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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This recipe was super easy to follow and my beef stew came out PERFECT! My family loved it. Thank you!!
This took much longer than 90 minutes and still was very bland. I had to add considerably more salt, spices and continue cooking to make it have any flavor in the meat and consistency of the sauce.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe as much as we do Krista. I always recommend to season to taste as mentioned at the very end. Thank you for trying it.
I can’t wait to start making this new recipe!! I’ve never made stew before so I’m gonna try today.
I can’t wait for you to try it Susan! I would love to hear how it turns out.
I made this, it was delicious. I used broth that came with wine in it and it was great! If I didn’t have that kind of broth next time, I definitely wouldn’t skip the wine. It adds a lot of flavour. I’m definitely making it again, thank you for the recipe!
Can this be made with leftover crockpot roast??
Absolutely!
Very, very delicious!! My entire family loved it and will be making it again. I followed the recipe with 2 modifications; added one packet of Sazon Seasoning to the pot when the beef and vegetables was added. I started cooking a little late so after the stew had been cooking for about 30 minutes, I was concerned that the beef wouldn’t be as tender as I’d like for another 30=45 minutes. So, I put it in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes then put it back into the original pan on the stove. The beef was super tender and flavorful!! Thank you!! It’s a cold night, this is the perfect meal!!
I love this stew. It reminded me of my mothers. Of course I added a lot of slurry to make it really thick (corn starch, and water) as you suggested. I did make the mistake of leaving out the tomato paste but I’m definitely gonna put it in next time. Also, I used a ribeye, which was another mistake because it’s a little chewy, but the whole thing turned out just like i expected.
Of course everything was organic the carrots the onion, the Pacific organic broth so it’s also healthy.
I made drop biscuits on the side so was very happy with this recipe. Thank you so much Holly.
Simple. Efficient. Delicious. Everything a man who likes stew but prefers to make it for himself rather than to buy a pre-made one wants in a recipe. I am planning to make some pastry dough to see if this makes a good filling for a steak pot pie.
How long in a Crockpot?
I use this slow cooker stew recipe. It’s a little different just because there’s a little bit less evaporation.
This recipe was very bland. Not just not spicy but pretty tasteless when following the recipe. I did manage to save it by adding more beef seasoning. The sauce is way too flimsy even using extra flour and cornstarch. I won’t be using this recipe again. We ate it but I”m glad I wasn’t having guests for dinner.
can this be made in the crockpot? Please respond soon.
We do have a crockpot beef stew recipe that might interest you.
I always put Bay Leaf into beef stew, adds a wonderful aroma and some flavor also.
I made it 2 weeks ago and loved it so I am making it again. I want to add mushrooms. do I need to cook them first?
No need to cook them first, enjoy Nancy!
This is a great go-to recipe! I made it using beef arm roast. I didn’t have tomato paste so I swapped a little organic Portland’s ketchup and it turned out just fine. I also added a little thyme from my garden. The family absolutely loved it! Thanks for another solid recipe.
I’ve made this before and it was delicious! this time I’m thinking of adding farro, has anyone done this? Would you add cooked at the end or cook it in the stew?
I haven’t tried it Erin. I’d try adding it already cooked as you serve it. Maybe someone else has other tips!
I would precook the farro to desired doneness – maybe just short of that – and add at the end, or add to each serving, as much as desired.
This recipe is amazing! Just the right amount of seasonings, and not too thick. I have never put peas in my beef stew, so this was a first for me. Usually I add dumplings, but I think the peas took their place nicely! Thanks!
This is so tasty! Next time I will cook longer. Also there was a lot of liquid- more like a soup than a stew. But I bet the leftovers will be fantastic.
Delicious!!!
Thank you for recipe. My family enjoyed it. I took a few things out like, wine zthyme, rosemary and peas, no celery. Added potatoes, corn and carrots only.
Not a bad recipe! Added a few spices to add a bit more flavor, but this is a staple base recipe for anyone looking to make a beef stew and add any flavors that they please. Melty tender meat and perfectly cooked veggies!! Good job!