Slow Cooker Beef and Chorizo Casserole

This slow cooker beef and chorizo casserole is exactly what you need on a chilly day – tender chunks of beef slowly simmered in a rich, delicious gravy with chorizo chunks, mushrooms and carrots.

This is the best slow cooker beef casserole recipe I’ve ever tried – I’m sure you’ll love it too! 

I feel like I’ve waited until exactly the right moment to post this recipe.

This morning I woke up, drew open the curtains and was greeted by the sight of snow. Just a light covering – certainly not enough to make a snowman – but the temperature was still chilly enough to make me think of filling, hearty meals that warm you from the inside out.

Macaroni cheese, Classic Chilli Con Carne , red Thai curry,  old fashioned beef stews and wholesome potato and leek soup to keep the cold out.

It’s been such a mild Winter – I’m probably in the minority here, but I’ve been missing those Narnia white, clear, crisp days we associate with this time of year.

I’ve fallen back in love with my slow cooker lately. I didn’t use it for the longest time but recently I dragged it out of the cupboard and it’s definitely earned it’s rightful spot on top of my kitchen counter.

 This beef casserole is adapted from a recipe in the brilliant “Mountain Cafe Cookbook – a Kiwi in the Cairngorms”. I first made it this time last year and we all loved it. I decided to adapt the recipe for the slow cooker and it worked a treat.

This casserole is packed full of flavour – beef and chorizo work so well together – and the red wine or beer will give you the most delicious, velvety gravy.

The slow cooker will work its magic and you’ll end up with tender beef that just falls apart when you touch it with a fork.

I’ve made this casserole with either a fruity, full-bodied red wine or a good quality beer – either will give a real depth of flavour to the sauce. 

I used to use Guinness, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s too strong and overwhelms the chorizo flavour.

But if you have made this recipe with Guinness and loved it, feel free to ignore me! Speaking of Guinness, I have a wonderfully rich beef and Guinness stew recipe you might like to try…

can i make it without alcohol?

Yes. If you don’t want to use alcohol you can add extra beef stock instead.

What type of chorizo should I use?

I use a spicy Spanish dry-cured chorizo sausage for this recipe – it gives a mild kick of heat. You can use a smoked or mild chorizo if you prefer.

Do I have to brown the meat first?

Strictly speaking, no. You don’t have to, but I believe it is so worth the effort. Browning your meat will add extra flavour to the casserole and if you skip this step, it won’t taste as good. Sorry! In this case I believe it’s worth the extra dishes, and I don’t say that very often.

Can I use different vegetables?

Yes! butternut squash or sweet potato cubes work well in this recipe, or you could omit the mushrooms if you aren’t a fan of them.

I’m sure it would also be lovely with sliced red peppers, but I haven’t tried this (yet.)

Can I make this casserole in advance?

Yes – once the casserole is cooked, allow to cool fully before refrigerating for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to eat, re-heat the casserole until piping hot on a low-medium heat.

Side Dishes to serve with Beef and Chorizo Casserole 

A bowl of buttery, Creamy Mashed Potatoes always make sense with any kind of casserole, but it’s also very good with Dauphinois Potatoes.

I love serving it with some greens, such as green beans, buttered cabbage or kale. I wouldn’t say no to some Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots on the side either.

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Slow Cooker Beef and Chorizo Casserole

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

This slow cooker beef and chorizo casserole is proper Winter warming comfort food - set aside some time to make it in the morning and you'll have dinner waiting for you when you come home from work!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 500 g stewing beef, cut into chunks
• 25g plain (all purpose) flour or cornflour
• 1 teaspoon sweet (mild) or smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 200g chorizo sausage, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 200ml beef stock (I use a stock pot)
• 200ml full bodied red wine or good quality beer OR another 200ml beef stock
• 2 teaspoons soft light brown or demerara sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large or 2 mediums carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 150g mushrooms, sliced in half

Instructions

1. Preheat your slow cooker on LOW setting, if necessary.
2. Place the flour and paprika in a medium mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, add the beef cubes and coat the beef in the flour. Heat the oil in a large pan. Lightly shake off any excess flour from the beef before adding it to the pan. Brown the meat in batches (don't overcrowd the pan or the beef won't brown properly). When all of the beef is evenly brown all over, remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Drizzle a little more oil in the pan and add the onion.
4. Turn the heat to low-medium and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring often so the onion doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the garlic and cook for a further two minutes. 
6. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook for a few minutes until some of the spicy oil has been released.  Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. In a large jug or mixing bowl, combine the beef stock, Red wine or beer, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. 
8. Transfer the browned beef, chorizo, onions, garlic and carrots to your slow cooker along with the bay leaves and thyme.
9. Pour over the beef stock and red wine or Guinness. Place on the lid and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender and the vegetables have softened. 
10. Remove the lid and add the mushrooms, making sure they are completely submerged. Set to HIGH, cover and cook for a further 30 minutes.
11. (Carefully!) taste the casserole to see if you want to add a little more seasoning. Serve with mashed potato and vegetables.

Notes

This casserole is lovely served with buttery mash, a baked potato and green vegetables.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 Serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 464Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 986mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 22g

Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.

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