepper and rosemary and sear for a few minutes.

The rest of the ingredients in the crockpot prior to cooking.
Step 3:

Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 9 hours.

Seared meat in crockpot with coconut flour on top.
Step 2

Step 2: Add the meat to the slow cooker then add some coconut flour to the meat and mix.

How to serve it:

  • on its own! It tastes amazing as is.
  • with other roasted veggies. I like to add roasted sweet potatoes or eggplant to a bowl and then add this stew on top of them.
  • on top of pasta! It gives the whole meal a stroganoff-esque vibe. You can use regular pasta, quinoa pasta, gluten-free pasta.
  • with a side of garlic bread or toast.

Storage:

  • In the refrigerator: in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  • In the freezer: in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

FAQs

(1) How do I add more protein to beef stew?

Use bone broth instead of chicken broth. This adds a protein punch to the dish.


(2) What green vegetables are good for beef stew?

I like kale, as you can tell. But other options are green beans, swiss chard or collard greens.

(3) When should I add Kale to my soup?

Add it to the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. It is a heartier green that can withstand the cooking. If you are worried just keep it on top of the slow cooker.

(4) What can I add to beef stew for flavor?

Here there is onion, garlic, rosemary, paprika, nutmeg and thyme seasoning the soup. But if you are looking for even more flavor add more or less maple syrup. You can also try some coconut aminos or chili powder for another flavor boost.

(5) How do I thicken Paleo stew?

Coconut flour, arrowroot powder or tapioca flour.

Beef Kale and tomato stew in a large bowl with a spoon in it.

Other healthy slow cooker recipes you may enjoy:

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken and Vegetable Chili

Diced Apple Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Irish Beef Stew

This Crockpot Tri-Tip from Running to the Kitchen.

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

Creamy Beef, Kale and Tomato Stew (Paleo, Gluten-Free) | Perchance to Cook, www.perchancetocook.com

Creamy Beef, Kale, and Tomato Stew (Paleo, Gluten-free)

Dominique
A delicious slow cooker crockpot recipe full of beef, kale, red peppers, and carrots and seasoned with paprika, tomato, nutmeg, and thyme.
4.70 from 10 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 522 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 2.5 pounds beef cubes ( steak tips, stew meat)
  • 4 tsp minced garlic (This was 6 smaller cloves of garlic for me)
  • 1 cup minced yellow onion ( this was one onion for me)
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 Tbs coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut cream ( or coconut milk)
  • 2 cups strained tomatoes ( Pomi is my favorite brand, made with only tomatoes)
  • 2 cups chicken stock ( 1-2 cups)
  • 1 Tbs maple syrup
  • 2 cups baby carrots ( or 4-6 regular sized carrots cut into 1.5 inch pieces)
  • 1 medium-large rutabaga peeled and diced ( or 2 parsnips)
  • 4-6 cups chopped kale
  • 1 cup diced red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, paprika and rosemary and mix it all together.
  • Then, put the garlic and onion in the frying pan, along with the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.
  • Mix the garlic and onion into the oil with a spatula and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pan and mix and cook for 1 minute. Put the meat into the pan and pour the spices on top. Let the meat cook for 2 minutes, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  • Then, put the meat into the slow cooker. Scrape the pan with a spatula, putting everything into the slow cooker.
  • Put 1 Tbs of coconut flour on top of the meat in the slow cooker, mix with a spatula.
  • Then, put the coconut cream, strained tomatoes, chicken stock, and maple syrup into the slow cooker on top of the meat. Mix with a spatula.
  • Then put the carrots, diced rutabaga ( or parsnip), chopped kale, diced red pepper, nutmeg and thyme into the slow cooker. Mix one last time with a rubber spatula to evenly distribute everything in the slow cooker.
  • Cook on a high setting for 6-6.5 hours or on a low setting for 9 hours.
  • Mix the stew before serving and enjoy!

Notes

Note: my original recipe only called for 1 cup of chicken stock, but I find 2 cups results in a better liquid ratio.

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 50gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 1213mgPotassium: 1659mgFiber: 9gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 11713IUVitamin C: 102mgCalcium: 245mgIron: 8mg
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