My beef stew recipe uses carefully picked ingredients and methods for the best taste ever! This stew can be made in the oven or a slow cooker, and I’ve included instructions for both.
Jump to Recipe Print RecipeBeef Stew With Carrots and Potatoes
Today, instead of writing about cupcakes and cookies, I want to share with you one of the dishes that might become your favorite dinner during these winter holidays – beef stew! What’s so special about this particular beef stew recipe? Well, it’s cozy and hearty, but also great for making ahead. Once prepared , it bakes slowly in the oven for several hours till it becomes incredibly tender and full of flavor. It’s the ultimate comfort food on those cold days (think snow day!).
Every step of this stew focuses on enhancing the flavor. Like my beef ragu (coming soon!), searing the beef before slow cooking is essential. Coating the meat in flour and searing it adds amazing color and flavor, which then spreads throughout the stew. It also creates browned bits on the bottom of the pan that, when deglazed with red wine, take the flavor to new heights
Why You’ll Love My Beef Stew Recipe
No fancy ingredients: The most complex ingredient you’ll need is red wine.
Perfectly tender meat: Cooks until the meat falls apart (without the veggies becoming mushy!).
Great with bread: Pairs perfectly with crusty bread, like my soda bread or biscuits.
Maximized flavor: Carefully designed to be as flavorful as absolutely possible!
What You Need
A delicious beef stew recipe doesn’t require many fancy ingredients to taste great. Instead, focus on the basics:
Beef: Use a chuck roast and cut it into 1.5-inch pieces. Do not use pre-cut beef, sometimes sold as “stew meat” (don’t let the name fool you; it’s not ideal). I discuss the best beef for beef stew in the FAQ section below.
Veggies: Carrots, celery, and gold potatoes. even cooking cut everything into 1″ pieces. You can leave the skin on the potatoes!
Aromatics: Rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. The stew’s base also includes onion and garlic to enhance its depth of flavor. I prefer fresh herbs when possible, but you can substitute dried herbs if needed.
Wine: Use a dry red wine, like an inexpensive Merlot. Inexpensive is key here – you don’t need a wine you’d drink. Bottom-shelf is fine. Most of the alcohol cooks off, so it’s safe for kids. If you don’t have wine, substitute with another cup of broth.
Salt: Lack of salt can ruin the flavor of almost anything, especially beef stew. Taste your stew before serving and add more salt if it tastes bland or underwhelming. I listed an approximate amount of salt needed, but there will always be some variation. Add salt to taste as needed.
Pro Tip:
While some beef stew recipes thicken the broth by adding a lot of flour, this didn’t give me the smooth, velvety mouthfeel I wanted. Tossing the meat in flour (and then adding just a bit more flour later) is how I developed a thick base for this stew. The resulting broth isn’t quite as thick as gravy but is thicker than traditional broth.
How to Make Beef Stew
Coat the Meat: Mix flour and seasoning in a Ziploc bag. Add cube meat then shake until the meat gets coated very well.
Sear the Meat: In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown meat on both sides in batches then put on a plate.
Cook Onion and Garlic: Add butter into the pot until it melts, add onion and cook it till it becomes soft. After that, add garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds.
Add Tomato Paste: Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brown.
Add Flour: Sprinkle in the flour, stir until absorbed, and cook for one minute.
Deglaze the Pot: Slowly pour in the wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the wine reduces and thickens, giving it a glossy look.
Return the Beef: Add Worcestershire sauce and beef broth to the pot, then return the beef and any juices from the plate
Add Vegetables: Stir in the remaining seasonings, vegetables, and herbs.
Bake: Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and bake in a 325°F oven for 2-3 hours. If the meat isn’t tender after 2 hours, cook for an additional hour.
Season and Serve: Remove the herbs from the pot, adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes beef stew taste the best?
The flavor of beef stew comes from using the right type of beef, searing the meat before cooking, deglazing the pot, cooking for several hours, and using enough salt. Follow all these tips for an amazingly flavorful stew!
What gives beef stew the best flavor?
Using the right kind of beef, browning the meat before cooking, deglazing the pot, letting it simmer for hours, and adding enough salt all significantly enhance the flavor of your beef stew. Follow all of my tips for incredible taste!
Can I make this in a crockpot?
Yes! Do all the searing and cooking steps before transferring to the slow cooker. It will cook for 8 hours on low. Detailed instructions are in the recipe notes below.
What is the best beef for beef stew?
Chuck roast is the best beef for my stew recipe. Skip the pre-cut “stew meat”; while it may save you some cutting time, the quality can be unpredictable and may affect the end results. I recommend using a chuck roast with good marbling for the best flavor.
Ultimate Beef Stew Recipe
Course: Blog4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon table salt divided
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ½ lbs (1.13 kg) chuck roast cut into 1 ½” cubes
2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
1 Tablespoon salted or unsalted butter or use additional olive oil
1 cup (130 g) yellow onion diced (about 1 medium-sized onion)
1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup (236 ml) dry red wine I use Merlot
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cups (946 ml) beef broth
1 ½ lbs (680 g) gold potatoes cut into 1” pieces (I use small potatoes that I can just cut in half, but unpeeled Gold potatoes are a great alternative)
1 lb (453 g) carrots cut into 1” pieces
2 stalks celery cut into 1” pieces
3 dried bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 small sprig fresh rosemary
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Place the oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
- In a large paper or Ziploc bag, mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Add the cubed meat and toss until all pieces are coated with the flour mixture. ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoon table salt , ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper , 2 ½ lbs (1.13 kg) chuck roast
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Take the meat out of the bag and gently shake off any extra flour (but don’t throw the flour away). Brown meat on all sides in batches, leaving space between pieces. I find three batches enough because if they are too full they won’t brown properly. Cook about three minutes until deep golden brown on one side. Flip and sear reverse side until deep golden brown as well; remove to a plate while you repeat with remaining meat. Add more oil as needed between each batch of beef.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Now turn the heat down to medium, toss in a Tablespoon of butter and when it has melted add onion. Cook occasionally while stirring until the onions are tender (about 3 minutes).1 Tablespoon salted or unsalted butter,1 cup (130 g) yellow onion.
- Add garlic and cook by stirring it until fragrant/30 seconds.1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
- Add tomato paste and cook by stirring for about a minute until it gets slightly browned on sides.2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- Take 1 tablespoon of flour from the flour mixture you used earlier (if you threw it away, just measure out a fresh tablespoon of flour). and sprinkle over the pot. Cook while stirring till all the flour is absorbed then cook another minute.
- Very slowly, pour wine into the pot while scraping its bottom so as to deglaze and get rid of any pieces stuck to the pan. Cook till wine thickens slightly, reduces a little bit and becomes shiny (several minutes).1 cup (236 ml) dry red wine.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and slowly drizzling beef broth into this mixture then stir well.2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce,4 cups (946 ml) beef broth
- Put beef back in pot, including any juices that collected on the plate. Then, add the remaining ingredients: ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, potatoes, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. 1 ½ lbs (690 g) potatoes,1.5 lb (500 g) carrots,3 stalks celery,4 dried bay leaves,6 sprigs fresh thyme,2 small sprig fresh rosemary
- Stir the mixture, making sure the beef and veggies are mostly covered by the broth, and the herbs are completely submerged, or they’ll burn. Place the lid on the pot slightly , transfer it to the center rack of a preheated 325°F (160°C) oven, and bake for 2-3 hours. Check the stew after 2 hours and continue cooking if needed until the beef is so tender it falls apart with a fork.
- When meat is tender, throw away bay leaves as well as thyme/rosemary stems. Determine soup consistency and taste. In case you would like it to be slightly thicker, simmer uncovered on stovetop until thickened. Test for saltiness before adding any more seasonings such as salt and pepper (if your soup doesn’t taste perfectly savoury then chances are it needs some extra seasoning in terms of salt).
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories641
- % Daily Value *
- Cholesterol 135mg 45%
- Sodium 1506mg 63%
- Potassium 1523mg 44%
- Total Carbohydrate
45g
15%
- Dietary Fiber 7g 29%
- Sugars 3g
- Protein 45g 90%
- Vitamin A 4065%
- Vitamin C 36%
- Calcium 100%
- Iron 7%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
