Easy Slow Cooker Tender Salsa Beef (Perfect for Rice Bowls!)
Make incredibly Easy Slow Cooker Tender Salsa Beef! This simple recipe features beef stew meat simmered with salsa, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic until fall-apart tender.
Ingredients
(Original recipe yields 6 servings)
Tender Salsa Beef:
- ▢ 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- ▢ 2 cups salsa (your favorite chunky style, mild/medium/hot)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- ▢ 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ▢ 1 garlic clove, minced
- ▢ (Optional but Recommended: Salt and pepper to taste, especially if salsa is very mild or low sodium)
For Serving:
- ▢ 4 cups hot cooked brown rice
- ▢ Sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
- ▢ (Optional: Chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese)
Instructions
1. Combine Ingredients in Slow Cooker:
- If your beef stew meat is not already cubed, cut it into roughly ¾-inch pieces.
- Place the cubed beef stew meat into a 3-quart slow cooker.
- Add the 2 cups of salsa, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce, and the minced garlic directly into the slow cooker over the beef.
- (Optional: Add a pinch of salt and pepper here if desired, being mindful of the salt content in your salsa and soy sauce).
- Stir all the ingredients together gently to ensure the beef is well coated with the salsa mixture.
2. Slow Cook:
- Cover the slow cooker securely with its lid.
- Cook on the LOW setting for 8-10 hours. The beef is done when it is exceptionally tender and can be easily shredded or broken apart with a fork. (Note: For cubed stew meat, 6-8 hours on LOW is often sufficient; check for tenderness).
3. Serve:
- Once the beef is fall-apart tender, give the mixture a gentle stir.
- Using a slotted spoon (to allow some of the thinner sauce to drain if preferred, or a regular spoon to include plenty of sauce), serve the Tender Salsa Beef hot over portions of cooked brown rice.
- If desired, garnish individual servings with sliced fresh jalapeno peppers for an extra kick.
- Enjoy your incredibly easy and flavorful meal!