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This beef stew recipe is cozy, hearty, and filling with tender beef, carrots, and potatoes simmered in a rich and flavorful red wine sauce.
Check out my Crockpot Beef Stew or my Instant Pot Beef Stew if you want to try other cooking methods. Or try my Hamburger Stew for a quicker recipe with similar vibes!
Why you’ll love it
A classic beef stew is the best kind of cold weather comfort food. Your kitchen will smell amazing as it slowly simmers away! That rich broth is *chef’s kiss*. This is the perfect recipe for when you’re in the mood to spend some quality time preparing a delicious meal from scratch.
Beef stew might seem intimidating, but you can easily make it in your kitchen with this straightforward guide. It’s a pretty hands-off stew once you get it going. Read on for success tips and everything you need to know to get this recipe right! I hope you will love this stove top beef stew recipe as much as I do.
What’s the best cut of beef for beef stew?
- Cutting up a beef chuck roast will produce the most tender meat. Top or bottom round cuts or even short ribs will work too. You can use the pre-cut meat labeled “beef stewing cubes” or similar in your grocery store; just be sure that is has a decent amount of marbling (fat) and doesn’t look too lean, or the meat will dry out and won’t be as tender.
How to make beef stew
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Coat the beef in flour, sear it in a pot or Dutch oven in two batches until it’s browned, then transfer to a plate. In the same pot, sauté the onions and celery.
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Add in the broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and Italian seasoning. Return the beef to the pot, bring the stew to a gentle boil, and then cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Add in the potatoes and carrots, and cook for another hour or until the potatoes, carrots, and meat are tender. Add in the peas if desired, and season to taste!
Tips for success
- The key to tender beef is cooking it slowly over a fairly low heat. If you boil the heck out of it or rush it, the meat fibers will be tough and chewy, so be mindful of the temperature of your stove. You can do steps 7-8 in the oven if you prefer. Try 325F, and the timing will be similar.
- If your bay leaves have been sitting in your pantry for years, it may be time to get a new jar as they do lose their flavor.
- You may need to skim a little fat off the surface of the stew prior to serving or when reheating. This is totally normal!
What kind of wine to use in beef stew
- You will taste the red wine in this stew, so ensure it’s something that you’d enjoy drinking. Try a merlot, cabernet sauvignon, or pinot noir. Any red wine that’s not sweet should be fine. Look for something that’s full-bodied, and a little bit of fruitiness is good too. I highly recommend adding the wine as it makes the flavor so much richer!
Substitutions and variations
- Red wine substitute: If you decide to skip the wine and sub for the same amount of beef broth, I would then add a splash of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar since you’ll be missing out on flavor. Try 1-2 tablespoons.
- Beef stew seasoning: I add such a small amount of Italian seasoning (or use Herbs de Provence) because I prefer my stew not to be overly herby, but you can definitely up the amount if you like a stronger herb flavor, or even use fresh herbs. Try adding a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme and/or rosemary along with the bay leaves. This is an old fashioned beef stew, so it’s not jazzed up with tons of herbs and spices!
- Potatoes: Swap the Yukon Gold potatoes for red potatoes if you like. Only use Russets if you want a more fall-apart texture. You may need to add more liquid to compensate.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- To make turning the beef easy while searing it, I recommend using kitchen tongs.
- I used this 5.5 qt. Dutch oven for this stew.
- I use my garlic press to quickly crush garlic cloves in recipes that call for minced garlic.
What to serve with beef stew
- You can’t go wrong with a thick slice of rustic bread or a side salad. Try my Homemade Balsamic Dressing with mixed greens or my Creamy Pesto Dressing.
- It is a meal in itself and already has potatoes, but people have been known to serve stew with Mashed Potatoes. I won’t judge!
Leftovers and storage
- This recipe will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- You can freeze beef stew. Either thaw in the fridge overnight, or warm in a covered saucepan over low heat from frozen, stirring occasionally. Keep in mind the texture of the potatoes may change over time.
More comfort food favorites
Questions about this traditional beef stew recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cubed beef chuck or beef stewing meat see note
- Flour for dredging
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more as needed divided
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 sticks celery chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste see note
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes peeled & diced
- 4 medium carrots peeled & sliced fairly thick
- 1 cup frozen peas optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep ingredients. I recommend peeling and cutting the potatoes and carrots just prior to step 8.
- Coat the beef cubes in flour, and shake off any excess.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a pot/Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the beef in two batches until nicely browned (if you crowd the pot it won't brown). Don't move the meat around the pan… turn it with tongs after it's had a few minutes to sear. Add the remaining oil to the pot for the second batch. Transfer the meat to a plate after each batch.
- If the pot seems quite dry, add another teaspoon or so of olive oil, then add in the onions and celery and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the wine, broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the beef back to the pot (and any juices on the plate) as well as the Italian seasoning and bay leaves. Bring the stew to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Important: I recommend stirring it occasionally during this time to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot and that the temperature is still correct. On my gas stove I cook this stew alternating between medium-low and low (I adjust as needed so it's bubbling fairly gently vs. full-on boiling).
- Stir in the potatoes and carrots, cover the pot again, and continue simmering for another hour or until the potatoes, carrots, and meat are nice and tender. As per the previous step, give it a stir occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking/scorching, and adjust the stove's temperature as needed so it maintains a simmer.
- Take the bay leaves out of the stew and stir in the frozen peas. Let them warm through.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve.
Notes
- Cut up a nicely marbled chuck roast into 1.5″ cubes for best results. Do not use a lean cut of beef or it’ll be much tougher and more chewy.
- You can do steps 7-8 in the oven. Timing will be similar for each step. Try 325F for the oven temperature.
- You may need to skim a bit of fat off the top prior to serving or when reheating leftovers (this is normal).
- If using a tube of double concentrated tomato paste, you may want to halve the amount.
- See blog post for more success tips, info on substitutions and what kind of wine to use, and step-by-step process photos.
- Other cooking methods: try my Crockpot Beef Stew or Instant Pot Beef Stew (recipes are similar to this one but not exactly the same).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Excellent and to me tasted like it cooked all day.
Thanks, Mary!
Well i followed the recipe to a tea and it came out terrible, the liquid was so thin I had to put flour and water to make it thicker. It did not taste good at all. I was really surprised and disappointed. What did I do wrong?
Hi Veronica! Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. It’s hard to say what went wrong. It’s possible you mis-measured something (happens to the best of us). It shouldn’t be as thin as you describe (see photos). Did you add enough salt? That’s the usual culprit when something is missing flavor-wise. I would recommend in the future if something like this happens, to add in a cornstarch slurry vs. flour and water to thicken it up. The raw flour taste definitely wouldn’t help the flavor of the stew. If you see my reply and can provide me with some more details, maybe I can narrow it down more?
I forgot to say in my last post that the reason I added 1 more cup of broth was because I didn’t use the red wine.
Absolutely delicious! Family loved it. I added an xtra cup of beef broth to my instant pot…turned out great! I’m making it again this week. I didn’t make enough for left overs.
Thank you, Ellie! I’m so glad you liked it!
Great stew was very easy , flavor was great will keep this one .ty
You’re very welcome, Dar!
I will be making a double recipe one day ahead for a dinner party. Should I use the crockpot recipe, and if so how should I reheat it the next day? Or would it be better to make it on the stove in my Dutch oven? Caveat: I was unable to find a large enough chuck roast, so I will be using pre-cut, fat removed “stew beef.” I know it will be tricky to not overcook it.
Hi Anne! I would probably just reheat it on the stove in a large pot. I think that either recipe would be fine, but for either of them make sure your pot or slow cooker is large enough to double the quantities.
It took 66 years, but I finally found the best beef stew recipe. Added seasoned salt to the flour and I did double the Italian seasoning and add a few sprigs of thyme because I like the herb flavor. After adding the carrots and tiny Yukon gold potatoes, I did put it in the oven at 325 degrees (as suggested) to finish. Served with sourdough bread. So good! Thank you
You are very welcome, Cyndy! Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
This smells heavenly!
How much salt and pepper do you use?
Hi Suze! I taste and adjust as needed… that is why I don’t list a quantity since everyone has different tastes.
Always such a good, hearty comfort meal! The house smells wonderful with this simmering all afternoon. I always substitute the red wine for an extra cup of beef broth and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and it comes out absolutely divine!
Thank you!! 😀
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe Natasha! It was very delicious!! My husband & I have not been feeling well & we decided this would be a nice comfort food. We really enjoyed it.
You’re very welcome, Janet!! I’m so happy you two enjoyed it. Hope you both feel better soon! Thanks for your review.