Look no further for the Best Beef Stew! This is my take on the classic beef stew, it's hearty, flavorful and perfectly warming for those cold winter months. Succulent beef chunks, packed in with veggies in a rich broth - delicious!
Vibrant veggies, melt in the mouth beef and a lip smacking broth all come together to make the Best Beef Stew! The beef chuck is comes out so tender and perfectly seasoned with a host of warming spices, all nestled with hearty gold potatoes and loads of veggies, super satisfying and super yummy!
Looking for more beef recipes? Why not also try my Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry and my Grilled Beef Kabobs!
Why this Best Beef Stew is so good
- Super hearty and packed with veggies! Loaded with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and tons more veggies, as well as juicy beef, this is such a filling meal, perfect for the hungriest of customers.
- Packed with flavor. Seasoned with garlic, ginger, Italian seasoning and given a hit of umami with Worcestershire sauce, this is a rich and delicious beef stew.
- An easy beef stew. A one pot meal that comes together so easily and can feed an army!
Ingredients you'll need
- Beef Chuck
- All Purpose Flour
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Beef Broth
- Vegetables: Baby carrots, potatoes, green beans, onion, mushrooms, jalapeno, celery
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bay leaf
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh Parsley
How to make the Best Beef Stew
- Brown the beef: In a Dutch oven or skillet, brown your trimmed and seasoned beef. Set aside.
- Cook the aromatics: In the Dutch oven, sauté the onions and garlic then add in tomato paste and seasoning.
- Cook the meat: Add the beef to the Dutch oven, along with the stock, ginger, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Cook in the oven for 1.5 hours.
- Add the veggies: Throw in the chopped vegetables, apart from the mushrooms and cook in the oven for another hour. Add in the mushrooms and bake for a final 30 mins.
- Remove from the oven and let the beef stew rest for about 10 minutes. Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley, serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- Use a preheated oven.
- Cook your aromatics low and slow. You want to get all the flavor out of your onions and garlic, so cook them on a lower heat otherwise they will burn.
- You can cook your beef in batches so you don't over crowd the pot.
- Beef stew can be made with different cuts of beef, if your beef is not tender after the cook time, you can add another 15 mins or so.
- Don't skip on searing the beef, searing it over high heat gives the meat a deeper, richer flavor.
- Allow your stew to rest for 10 mins before serving, this allows the flavors to blend and the stew to thicken.
- You can adjust the spice levels by omitting the jalapeno or adding more.
- Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley, for an extra pop of color.
FAQ's
What to serve with stew
This easy Beef Stew is a complete meal on its own but you can certainly serve with my Easy Mashed Potatoes and Easy Dinner Rolls . You can keep it super simple and serve with crackers or saltines for a crunchy hit!
What's the best cut of beef for stew?
The best beef stews need the right cut of meat. I used chuck roast but you could also go for brisket or round. Leaner cut aren't as good because they lack the connective tissue that turns into gelatin as it cooks. This keeps the meat juicy and tender while also thicken and turning the stew rich with a deeper flavor.
Can you freeze the Best Beef Stew?
Well, it wouldn't be the Best Beef Stew if you couldn't, right?? Allow the stew to cool, you can store in freezer bags, it takes up less space and you can portion it out. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or you can defrost in the microwave, stir occasionally.
How to thicken Beef Stew
Even though beef stew is not supposed to have a very thick gravy like sauce, you can always thicken it up if you feel like you added too much broth or water and the sauce is too liquidly. Dissolve 1 tbsp. of flour or corn starch with some cold water to create a slurry and mix it well into the stew as you continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes at the very end.
How do you sweeten Beef Stew?
You can always sweeten your beef stew by adding 1 tbsp. or so of cane sugar. If you feel like you have sweetened it too much, you can balance the flavor by adding a little bit of vinegar.
Can you cook Beef Stew on the stovetop?
You can but you must use a very heavy skillet like cast iron or Dutch oven like pot and cook on low heat for 2-3 hours or until the beef becomes super soft.
Other main dishes
- Oven Baked Turkey Breast
- Spicy Shrimp Pasta
- Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this Best Beef Stew recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Best Beef Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Oven Proof Cast Iron Pot
Ingredients
Beef
- 3.5 lbs. beef chuck boneless, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. black pepper fresh cracked
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsps. olive oil
Stew Ingredients
- 4 cups beef broth or stock low sodium if you possible
- 12 oz. baby carrots or 3 large carrots
- 3 sticks celery cup into 1.5 inch sticks
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms cleaned and stem trimmed
- 3 large Yukon gold potatoes cubed
- 1 cup green peas frozen
- 1 large onion cube into 1 inch chunks
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsps. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 3 1 inch pieces of fresh ginger
- 2 tbsps. tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 piece bay leaf optional
- 1 whole Jalapeño
- 1 tbsps. fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
The Beef
- Trim the beef chuck and cut into 1.5 inch large cubes. Season with salt and pepper and then coat very well with the all purpose flour.
- Bring a Dutch oven pot or skillet to high heat and add the olive oil. Brown the pieces of beef on all sides until they get a golden brown color and crisp coat on the outside. Do this in batches so you don't over crowd the pot. Set the beef chunks aside in a bowl.
The Stew
- In the same skillet or pot, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Pan sear the onions for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Next add in the tomato paste, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add in the beef cubes and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add in the beef stock, ginger, Worchester sauce, red wine vinegar and bay leaf if you are using any. Cover to seal very well and transfer to braise in the preheated oven for 1.5 hour on the middle rack.
- Add in the potatoes, carrots, green peas, celery, and jalapeno pepper. Submerge all the ingredients in the liquid. Cover and bake for another hour. Taste for salt.
- Finally add in the mushrooms and mix into the stew. Bake for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the stew rest for 10 minutes with lid on.
- Before serving, garnish with some fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- Use a preheated oven.
- Cook your aromatics low and slow. You want to get all the flavor out of your onions and garlic, so cook them on a lower heat otherwise they will burn.
- You can cook your beef in batches so you don't over crowd the pot.
- Beef stew can be made with different cuts of beef, if your beef is not tender after the cook time, you can add another 15 mins or so.
- Don't skip on searing the beef, searing it over high heat gives the meat a deeper, richer flavor.
- Allow your stew to rest for 10 mins before serving, this allows the flavors to blend and the stew to thicken.
- You can adjust the spice levels by omitting the jalapeno or adding more.
- Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley, for an extra pop of color.
Your list of ingredients that gives the quantities says green beans instead of green peas. I thought you would want to make that correction.
Thanks so much Joyce! I didn't even realize I did that.
First recipe I made with my new dutch oven. It was absolutely delicious. The meat was so tender and the vegetables were a perfect consistency, not mushy and overcooked. I did put the peas in later than the recipe called for (I put them in the last 30 min with the mushrooms) I wanted them to have more of a pop. Didn't use parsley at the end just because I didn't have any on hand. It still came out wonderfully and was a family pleaser. Will definitely be making again. Thank you so much!
Hi Rachael,
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for the review.
I was a bit leary when making this recipe due to the ginger and jalapeño that seemed a strange addition to stew. However the flavor is delicious! I had to make mine in the instant pot as I didn't have a Dutch oven. Cooked the meat on high for about 20 min. Then transferred to a pot and boiled the potatoes and veggies. I would say if feeding too Littles I'd use less pepper and jalapeño as it can get quite spicy. Overall a fun new stew recipe to try. Thanks!
Hi Becca,
Thank you so much for leaving a review and sharing how you cooked yours. I am sure some people will find it very helpful. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.