Beef Stew with Onion Soup Mix
Beef Stew with Onion Soup Mix is the kind of cozy, old-fashioned dinner that practically makes itself. With tender beef, hearty vegetables, and a packet of onion soup mix, it’s an easy crockpot meal that’s perfect for chilly days.
Featured Comment:
“This is a terrific recipe! Lots of flavor development with so few ingredients. I added potatoes and carrots and there was plenty of gravy to serve with rice.” -Amy
Beef Stew with Onion Soup Mix tastes like you’ve been cooking it all day. And you have, but the crockpot has done all the work!
Crockpot meals are lifesavers on busy evenings, so I often turn to them on Monday nights, especially. Crockpot Pork Chops are favorites at our house, and this stew recipe has become another favorite.
The recipe uses cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix to create a delicious sauce for the beef and mushrooms. And it’s customizable—you can add veggies like carrots, celery, and potatoes if you’d like.
It’s perfect for serving over rice, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles.
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Why Use Onion Soup Mix in Beef Stew?
Onion soup mix is the shortcut that gives this beef stew its rich, cozy flavor. It adds a blend of savory seasonings that enhance the taste of the beef and turn the cooking liquid into a hearty, well-seasoned broth. Best of all, it keeps things simple, so there’s no need to measure out a bunch of spices.
The “Secret” Ingredients
This recipes uses THREE special ingredients to add a lot of flavor without much work.
- A packet of onion soup mix. I used a store brand, or you can use Lipton onion soup mix. You can make French Onion Soup Potatoes with the other packet from the box—they are a favorite at our house!
- A can of cream of mushroom soup creates a lightly creamy, umami-rich sauce for the beef.
- A cup of ginger ale adds acid that balances out the richness of the beef nicely. I promise that it does not make the sauce sweet!
Note: I like using chuck roast for this recipe. You can also use beef labeled “beef stew meat” from your grocery store’s butcher counter. Old Fashioned Chop Suey is another great one for beef stew meat, if you buy a value pack.
How to make Crockpot beef stew with onion soup mix
Start by cutting the beef into one-inch cubes, if necessary. Then, whisk together the onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, ginger ale, and salt in a crockpot.
Add the beef and mushrooms, and stir to combine. If you don’t like mushrooms, you can substitute 1 cup of baby carrots instead.
Cook for 3–4 hours on high, or 6–7 hours on low. The stew is done when the meat shreds easily with a fork and is very tender.
Garnish the stew with chopped parsley, and serve. I like serving it over rice, but buttered noodles or mashed potatoes would be good, too.
Add fresh chopped parsley to the top, if you’d like!
And if you’d like a tomato-based beef stew next time, check out this No Peek Beef Stew next!
Beef Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
This is a true “dump and go” style recipe, so there’s no need to brown the beef first. If you’d like to, you can brown the beef in a skillet with a bit of oil or butter before adding it to the slow cooker.
If you’d like a thicker gravy, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and stir it into the slow cooker with about 30 minutes of cooking time left.
Absolutely! Add a cup of roughly chopped carrots, a few stalks of chopped celery, or 1 pound of potatoes (red, russet, or Yukon Gold, cut into 1–2 inch pieces) to the slow cooker along with everything else. You can also add frozen peas about 30 minutes before the stew is done cooking.
Yes, place everything in an oven-safe dish, cover, and bake for about 3 hours at 325°F.
📖 Recipe
Beef Stew with Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck roast or chuck steak (or use beef stew meat)
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 (1.9 oz) packet onion soup mix
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup ginger ale
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the chuck roast into 1-inch cubes.
- Place the onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, ginger ale, and salt in a crockpot. Whisk to combine.
- Add the chuck roast and mushrooms to the crockpot. Stir to coat the beef and mushrooms with the liquid.
- Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 6–7 hours.
- Serve over rice, buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes.
I don’t have ginger ale or red wine on hand. Can I use Marsala wine instead?
That should work just fine!
This sounds delicious – but I do not have a crockpot. Can this be adapted for top of stove or in the oven
Yes it can! Put it in the oven, covered, for 3 hours at 325°F.
This is a terrific recipe! Lots of flavor development with so few ingredients.
I added potatoes and carrots and there was plenty of gravy to serve with
rice. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Amy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This is a great recipe, very easy to make! I use sugar-free ginger ale, and add a small roast without cutting it into small pieces. I use my Magic Chef multi-cooker on the “stew” option which cooks it under pressure for 1 hour 30 minutes. Works every time! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe. I’m glad you liked it!
the idea of putting a cup of sugary ginger ale into a beef stroganoff/stew didn’t sound very appealing so i brewed a strong cup of ginger tea instead. Turned out great.
Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe! Glad you enjoyed it.
If I add the potatoes and carrots along with everything else will there be enough gravy for it all?
Yes, this one has plenty of sauce. Hope you enjoy it!
This was so easy to make and tastes fantastic. I was worried about not browning the meat before cooking, but it turned out great. Reminds me of beef stroganoff. Definitely a keeper. Thank you so much! I also live in the Chicago area and feeling under the weather. I searched for an easy-to-make recipe with things I had on hand. So glad I found this!
I had to make a couple of changes because I didn’t want to go shopping and get others sick. The only changes were that I only had one pound of meat, only half a pound of mushrooms and substituted red wine for the ginger ale. I thickened the gravy by adding a cornstarch slurry. I had it over egg noodles with a side of broccoli and carrots. Absolutely delicious. Thanks again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe. Hope you start to feel better soon! <3
how can I increase the amount of gravy in this recipe?
You can add a cup or two of beef broth. 🙂