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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Hi Holly, your recipes look so yummy and easy, just what I am looking for!
Thank you Janet! Enjoy!
Looking forward to trying your recipes
Thanks
Dave
Thank you Dave! I hope you enjoy them.
I used dear meat Stead of beef cooking right this minute I’ll let you know how it turns out I’m going to add mushrooms & green beans thank you ❤️
That sounds like a delicious variation on this stew Sandy!
Ive made this before was excellent, fid the recipe change? I didn’t use a crock pot and v8. Used tomato paste
Thank you for letting me know, I’m so sorry for the confusion Brian. An update last night caused the wrong recipe to display. I’ve fixed it and you should be seeing the original recipe now.
thought I was tripping. I knew I saw v8 juice in the receipe. gotta use the juice. no tomato paste at home and can’t get up my street cause of snow.
Sorry about that! You may try replacing some of the broth and tomato paste with your tomato juice.
I’m going to make this tonight for dinner but I’m so afraid my veggies will come out mushy before the meat is done. I’m using a 2 pound chuck roast that I’m going to cube and gold potatoes. Any suggestions or tips?
You can certainly add your veggies later in the cooking process if you’d prefer.
This recipe is amazing. I usually read a few different recipes and make it my own. But not this time, I have made this about 5 times and follow the exact recipe..such a hit in my house. Thanx Holly!!! I’m actually making it right now!!
I’m so glad you loved it Tricia! :)
I made this tonight and left out the wine but used beef stock and beef broth. Yummy ! Thanks.
So glad you loved it Sherry!
Looks good Iam going to try this this weekend
What type or brand of red wine do you use?
I usually use a drinking wine (most often a cabernet as that is what I most often have on my counter). Something less oaky is a good choice, a Pinot Noir (burgundy) or Zinfandel should work just fine too.
Made this last night and it was a hit! Very good stew!
Love your blog, it’s my go to site if i need a recipe. you never disappoint!
Thank you Holli
Aww thank you so much Krystyna, so glad you loved it!
What type of beef did you use? Please and thank you.
I would recommend chuck or stewing beef.
Can I use frozen carrots and peas? And when should I add?
Sure you can! They don’t really need to cook, just to heat through so I would add them in the last couple of minutes.
I have made this recipe four times already. It is wonderful, hearty, flavorful and easy. Love the peas added at the end of the recipe. Leftovers can be frozen and enjoyed another day.
So glad you’ve loved it Susie!
This was amazing soup . I love your recipe
So glad you loved it Ginta, enjoy!
Hi, I would like to use my crockpot for this recipe. Will it work or do you have any ideas I how to make it work in a crockpot?
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.
Hi Holly! I currently have this simmering as we speak! Unfortunately, I’m out of tomato paste and contemplating using stewed tomatoes. I love stewed tomatoes but not sure if it will change the dynamics of this recipe! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Sure you can add them! It would add a more tomato flavor but I think it would be delicious. You could also just skip the tomato paste if you prefer.
It’s an absolutely freezing day today, so I was really looking forward to this, but misread the wine amount and added a cup. Is it going to taste horrible now?
Oh, sorry to hear, but I’m sure it’ll taste delicious anyway Susan.
Do you think I could substitute white wine? I have a bit left in the fridge already. (Will also be substituting thyme for rosemary)
Sure you can. White wine tends to be a bit sweeter while red adds a bit of richness but I think it’ll still work out great. Let us know how it goes!
I want to try turnips instead of potatoes. Will they make a good substitute?
I think it would be delicious! They cook a bit quicker so you might like to add them when there is about 30 minutes left or so.
The recipe was very easy to make and came out delicious. Most of the stuff in the recipe is a common household stuff to which makes it easy, thank you very much for sharing.
You’re so welcome Robin!
This is a bit of a weirdo question but my family is very big on gamey meat. I love cooking but I suck at cooking game animals. I’m desperate for a recipe for goose meat and since it’s pretty damn cold where I live I figured a stew might be nice. Does anyone know if you could substitute beef for goose?
I have only ever tried this with beef so I can’t be certain. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
You can substitute goose in many beef recipes. If you’re going to do that, though, can I recommend adding some mushroom to the stew?
The earthy umami flavor of mushroom will bridge the gap between gamey meat and a thick savory stew.
Try using this recipe but:
Use two to three shallots depending on your onion size.
Add sautéed mushrooms about 15 minutes before it’s done. (I like baby Bella, but shiitake are great here too)
Skip the peas and add a little kale right at the start. The kale normally adds a sort of bitter bite, but that washes away in the stew. Not much is needed, think small here. You want the boldness and green flavor of kale without the intensity of flavor. I like to use 1-2 leaves (stem them first) per gallon of liquid.
Substitute the carrots for parsnips if you have them. It adds a spiced flavor that *super* goes well with gamey meat and the umami mushroom.
Thank you so much for your helpful info Scott!