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Dinner One Pot Beef
4.7 from 35 votes

Beef Stew

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •12/6/22 24 Comments

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pin for beef stew.

A classic Beef Stew with all the fixings! A truly simple dish to make with simple ingredients, but one that’s loaded with a multitude of deep and rich flavors.

closeup of beef stew in a dutch oven with a ladle.
Table of Contents Open
  • The Best Beef Stew Recipe
  • Why Make This BeeF Stew
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How To Make Beef Stew
  • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Can I Make This Gluten Free?
    • What’s The Best Beef To Use For Stew?
    • How To Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Leftovers
    • Freezing
  • More Related Recipes:
  • Beef Stew
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Equipment
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

The Best Beef Stew Recipe

Beef stew is a classic yet simple dish. Even though it’s a basic “meat and potatoes” dish, it’s still a favorite through and through. Not only is it economical, it is the epitome of comfort food! This recipes hosts a deep, rich and complex broth filled with chunks of tender, fall-apart beef, fork tender potatoes, carrots, and celery seasoned with an array of flavor packed additions.

Why Make This BeeF Stew

  • Easy To Make
  • Simple Ingredients
  • Perfect To Freeze For Future Meals
  • Comforting and Delicious Stew

This is a perfect recipe for those chillier days, and trust me, we get a lot of them in Calgary! A comforting beef stew loaded with flavor is just what the doctor ordered. Not to mention, this recipe will and provide you with lots of leftovers, which you can also freeze for future meals! What are you waiting for? Don’t stew on it! (pun intended) The couch, a blanket and a big bowl of beef stew is calling your name!

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of all ingredients needed to make beef stew.
  • Beef – Chuck roast is the best cut of beef for stews because it’s nicely marbled and it’s perfect for slow braising.
  • Flour – A little bit of all-purpose flour which helps with browning the beef, plus aids in thickening up the sauce.
  • Olive Oil – Substitute sunflower, safflower, or avocado oil.
  • Veggies – Onions, celery, carrots and garlic are essential flavor enhancers in any stew.
  • Tomato Paste – Make sure you have paste rather than sauce or crushed. Tomato paste is very thick and has a strong tomato flavor. It helps the stew develop a richer and deeper flavor and adds body to it.
  • Beef Broth – I always prefer a low sodium broth but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
  • Worcestershire Sauce – Easier to find at the grocery store than it is to pronounce, but a must in stews because it adds lots of savory flavors.
  • Red Wine – Such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. A must to this stew as it adds a depth of flavor to it.
  • Bay Leaves – For added richness and flavor. It’s a staple in stews!
  • Thyme – Sprigs of fresh thyme.
  • Potatoes – Use your preference, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes.

How To Make Beef Stew

process shots showing how to make beef stew.
  1. Prep Beef: Pat dry the beef cubes with paper towels, then toss with flour, salt and pepper.
  2. Cook the Beef: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium heat. Add the prepared beef and brown on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add Ingredients: To the same pot, add a bit more olive oil if needed, then add the onion, celery, carrots and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, sugar and stir. Cook for another 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic and tomato paste has darkened.
  4. Braise: Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, wine and stir. Add the beef back to the pot and the bay leaves and fresh thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the beef is fork tender.
  5. Add Potatoes: Stir in the potatoes and cook covered for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  6. Finish and Serve: Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Garnish with parsley and serve.
process shots showing how to cook beef stew.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make This Gluten Free?

To make this recipe gluten free, toss the beef in 2 tbsp of cornstarch instead of flour! Dredging the beef is an important step in the recipe to help brown the meat so I wouldn’t skip out on that part.

What’s The Best Beef To Use For Stew?

Make sure you use the right cut of meat for your stew! Opt for a less expensive, tougher cut. Because of the slow cooking, tougher beef cuts like chuck or round break down and become really tender and that’s exactly what we want in a stew, fall apart tender beef! These are the best beef options for your stew:

– Chuck Roast (my preference)
– Top Round
– Rump Roast
– Chuck Shoulder
– Eye Round Roast

How To Serve

This is the perfect meal no matter the weather! Make sure to serve up your beef stew with a nice crusty bread to sop up all that delicious broth or over some mashed potatoes.

closeup of beef stew in a white bowl with some crusty bread.

Expert Tips

  1. If you don’t want to use red wine, replace it with additional beef broth.
  2. The red wine will help the stew develop a richer and more complex flavor. You can also use an alcohol free wine if you want to include that wine flavor!
  3. If you want to try additional methods of cooking, check out my Crockpot Beef Stew and Instant Pot Beef Stew recipes!

Leftovers

Store leftover beef stew in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Make sure you let your stew come to room temperature before storing, but do not leave out for more than 2 hours to avoid bacteria.

Freezing

Stews are an ideal freezer meal! Simply transfer the stew to airtight containers or resealable freezer bags and pop them in the freezer! Your beef stew will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge and heat back up on the stove when ready to eat!

closeup of beef stew in a dutch oven with a ladle inside.

More Related Recipes:

  • Instant Pot Beef Burgundy
  • Oxtail Stew
  • Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
  • Mexican Pork Stew
  • Beef and Pea Stew
  • Carne Guisada
  • Beef Bourguignon
  • Pozole Rojo Recipe

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

overhead of beef stew in a white bowl..
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4.66 from 35 votes

Beef Stew

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 2 hours 30 minutes
Total 2 hours 45 minutes
Rate Recipe
A classic Beef Stew with all the fixings! A truly simple dish to make with simple ingredients, but one that’s loaded with a multitude of deep and rich flavors.
6

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef chuck (boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
  • 2 stalks celery (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 2 large carrots (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 cups beef broth (low sodium)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups red wine (such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 pound potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Prep Beef: Pat dry the beef cubes with paper towels, then toss with flour, salt and pepper.
  • Cook the Beef: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium heat. Add the prepared beef and brown on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
  • Add Ingredients: To the same pot, add a bit more olive oil if needed, then add the onion, celery, carrots and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, sugar and stir. Cook for another 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic and tomato paste has darkened.
  • Braise: Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, wine and stir. Add the beef back to the pot and the bay leaves and fresh thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the beef is fork tender.
  • Add Potatoes: Stir in the potatoes and cook covered for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  • Finish and Serve: Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Equipment

  • 6 Quart Dutch Oven

Video

Notes

  1. If you don’t want to use red wine, replace it with additional beef broth. The wine will help the stew develop a richer and more complex flavor.
  2. Store leftover beef stew in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Make sure you let your stew come to room temperature before storing, but do not leave out for more than 2 hours to avoid bacteria.
  3. Stews are an ideal freezer meal! Simply transfer the stew to airtight containers or resealable freezer bags and pop them in the freezer! Your beef stew will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 658kcal (33%)Carbohydrates: 27g (9%)Protein: 49g (98%)Fat: 33g (51%)Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)Cholesterol: 156mg (52%)Sodium: 800mg (35%)Potassium: 1764mg (50%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 4455IU (89%)Vitamin C: 25mg (30%)Calcium: 87mg (9%)Iron: 7mg (39%)

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

overhead of beef stew in a white bowl..

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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24 Comments
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Gary
Gary
Posted: 2 months ago

5 stars
Cooked this a few nights ago with great results. Didn’t have enough red wine so threw in a can of diced tomatoes. Should have cut my potatoes more evenly too as even after 40 mins some of the bigger ones were a bit underdone.

0
Reply
Laurie
Laurie
Posted: 3 months ago

5 stars
I love beef stew and usually wing-it, using no recipe. I’m SO glad I followed this recipe because it’s easy and fantastic! I’m curious what you would substitute for the thyme if you needed to. I don’t love that herb but omitting it seemed like it would make the stew too bland. Any suggestions?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Laurie
Posted: 3 months ago

You can try rosemary or other herbs you might like, but if you omit them, try adding a beef bouillon cube for extra flavor.

0
Reply
Alex
Alex
Posted: 8 months ago

Could you do this from frozen? Looking for good good food to eat whilst i go through a bulking period and dont have the time to cook every day. Lots of protein and nutritious. I dont mind if the veg goes mushy.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Alex
Posted: 8 months ago

I’m not sure I understand what you want to do from frozen, the meat? You can also make the stew, cool it, and then freeze it as per the instructions in the post.

0
Reply
Alex
Alex
Reply to  Joanna Cismaru
Posted: 8 months ago

So can you make the whole thing in advance and then just take it out of the freezer and put it into the oven straight away or does it need to thaw? What settings also? Thanks

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Alex
Posted: 8 months ago

Simply transfer the stew to airtight containers or resealable freezer bags and pop them in the freezer! Your beef stew will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge and heat back up on the stove when ready to eat!

0
Reply
Frieda
Frieda
Posted: 1 year ago

How can I adjust this recipe to freeze it? I don’t want the potatoes to get mushy. Should I cook it with potatoes then pick them out before freezing? Or cook with all ingredients except potatoes and add them In when reheating? Thank you for your help! I can’t wait to make this recipe.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Frieda
Posted: 1 year ago

Hi Frieda! So yes, if you don’t like mushy or grainy potatoes, then that’s what I’d do, make the stew without potatoes and freeze the stew that way. Then when you want to serve, thaw the stew in the fridge overnight and cook some potatoes separately, then add them to your stew when reheating it. If you don’t mind mushier potatoes, then just simply cook the recipe as instructed and freeze it that way.

0
Reply
Mary
Mary
Posted: 1 year ago

I’m curious, it shows chicken broth in the video but beef broth in the written ingredients. Can either be used?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Mary
Posted: 1 year ago

Beef broth would be preferable but either would work.

0
Reply
Lauren Efird
Lauren Efird
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
So delicious! My kids asked me a hundred times when it was going to be ready because it smells so good. Great recipe, thank you!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Lauren Efird
Posted: 2 years ago

I’m so glad you guys liked it!

0
Reply
Deborah
Deborah
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
Awesome recipe 😋 omg!!

0
Reply
Marie Pelliccia
Marie Pelliccia
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I have tried many beef stew recipes but this one is the best. This was absolutely delicious! Very simple recipe.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Marie Pelliccia
Posted: 2 years ago

I’m so glad you like it, Marie!

0
Reply
Jes Lindsey
Jes Lindsey
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I do not like stews (especially the broth part) but my husband has not met a stew he didn’t like. I have been on the hunt for a good stew recipe. This one is not just good…. It’s fantastic! I actually really enjoyed the broth! And everything was perfectly tender! And my husband loooooooves it. Says it’s the best beef stew we’ve tried.

Thank you for such a great recipe!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Jes Lindsey
Posted: 2 years ago

My pleasure, so glad to hear it!

0
Reply
Nora Azzi
Nora Azzi
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
Jo, I have tried many recipes for beef stew, and most of them were very bland and flavorless. I almost gave up on the whole idea, until I received your recipe in my email box. The depth of flavor is superb! My family raved about it! I did make once change which likely made the flavor not as good. I used dried thyme instead of fresh. The flavor got lost as it cooked, or I should have used more than I did. And yet it was still great! Thank you so much!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Nora Azzi
Posted: 2 years ago

I’m so happy to hear this! Yes, fresh thyme is great in this stew. 🙂

0
Reply
Gene
Gene
Posted: 2 years ago

How do I print it.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Gene
Posted: 2 years ago

There are two print buttons, one in the recipe card, and one at the top of the post.

0
Reply
Esten Spears
Esten Spears
Posted: 2 years ago

This looks like a good beef stew but for me it is missing a key ingredient. – Peppers! I like to add a bell pepper and several Hot Hungarian Wax peppers or Hatch Chiles. I also double the amount of onion.

0
Reply
BARBARA DE
BARBARA DE
Posted: 2 years ago

I LOVE BEEF STEW BUT FIND WHEN I FREEZE IT THE POTATOES
GET VERY SOFT AND LOSE SOMETHING IN TASTE SO I DON’T PUT
THEM IN THE FREEZER BAGS AND USE MASHED POTATOES FOR
THE FREEZER STEW.

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
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