Beef Stew Recipe

Close-up of chunky beef stew in a white bowl, showing beef, carrots, and potatoes in rich brown gravy.

4.70 from 42 votes

This Beef Stew recipe browns floured chuck so it thickens as it simmers, then slow cooks it in red wine and beef broth with carrots, celery and potatoes. One pot, meltingly tender beef, and it’s even better the next day.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 45

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef stew, Beef Stew Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 657kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

6 Quart Dutch Oven

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pat 3 pounds beef chuck dry with paper towels, then toss with 3 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Brown the beef on all sides, in batches if needed. Transfer the beef to a plate.
Add more oil if needed, then add 1 chopped onion, 2 stalks celery and 2 chopped carrots. Cook about 5 minutes until the onion softens and turns translucent. Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 3 tablespoons tomato paste and 1 teaspoon sugar, then cook another 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic and the tomato paste darkens.
Add 4 cups beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 2 cups red wine, and stir. Return the beef to the pot with 2 bay leaves and 3 sprigs thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the beef is fork tender.
Stir in 1 pound cubed potatoes and cook covered for another 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, garnish with ¼ cup chopped parsley, and serve.

Video

Notes

Buy a chuck roast and cut it yourself instead of a package labeled stew meat. Stew meat is trimmings from several different cuts, so the pieces cook at different rates.
Pat the beef dry before flouring it. Wet beef steams instead of browning.
Brown in batches. A crowded pot drops in temperature and the beef boils in its own juices.
Keep it at a bare simmer, not a boil. A hard boil makes the beef tough no matter how long you cook it.
Red wine can be replaced with 2 more cups of beef broth. Add 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar at the end to make up for the tang.
If it’s thin at the end, simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce.
Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freeze up to 3 months. Leave the potatoes out if you’re freezing it, since they go grainy.

Nutrition