Slow Cooker Beef Tips
with Mushroom Gravy
Tender, fall-apart stew meat slow cooked in a rich mushroom gravy with baby bellas, onions, and garlic — the kind of deeply comforting dinner that fills the whole house with an incredible smell. Set it up in the morning and come home to dinner already done. Serve over cauliflower mash for the ultimate on-plan comfort meal.
- 1.5 lb beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 can low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
- 1 packet brown gravy mix
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 cup water
- 1 container baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- — salt & black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp olive oil
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1
Sear the meat
Pat the stew meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the beef in a single layer — don't crowd the pan — and sear for 2 minutes per side until deeply browned. Work in batches if needed. This step takes 10 minutes but builds the foundation of flavor for the entire dish.
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2
Build the gravy
In a bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, brown gravy mix, onion soup mix, and water until smooth and combined.
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3
Layer the slow cooker
Place the seared beef at the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the gravy mixture over the meat. Add the garlic, then top with the sliced onions and mushrooms.
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4
Slow cook
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. The meat is done when it's completely tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. Stir gently once or twice during cooking if you're around.
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5
Serve
Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve the beef tips and mushroom gravy hot over cauliflower mash or cauliflower rice to soak up every bit of that sauce.
- Sear before you slow cook: The browning that happens during searing — called the Maillard reaction — creates hundreds of flavor compounds that simply don't develop in a slow cooker. It's the single best upgrade you can make to any slow cooker meat recipe.
- Low-sodium soup matters: The gravy mix and onion soup mix both carry significant sodium — using low-sodium cream of mushroom soup helps keep the overall salt level in check without sacrificing flavor.
- Cauliflower mash is the move: The rich mushroom gravy is made to be spooned over something — cauliflower mash soaks it up beautifully and makes this feel like a proper Sunday dinner completely on plan.
- Low and slow is best: 6 hours on low produces noticeably more tender, flavorful meat than 4 hours on high — if your schedule allows, go low and slow every time.
- Leftovers: This tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had time to deepen overnight. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months.