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
Beef Stew 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
- 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 and salt & pepper. Toss beef in flour mixture.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot. Cook the beef and onions until browned.
- Add beef broth and red wine while scraping up any brown bits in the pan.
- Stir in all remaining ingredients except for peas, cornstarch and water. 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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Are you supposed to use fresh peas or frozen peas? It doesn’t state.
Great question, I use thawed frozen peas.
I’ve used both frozen and canned (whatever I have on hand…) and have come out both ways just fine.
good easy stew. I added 4 cloves of fresh garlic with the veg and chopped up fresh parsley with the peas.
One of the my new favorite recipes! The leftovers taste even better. I like to add an extra cup of broth for a more soupy feel.
I was thinking of cooking the beef in bacon fat instead of oil…could give it a smokier flavor?…and substitute elk instead of beef?
Bacon would work great. I don’t have experience cooking elk, but you’ll want a cut that benefits from low and slow cooking. Let us know how it goes!
I added more potatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, subbed tomato paste with ketchup, and garnished with crushed pepper.
meat was tough. It need to slow cooker longer. Slow cooker is magic. Set it and forget it. This is way to fast for beef unless you are on food network show called Chopped. Beef need to be digestible.
If using stewing beef, it can be a mixture of cuts so can take longer to become tender which is why I recommend cooking until it is tender (this is in step 5). It may have just needed more time. If using chuck, it should be very tender in the time given in the recipe. Hope that helps!
5. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for peas, cornstarch and water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender.
This stew came together perfectly and I was able to make it just in the time that I had. I followed the recipe and it was enough volume for a party of 4. The meat was tender and flavor just right. I think I’ll add less cornstarch slurry to it next time. Otherwise, a hit for a winter evening.
Very goid
this is one of my favorites! I have made it several times now! I use a London broil cubed and red potatoes for a slightly healthier option! for the broth I use better than bouillon! EXCELLENT!! So much flavor!!! Super yummy!! thank you for sharing.
I started with 800 grams (about 1 and 3/4 pounds) chuck roast that I cut into 2 cm (1 1/2 inch) cubes and browned the beef chucks in canola oil. Instead of rosemary, I used 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, as I believe beef and thyme compliment each other well, and instead of simmering on the stove top, I cooked in a 325 degree oven for 90 minutes. I also added the potatoes after about 60 minutes of cooking in the oven and thickened the gravy at the end with a flour/water slurry instead of coating the beef with flour at the onset. I also added a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce to provide a little depth of flavour. Delicious!
I just wanted to thank you for the great recipe Holly! As always! I wanted to thank Brian for his excellent review! I was wondering about cooking in the oven. All your tips are great Brian! I took a screenshot for when I make this tonight!
is there a substitute for wed wine??? I know it’s recommended I just want to avoid it but not miss out on the depth it adds if that’s possible
thank you
You can use additional broth in place.
love it! Just finished making it for my family and they love it. I did end up cooking it for 90 minutes and didn’t put the peas in, added a tablespoon of worcester sauce in at the end. Would recommend!
Very flavorful and tender, although it’s quite under-salted to me. I added probably about 1Tbsp of sea salt and 1/2tsp black pepper while simmering. I also used GF (1 to 1) flour in place of AP so I could share with a GF friend. Can’t tell a difference. To my portion I added about a 1 1/2 cups of cooked wheat berries, and that was just the ticket! Hubby even asked me to make it again the same week, and he’s NOT a soup or stew guy. Definitely a keeper!
I’m in culinary school, and used this recipe as a part of my final project this semester (I had to head a 5 course meal served to 35 people). I was told by multiple people that this was their favorite dish we made.
“It was like a nice warm hug.”
— My sister, after having a bowl
This is not only the best but the easiest beef stew I have ever made. I’m a dietitian so choose the leanest beef possible and it’s u believably tender and delicious. Each and everyone of my picky eaters love this!
This recipe was delicious!!! I used more potatoes and didn’t need the cornstarch….this was an excellent meal.
I live in Manchester,NJ and it is freezing cold today, so I will be making this beef stew recipe for tonights dinner, I need to run out to get a few things, also will be making biscuits, can’t wait till dinner!
Love the biscuits idea! I’ll be doing that too!
So easy and super yummy. Not sure what I didn’t do quite right but there was something missing…some umami flavor. I think it was that I forgot the rosemary. I usually add a bay leaf too. Hopefully not too late to addd to the leftovers!
could I make this recipe in a crock pot? I would probably still brown the beef a bit first but would like to do the rest in a crock pot. Thank you.
Hi Noelle, we use this this Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe.
Easy to make, commonly available ingredients. After following the directions and adding all ingredients, except peas, I put it in the oven for about two hours at 350 then added the peas about half an hour before taking it out of the oven. The meat was fork tender. To my family and myself we thought it lacked flavor. It needed a little zip. Not sure what seasoning or additional flavor boosting ingredient it needed.
Hi Nettie, thanks for trying our recipe. For a little extra flavor, if you didn’t use the red wine I would highly recommend it. You can also increase the rosemary for an earthier flavor. You can also add a little parsley, thyme, or a bay leaf (remove before eating).
amazing, delicious, easy! I’ve made this multiple times – fam fave.