This Beef Stew Recipe is perfect for the colder weather! Tender beef is simmered in beef broth with potatoes, onions, celery, peas, and carrots until melt in your mouth tender. It’s comfort food heaven!
I serve beef stew with 30 minute dinner rolls or Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits to sop up any gravy in the bottom of the bowl!
Beef stew is a classic dinner staple in so many households around the world. There are soup and stew adaptations of beef stew like my favorite Easy Hamburger Soup and cultural variations like Hungarian Goulash, but this classic beef stew recipe is a favorite for me!
How To Make Beef Stew
Searing the beef pieces before you add the stock makes such a difference in the flavor you get from the soup. It’s really the only chance you have to get that delicious caramelization on the meat!
As the veggies and broth simmer, you will really start to notice the flavors in the stew intensify. Peas cook quickly so I add them in the last few minutes!
This stew recipe is also the perfect way to use up any vegetables you might need to use up. If you’ve got leftover roasted potatoes, glazed carrots or fried mushrooms, just chop ‘em up up and throw them in!
How To Thicken Beef Stew
Beef stew will thicken a bit naturally thanks to the starches in the potatoes and the dredging of the beef, but I always like to thicken it a little bit more.
Stew can be thickened by giving the vegetables a quick mash or you can use either flour or cornstarch. My preferred method for thickening beef stew (and the method used in this beef stew recipe) is to use a cornstarch slurry.
How to Make a Slurry
A slurry is super easy to make! Combine equal parts cornstarch and water and stir. I told you it was easy!!
Pour this mixture a little bit at a time into bubbling soup or stew to thicken until you reach desired consistency. Once your stew is thickened, allow it to boil at least 1-2 minutes to ensure you cook out any starchy flavor.
If left to sit before adding to the soup or stew, a slurry will settle within a couple of minutes so be sure to give it a stir before adding it. I sometimes mix the cornstarch with low sodium (or no sodium) broth instead of water.
Can You Freeze Beef Stew?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze beef stew! I like to freeze it in freezer bags in single servings portions so I can take one portion out for lunches (or four out for dinner)! Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or you can defrost in the microwave (time will vary based on portion size) stirring occasionally.
What To Serve With Beef Stew
Beef stew is super perfect on it’s own; it is a complete meal!
We usually serve it with a bread, biscuit or even Garlic Crescent Rolls to sop up any broth! I also love serving it with mashed potatoes in the bottom of the bowl! Even just some crushed crackers or saltines are all you really need.
More Belly Warming Soups You’ll Love
- Easy Hamburger Soup– Reader favorite!
- Beef Barley Soup
- Hungarian Goulash
- Minestrone Soup – Classic Italian!
- Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
- Stuffed Pepper Soup – Easy and delicious!
- Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing beef trimmed and cubed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil more as needed
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 cups beef broth
- ½ cup red wine optional
- 1 pound potatoes peeled and cubed
- 4 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 ribs celery cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 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
Instructions
- Combine flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss beef in flour mixture.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Shake off any excess flour from the beef and brown in small batches. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the onions to the pot, adding more oil as needed, and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add beef broth and red wine while scraping up any brown bits in the pan.
- Stir in browned beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomato paste, and rosemary. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender (up to 90 minutes).
- Mix equal parts cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Slowly add the slurry to the boiling stew to reach desired consistency (you may not need all of the slurry, if you'd like a thicker stew, you can add extra).
- Stir in peas and simmer 5-10 minutes before serving . Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Soup
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Made yesterday, so delicious
Will become a regular meal in our home!
Love when nutritional info is provided but I don’t see how much an actual serving is? (1 cup? 1/2 cup?)
Hi Cassandra, a serving is about 1 cup.
What do I need to know if I want to double this recipe?
Hi Shawn, This recipe is so delicious we love doubling it! Just make sure your dutch oven is big enough to hold it all.
Need new recipes for my family
We have so many tasty recipes for you to try, Margaret! Head on over to our recipe index for some delicious inspiration!
Great recipe that tasted wonderful and so easy thank you
Is there a vegtable that you would recommend to substitute for the peas? They do not go over well in my house… Other than that this recipe sounds great and I want to try it in my house.
Hi Chad, you could leave the peas out and increase the carrots and celery to accommodate. Or you could replace them with green beans or any other veggie of your choice.
I like to put corn and string beans into it also.
I’ve made this quite a few times now and everyone has loved it! Including myself! It’s now become a regular at our table all year long. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Question: what are your most favorite potatos for this?
Thanks, Monica, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! We love using baby potatoes for this beef stew.
Thank you for this awesome recipe. I made it today and it came out fantastic. I will be making this on a regular basis. It’s perfect for the winter months when you’re craving a hearty, warming, filling stew.
Hi, was wondering if i could make this in the slow cooker?
I’m sure that would work just fine! Once the beef/onions are browned, I would deglaze the pan with a bit of broth/wine to get any of the yummy brown bits and then add it with the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. I’d suggest cooking on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours or until beef is tender.
Medium low is NOT ENOUGH to cook this stew! Served my bf a stew with tough meat, crispy potatoes & hard carrots, ALL BECAUSE I DID NOT COOK THIS ON “HIGH”.
COOK STEW FOR 90 MIN ON “HIGH” *NOT* MEDIUM LOW.
Depending on the beef, you may need a little bit of extra time (stew meat can vary). The stew should come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer at medium-low (so it doesn’t boil over). Meat cooked in liquid at a low simmer is best for tender meat, boiled meat at a high temperature can become tough.
In this recipe they carrots/potatoes are to be added after the beef is tender so if the beef wasn’t tender yet it would likely need a bit more time. If your potatoes and carrots were crispy they also needed more time as well. I hope that helps.
Although not typically a July dish I made this today in order to use up some stew meat I had in the freezer and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Trying to use all the odds and ends I have before shopping for more food. Anyway made just as recipe indicates except added the frozen mixed vegetables for the carrots and peas. It was delicious and will definitely make it again in the fall. I was so tempted to toss the meat but glad I didn’t and tried this recipe!
I’ve seared the meat till brown and now 20 minutes in to cooking I feel like my meat is tough and over cooked should I take the meat out or will it go tender the longer it’s cooked
Searing the meat until brown takes only a few minutes and doesn’t cook the beef. The beef should be cooked in the stew until tender!
Ok I’m about to make this tonight and it’s my second time making this. It’s amazing . The best beef stew I’ve ever tasted. I suggest to definitely use the wine! It really kicks up the flavor in the most amazing way.
Absolutely delicious! I left out the wine as advised but otherwise changed nothing. We can’t get enough of this stew. Thanks Holly!
You’re welcome Lori!
Can I make this in the oven even if I floor the meat
While I haven’t cooked this particular recipe in the oven Juanita, our beef bourguignon is an oven stew. I would suggest following the cooking method in my beef bourguignon recipe here.The beef bourguignon recipe also flours the beef. Enjoy!
SURE DOES LOOK GOOD. CAN NOT WAITE TO TRY IT.
Holly, Love your recipes and refer to your site often. The beef stew recipe sounds wonderful. But I cannot use the wine. I love the taste it gives though. Any ideas for an alternative that may give me a similar taste without using the wine?
Substitutes for red wine in recipes can be a bit of red grape juice or a touch of vinegar. In this particular recipe, I would leave it out. Enjoy Lori!
WOW THAT STEW LOOKS AWESOME! SAY, IF YOU’RE NOT MARRIED, I THINK WE SHOULD GET TOGETHER. YOU LIKE TO COOK AND I LIKE TO EAT AND WHAT YOUR COOK’N REMINDS ME OF WHAT MOMMA USED TO MAKE!
This…was…amazing…the bomb! Rarely do I post reviews for online recipes – but I felt compelled to do so. It was/is that good. I made a few adjustments (used diced tomatoes vs tomato paste, GF flour, and 1/3 cup of a cab wine vs. 1/2 cup). I found it actually thickened up quite nicely on its own – no need for cornstarch. Thanks Holly!
You’re welcome Amber, thank you so much for leaving your review!
This was amazing! I made a few adjustments (used diced tomatoes vs paste, GF flour, and 1/3 cup red wine vs 1/2 cup). Rarely, do I receive recipes that I got from online – BUT this was so good, I had to report. Thanks Holly!
First time making recipe tonight . I’ll be back with the final results