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Easy Beef Stew Recipe

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This Beef Stew Recipe in a Dutch oven is one of the easiest, most delicious cold-weather dinners! Tender beef is simmered in a fragrant beef broth with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, peas, and herbs until fall-apart tender—and incredibly delicious!

A meltingly tender beef stew, fragrant with fresh herbs, is the ultimate comfort food. I love to serve it with homemade dinner rolls or simple Drop Biscuits to soak up the gravy in the bottom of the bowl.

A hearty beef stew with chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes, peas, and a rich brown broth is served in a black pot. Fresh parsley is garnished on top, and biscuits on a wooden board, an orange napkin, and a glass of red drink are beside it on a white wooden table.

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Beef stew is a classic dinner staple around the world. While there are soup and stew adaptations, like Hungarian Goulash, or prep adaptations, like Slow Cooker Beef Stew, this classic recipe in a Dutch oven is always my go-to!

How To Make This Beef Stew Recipe

This dinner recipe is so incredibly simple; I can’t wait for you to try it! Here’s how to make it:

Step 1: Brown the beef

Combine flour, salt, and pepper, and toss beef cubes in the flour mixture. Then, heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot and brown it. Try not to crowd the beef, and brown it in batches for the best sear.

Note on onions: I’m using frozen pearl onions here (because they needed to be used), but when I chop an onion, I will add it to the beef in this step for an extra layer of caramelized flavor.

Step 2: Deglaze the pan

Add a splash of beef broth to the pot and scrape up any brown bits.

A black pot filled with chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes, pearls onions, and celery on a white wooden surface. A wooden spoon is resting on the edge of the pot.

Step 3: Add the vegetables and cook the stew

Stir in the carrots, celery, potatoes, rosemary (and any other vegetables you are using). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour (or up to 90 minutes) until beef is tender.

A pot of hearty beef stew filled with chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes, celery, pearl onions, and garnished with fresh rosemary. The black pot has white handles and is placed on a light-colored wooden surface.

Create the slurry by whisking the cornstarch and water together. Slowly add to the boiling stew and stir to reach the desired consistency. Stir in the peas and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Beef Stew Tips

This stew recipe is incredibly simple and easy to make. Here are a few tips for a cozy, delicious stew every time.

  • Searing the beef: While it adds another step to this easy recipe, browning the beef stew meat before adding the stock makes a world of difference in its flavor. Don’t skip this delicious caramelization process!
  • Give it time: As the vegetables and meat simmer in a fragrant broth, the flavors have a chance to intensify, and the beef becomes fall-apart tender. Give the stew enough time to become tender. The peas cook quickly and are added in the last few minutes before serving!
  • Vegetable adaptations: I’ve written this stew recipe with the vegetables I typically use every time. But if you have vegetables in your bin that need using (as I did with a package of frozen pearl onions), this is the perfect dish to use them! Whether they be sweet potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions, or other root vegetables like turnips or rutabagas, just chop and add them in!

Choosing the Right Beef Stew Meat

When choosing beef stew meat, it’s important to begin with the right cut of beef. Look for a chuck roast that’s well-marbled with plenty of white veins of fat running through the roast. Pre-packaged “stew meat,” especially cuts that look lean without marbling, will not result in a fall-apart tender stew, even with a long cooking time!

How To Thicken Beef Stew

Beef stew thickens naturally with the starches in potatoes and the flour-dredged beef. But if you love a thick stew (my hand is raised here), it’s easy to thicken it more. Here are two ways to thicken beef stew:

  1. Mashing the vegetables: By giving some of the vegetables a quick mash with a potato masher, the stew will thicken slightly.
  2. Cornstarch slurry: An easy to make thickening sauce added during the last few minutes of cooking. This is my preferred method.

How to Make a Cornstarch Slurry

This is one of the easiest ways to thicken stews and soup. Simply combine equal parts cornstarch and water, shake or whisk until it’s completely mixed, and then pour it into a bubbling soup or stew.

A slurry works best when added a bit at a time into a boiling soup or stew until you reach your desired thickness. Then, let it boil for at least 1-2 minutes to ensure any starch flavor is cooked through.

Can You Freeze Beef Stew?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze beef stew! I love to freeze individual portions in airtight freezer containers for quick lunches or dinners. To reheat, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and gently microwave or reheat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally as it rewarms.

A hearty beef stew served in a white bowl, filled with chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a rich gravy. Nearby, a pot with more stew, freshly baked biscuits on a wooden board, and a colorful cloth are visible. Fresh parsley adds a touch of green.

More Warming Soups and Stew Recipes

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A bowl of hearty beef stew filled with chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, and peas garnished with fresh parsley. The stew is in a white bowl on a wooden plate, with two biscuits on a wooden board in the background and a colorful napkin to the side.

Easy Beef Stew Recipe

Warm up with this delicious Beef Stew Recipe. Tender beef, potatoes, carrots, and herbs simmered to perfection is the ultimate in comfort food!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat cubed
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion chopped in 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 large carrots peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
  • 2 stalks celery cut in 1-inch pieces on he diagonal
  • 2 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or as needed
  • 2 tablespoons water or as needed
  • ¾ cup peas
  • parsley for serving

Instructions

  • Combine flour, salt and pepper and toss beef cubes in the flour mixture.
  • Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onions to the pot and brown. Try not to crowd the beef and brown in batches for the best sear.
  • Add beef broth and water to the pot while scraping up any brown bits.
  • Stir in the carrots, celery, potatoes, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender, up to 90 minutes.
  • Create the slurry by whisking the cornstarch and water together. Slowly add to the boiling stew and stir to reach the desired consistency. Stir in the peas and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

  1. Choosing the Right Beef Stew Meat: When choosing beef stew meat, it’s important to begin with the right cut of beef. Look for a chuck roast that’s well-marbled with plenty of white veins of fat running through the roast. Pre-packaged “stew meat,” especially cuts that look lean without marbling, will not result in a fall-apart tender stew, even with a long cooking time!
  2. Variations: I’ve written this stew recipe with the vegetables I typically use every time. But if you have vegetables in your bin that need using (as I did with a package of frozen pearl onions), this is the perfect dish to use them! Whether they be sweet potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions, or other root vegetables like turnips or rutabagas, chop and add them in!

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 643mg | Potassium: 809mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4723IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy beef stew recipe

3 Comments

    1. Hi Joann— yes, it’s great in a slow cooker. Eliminate the water and cook on Low for 8 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 6 hours.

5 from 1 vote

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