The Best Beef Stew
Beef Stew is a classic comfort food that warms both the body and soul. Tender bites of stew meat are served in a rich, savory broth with a medley of veggies like mushrooms, potatoes, peas, carrots and more. Serve your stew with some mashed potatoes and find yourself craving seconds, even though you’ll be too full to actually eat more!
Beef Stew
I feel like everyone’s got a trusty old fashioned Beef Stew recipe that they’ve depended on for years! It’s just one of those weeknight dinners that always gets the whole family gathered around the table and leaving with full bellies.
It’s an easy to make comfort food staple that I know I can always give even the pickiest of eaters! Even my most staunch picky eaters get their protein and veggie fix with this recipe.
I’ve been making this family recipe for years. While it’s a favorite of mine during the chillier seasons, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t whip it up during the summer sometimes, as well!
It’s just impossible not to crave. The tender meat and veggies are served in the most mouthwatering homemade brown sauce that coats every bite to absolute perfection.
That’s the biggest reason Beef Stew should always be served with mashed potatoes – you don’t want to waste a single drop of that sauce! Ingredients like beef stock, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce make every savory bite better than the last.
How to Make Beef Stew
While this traditional Beef Stew recipe takes a while to cook, the recipe is still easy as can be. Just be warned… your kitchen will smell SO GOOD while that pot’s on the stove top!
- Prepare the meat. Gently pat the stew meat dry with a paper towel. Whisk together the flour and seasonings, then toss the meat with that mixture to coat.
- Brown the meat. Heat your pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add the meat. Brown on all sides. Transfer the meat to a platter and keep warm. Work in batches if needed.
- Add the veggies. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery in the pot for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, mushrooms, and garlic and cook for about 5 more minutes.
- Stir in more ingredients. Add the tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Stir to coat the veggies and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the red wine. Cook until reduced by half, scraping up the brown bits as you go. Pour in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and peas.
- Cook the stew. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for an hour and a half to two hours.
- Thicken the stew. Stir together the butter and cornstarch. Add this mixture to the stew, stirring until thickened.
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How To Store Leftovers
Once the stew has fully cooled to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it stored in the fridge for about 3-4 days. The best part? It reheats so well in the microwave! Just zap your leftovers in 30 second intervals, stirring each time it stops until warmed all the way through.
What kind of red wine should I use?
I recommend using a dry red wine like Pinot Noir or Merlot. Avoid sweeter wines, as they will inevitably lend a sweeter flavor to the otherwise savory broth. If you want to omit the wine entirely, just replace it with equal parts beef broth.
Speaking of, make sure you get the best flavor when you use Homemade Beef Stock!
Serving Suggestions
Cozy up with more of these comfort food classics!
- Easy Mulligan Stew
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Jambalaya
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Brunswick Stew
- Chicken Stew
- Cowboy Stew
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Get the Recipe: The Best Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, or chuck roast cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces frozen pearl onions, thawed
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced in half
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced in half
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 1/2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Equipment
Instructions
- Pat the stew meat dry with a paper towel and place in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the stew meat and toss to coat.
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add half the stew meat to the pot and brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef cubes to a platter and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining stew meat and then transfer to the platter.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the potatoes, mushrooms and garlic. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften.
- Add the tomato paste and Italian seasoning stirring to coat the vegetables with the tomato paste. Continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes until the tomato paste begins to darken.
- Stir in the red wine and cook until reduced by half scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and peas to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Return the beef to the pot.
- Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
- Stir together the butter and cornstarch until smooth. Add the mixture to the beef stew stirring until the stew begins to thicken.
- Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, until thickened.
- Serve immediately over egg noodles, with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes.
12 Comments on “The Best Beef Stew”
Question: In Step 11, after covering the pot, instead of cooking on the stovetop, can I do so in the oven instead, and then finish up Steps 12 and 13 on the stove? If so, what time and temperature would I use in the oven?
Thank you1
Hi Donald, Yes, you can definitely cover and cook in the oven. 325˚F for 1.5-2 hours should work well, just check to see if the meat is fork tender before removing from the oven, if it is not then continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
When do you add the beef back in the pot?
In step 10. It was omitted so thank you for bring it to my attention. All fixed now!
Can this be made in a crock pot?
I subbed out the wine for additional beef broth and it was still delicious! Next time I want to try it alongside mashed potatoes – that looks so good!
Thank you so much for giving it a try!
This was such a delicious and hearty beef stew! My whole family loved it.
Thank you so much!
The absolute best stew. Even my picky son loved it so thank you!
That makes me so happy! Thank you for your comment.
Kellie,
FYI, I know I must add the browned beef pieces back to the pot to simmer in step #10, but it hasn’t been stated in the recipe. Hopefully you can make that inclusion soon.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. (And this email doesn’t need to be posted).
Jim Cascio