4 slow-cooked beef recipes you should definitely try at home
Slow cooking is a method of cooking that is difficult to use in everyday meals when the time is a constraint. However, extended cooking time allows better distribution of flavors in recipes. Slow cooking is perfect for tough meats, as they get tenderized efficiently, and preparing special dishes. The low heat reduces the chances of scorching the food that tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.

So, put your slow cooker to work and feast on some of the amazing slow-cooked beef recipes mentioned below.

Slow-cooked spaghetti and meatballs
This classic recipe requires approximately 50 minutes for preparation and five hours of cooking time.

Mix a cup of breadcrumbs, pepper and salt (to taste), and half a cup of cheese in a large bowl. Stir in two eggs. Add a pound of beef and mix thoroughly. Shape them into meatballs of at least an inch and cook them in a large skillet over medium heat until they are brown, and set them aside. Mix a finely chopped onion, green pepper, and diced tomatoes, tomato paste, five to six minced garlic cloves, and at least 3 cans of tomato sauce in a slow cooker. Add meatballs and stir them gently to coat. Cook them for four to five hours, until the meatballs are cooked thoroughly. Serve with a plate of hot cooked spaghetti.

Slow-cooked beef with vegetable stew
This humble vegetable and beef recipe comes with an interesting twist of slow cooking. The appetizing recipe requires five to six hours of cooking.

Cut half a pound of the chuck roast boneless beef into small cubes and place them with one cup of chopped potatoes, baby carrots, celery, and a can of undiluted tomato soup. You can also use Worcestershire sauce or browning sauce if required. Add a tablespoon of bouillon granules, half a tablespoon of minced garlic, salt and pepper (to taste) in the mix and cook them in a slow cooker for five to six hours. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl and mix them until they form a smooth mixture. Add it into the stew and stir. Cook for another half an hour until it thickens. Sprinkle black pepper and serve hot.

Beef barbecue sandwiches
The roasted beef in this recipe slow cooks in a tasty sauce and can be relished in the form of sandwiches. Although preparation time is five minutes, the beef needs to be slow cooked for at least six hours.

Cut a pound of roasted beef into quarters and place them in a greased cooker. Combine 1/4th cup of barbecue sauce, green pepper, a chopped onion, mustard, and a tablespoon of brown sugar in a small bowl. Pour the mix over the roasted beef and let it cook for five to six hours or until the meat is tender. Once tender, remove it from the cooker and shred it with forks. Place the shredded meat back into the cooker and let it cook for another 20 to 25 minutes. Skim fat from the sauce. Put the sauce-laden beef between slices of bread and your barbecue beef sandwich is ready.

Beef lasagna
This beef recipe a slow-cooked version of lasagna using beef. A popular holiday meal, beef lasagna can be served as an elegant dinner for the family.

Cut at least three crisscross strips of heavy-duty foil (coated with cooking spray), resembling spokes of a wheel and place them at the bottom of a slow cooker. Slowly cook the beef in a separate cooker until its no longer pink. Add a cup of pieces of zucchini, onion, and carrots into the same pot and cook for four to five minutes or until the pieces of the vegetable are tender. Stir the beef mixture and add Italian seasoning with a tablespoon of marinara sauce. Mix parmesan and ricotta cheese, eggs, and basil in a large bowl. Spread half a cup of meat sauce at the bottom of foil-layered slow cooker. Top it with a layer of lasagna noodles followed by a meat mixture and a cup of cheese. Repeat the layering process and cook for at least for four hours. Once cooked, let it stand for half an hour before serving the delicious beef lasagna hot.