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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Put my father’s stew to shame using this recipe.
I love this recipe thank you I am going to try this
Thee perfect recipe!!! After reacing the comments about the liquid, I stuck with it adding more potatoes & carrots as I love veggies. For a more seasoned flavor I added several sprigs of thyme, 1 tbsp of Italian seasons & a tbsp of chicken bullion seasoning. I got compliments even days after
my favorite beef stew recipe
Can I use venison instead of beef?
I don’t see why not. U would recommend a cut that becomes tender with low and slow cooking.
Hi! Any tips for cooking this recipe in a crockpot?
We have a great slow cooker beef stew recipe that would be perfect for that!
everything sounds terrific.THANKYOU!
very delicious. it was a crowd pleaser.
by far the best beef stew I’ve ever eaten rich beefy flavor warms you up like a mother’s hug on a cold winter day this will be my new go to cold weather comfort food
I made this exactly to the recipe with the minor exception of adding mushrooms because I only had a pound and a half of stew meat. Other than that, I didn’t tweak a thing. It was perfect and a big hit on a cold day.
This is not the first recipe of yours I’ve used. In fact, I have found several of your recipes to be very good. You’ve become a reliable source of yummy recipes.
I didn’t read the comments but went with my gut and only used 4 cups of broth and red wine. Turned out delicious! I used the same measurements on everything else including the slurry as I like mine a little thicker. I also added dry thyme and basil. Husband LOVED it!
Great recipe
Easy and very tasty.
Awesome recipe just used a little less liquid. Thx
I followed the suggestion from some comments to use less broth. That was helpful because I didn’t have to add the cornstarch slurry. I added some canned tomatoes and extra salt. The result was a delicious pot of stew!
Recently Divorced, have to learn how to cook with little prep and tasty outcome!
After seeing some of the comments, I only used only 4 cups of broth. Was a little worried it wouldn’t be enough cause the veggies and beef were sticking up a bit from the stew, but they cooked down over the hour.
Used freshly minced garlic since I didn’t have any garlic powder, none of the wine (didn’t have any at home ), 5 tablespoons of the tomato paste cause I wasn’t using the wine, a teaspoon of Italian Seasoning since I didn’t have just rosemary, and three tablespoons of cornstarch to get the desired consistency.
Came out delicious!
This beef stew recipe is OUTSTANDING. Highly recommend. My husband was very pleased with the flavor and chunky texture of the stew. Thank you.
I’ve made this many times & it’s amazing! Thank you!!
Everything about this recipe is easy and good, EXCEPT the broth measurement. Much too much liquid for the recipe. Everything else is easy and good…….just don’t use 6 cups of liquid. I didn’t even use that much but it’s WAY too liquidy. The basic recipe is A-Ok. I would say use 4 cups broth and add a 1/2 cup of wine. Not more. I used more than the slurry required and it’s STILL very soupy, and it’s been cooking for hours. 4 cups broth.
Absolutely the best beef stew!!
Delicious…
Although did not add the red wine I did modified the receipe for a more beefier flavor by adding two dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a little A1 Steak Sauce and 2x the amount of potatoes and some minced garlic in the jar while cooking the beef. My fiance really enjoyed it. :-P