Well, we’re finally here – fall.
We have been SO lucky here in Calgary; we are actually having a fall.
Usually by this time there has been at least one or two big snow dumps. But here we are on October 12th, after Thanksgiving long weekend and the temperatures are still hitting + double digits. It’s seriously amazing.
But, you know winter is coming. The evenings and mornings are cooler, the wind has picked up, the skies are a little more grey more often and you can feel the cripsness in the air.
What does that mean? All the comfort foods – like this slow cooker beef stew made with warming Moroccan spices and ingredients. It’s a beautiful savoury dish with just a hint of sweetness.
What you need for this slow cooker stew
A slow cooker or crock pot, I have a Ninja Foodi and I love it, but an Instapot or other crock pot will work just as well. And if you don’t have one, don’t worry – you can do this in the oven too.
Beef roast I used a beef sirloin tip roast. There are so many different cuts of beef roast; which can make it seriously overwhelming. How do you know which one to use? It’s really all comes down to your budget, and then cooking the cut you have for the right amount of time. I will go into it in more detail below.
Produce onion, garlic, carrots, orange and plums. Don’t have an orange, but do have a lemon? Go ahead and substitute – just squeeze a little extra honey in. If you can’t find the date plums, any plum will do (try and get ones that are ripe which will add the sweetness we’re looking for). You can also substitute prunes.
Pantry items canned chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes, and honey
Spices cumin, cinnamon, ginger, kosher salt, coriander and pink peppercorn. If you can’t find pink peppercorns, you can substitute for green peppercorns, or 1/2 tsp of fresh black pepper. I get mine from Silk Road Spice Market.
What type of roast for slow cooker stew
As I mentioned, it really comes down to budget. Purchase a cut of roast that is affordable adn you find reasonable. Then alter your cooking time based on that. Budget cuts tend to have more muscle/tendons and require longer cooking times to break them down. Where more expensive cuts don’t require as much.
I like to use Sirloin Tip Roast. I find it to be a good value, reasonable price wise, and breaks down well in the slow cooker. It is most often oven roasted or braised. I find this cut makes a great slow cooked roast to be pulled apart.
Here is a bit of info on other cuts of beef:
Chuck roast – makes the perfect pot roast, and is a great cut to use for shredded beef. It does best being roasted, braised, slow cooked or pressure cooked. It is a very economical cut of beef and packed with flavour too.
Rib Roast – a very flavourful roast with beautiful marbling throughout, it is a classic roast for a holiday dinner. It also comes with a pretty high price tag, but totally worth it. It works well in the oven and on the grill. You’ll want to slice into slightly thicker pieces.
Tenderloin – the most tender cut, very lean, but very flavourful, it is also generally the most expensive cut. It is great for grilling, roasting or sous vide cooking. Served sliced.
Bottom round or rump roast – a great value, this a leaner cut of meat that generally has a lot of collagen and connective tissue so is best slow cooked to break those tissues down. Best served cut into very thin slices.
Top round roast – similar to the bottom round, but generally a little tougher, it needs to be slowe roasted to break down the tissues. It has a tougher texture than a bottom round, but is still incredibly flavour-packed and usually priced at a lower budget.
Eye of round roast – this is a lean flavourful cut that can be roasted or slow cooked and makes for a great roast beef sandwich.
Shoulder petite tender – is kind of like a smaller more affordable tenderloin and works well with pretty much any kind of cooking technique, from roasting to smoking and more. A great roast to serve sliced into small steaks.
Tri-tip roast – is a more cost effective roast that looks like a steak, but slices like a brisket. It is best on the grill or in the smoker, but works well being roasted, or cooked sous vide.
Making slow cooked Moroccan beef stew
This slow cooked beef stew recipe is packed with ingredients and tons of flavour but still simple to put together. And since you get to leave it in the slow cooker and go about your day, I would say it’s pretty easy too!
Prepare the beef. You want to take the beef out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Once it does you’ll pat it down with paper towel to remove all the excess moisture and blood.
Mix your spices together and then coat your roast with the spice mix (setting aside that one tbsp). Make sure you rub the spices in good.
Brown the meat. Time to lock in those flavours. Brown the meat on all sides.
Add in the rest of the ingredients. It doesn’t need to be in any particular order, just throw in the rest of the ingredients, set your slow cooker to 7 hours on low and go enjoy your day.
Pull the meat. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, pull it apart with two forks and then add it back into that amazingly fragranst sauce.
Serve over couscous or your favorite grain. We used pearl couscous. Normally I would use Moroccan couscous, but the kids LOVE pearl couscous – our son calls them baby noonoos (otherwise known as baby noodles) and I’ll do anything to make meal times easier.
Don’t forget the garnish. We threw on some cilantro, feta cheese and pistachios, but the world is your oyster here. Some of my other favorite toppings: pomegranates, chopped dates, dried apricots, mint, sliced almonds or raisins.
What if I don’t have a slow cooker
Don’t worry – you can do the same things in the oven and on the stovetop that you can do in the Ninja Foodi or other appliance. In fact – I am a big proponent of doing it old school like that; I’m just trying to jump into the twenty-first century here, haha!
Your steps are basically the same, you just do them in different places.
Brown the meat in a pan on the stove top. Drop your butter into a pan and heat it on high, then sear all sides of your beef roast.
Braise/slow cook the beef roast in the oven. Preheat your oven to 275F. Grab a dutch oven, casserole dish or other deep oven-safe pan. Add the beef and all the other ingredients. If you have a dutch oven, you can use the lid. If you don’t, cover the roast with parchment and tinfoil. Braise for 8 hours.
That’s it, all other steps are the same.
I love this stew because it’s different than the regular old beef, carrots and potatoes. It has WAY more flavour, way more texture and everyone in our house will eat it – even the littles.
Plus, I can switch it up by changing the toppings or even adding other things into the actual stew. Cauliflower, sweet potato, butternut squash and dried apricots are all amazing options.
I hope you enjoy and if you’re looking for another hearty cold weather recipe, check out my sweet potato and coconut stew.
Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
Moroccan Beef Stew
- 2-21/2 lb roast sirloin tip Beef
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 6-8 date plums
- 1 orange cut into four
- 4 small carrots or two large ones
- 1 540 ml can of chickpeas
- 3 tbsp cumin
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 796 ml can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp pink peppercorn
- 1 tbsp honey
Optional Garnish
- cilantro roughly chopped
- pistachios roughly chopped
- feta cheese
Instructions
- Bring the roast to room temperature.
- Mix together the cumin, cinnamon, ginger, kosher salt and coriander. Set aside 1 tbsp of spices. Use the rest to coat the roast.
- Set your Ninja/Instapot to sear/sauté mode. Heat a tbsp butter on high heat and add the roast. Brown beef on all sides. Once it's finished, turn the heat off.
- Add in the remaining ingredients (garlic, onion, carrots, plums, diced tomatoes, pink peppercorn, orange slices and chickpeas and honey). Then sprinkle on the rest of the spice mix.
- Set your Ninja/Instapot to slow cook mode on low for 7 hours.
- Once it's done cooking, pull the roast out and pull the meat apart with two forks. Return the meat to the post and give it a stir ensuring the meat is fully coated.
- Serve the stew over a plate of couscous with bread of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
If you make this, I’d love to hear all about it. Please comment below, post it on Instagram and tag me @mysweetmess and hashtag #mysweetmess. And if you really love it, please share the link with friends and family.
Other recipes you might enjoy
SWEET POTATO AND COCONUT STEW
EASY THYME AND CHEDDAR BREAD
ROASTED CABBAGE AND APPLE SALAD
Till the next recipe,
Kristen xo
i love Moroccan recipes and this easy to make Moroccan Beef Stew was perfect. So glad it was easy to put together.
Thanks Nancy, I’m so happy you found it as easy to throw together as I do.
I’ve been thinking that we’re really in for it this winter since our fall has been so nice. I was sweating while walking the dogs yesterday!
I love this weather but I also love a bit of chill too…because I can make dishes like this beef stew. Love all the flavours you put into it.
I totally agree Bernice, I’m a little nervous for what’s to come this winter. But, warming beef stew to the rescue followed by a cup of tea next to the fire.
This Moroccan Beef Stew is so delicious and flavorful, and super easy in the slow cooker. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it Colleen, thanks for sharing your comments.
Wow, so flavorful and easy to make. We just had it with crusty bread for ease. Definitely a new family favourite!
Love that Lily, any bread will do – because you don’t want to miss soaking up that delicious sauce!
I adore Moroccan flavours and slowcooker meals — I’m absolutely whipping this up this fall! Thank you for a delicious and inventive seasonal recipe!
Thanks so much Justine, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.