Nothing compares to the cozy comfort of classic Beef Stew. Tender morsels of beef practically melt in your mouth, and the combination of vegetables and beef infuse the dish with incredible flavor as they simmer together in a rich broth.
Beef is naturally juicy and adds so much flavor to dishes like our Chili Recipe, and of course Meatloaf. If you let it cook low and slow, it becomes wonderfully tender and so satisfying. All you need with this are soft Dinner Rolls and it’s a one-pot meal.
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The Best Beef Stew Recipe
Beef stew is a very hearty soup with a blend of beef and humble vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onion in a richly flavored wine and tomato broth. This hearty beef stew is every bit as good as its cousin, the famous beef bourguignon, and Lamb Stew. We love beef stew so much that we even have a Slow Cooker Beef Stew.
What is the secret to good stew? When the stew is slow-cooked, the beef becomes meltingly tender and full of flavor. We also love to add mushrooms and bacon which add a rich depth of flavor to make this the best beef stew we’ve ever tried.
Beef Stew Video
You can do this! Homemade stew takes some time to make because it needs to slow roast in the oven but it is simple to prepare. One bite and you’ll realize why this beef stew is one of our most popular recipes.
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Ingredients
These are the ingredients often used in beef stew. They aren’t overly complicated, but the flavors work together so well. P.S. You can make your stew thicker by adding more flour (see tips below).
- Beef – you can use beef stew meat or cut up your own beef chuck roast or other well-marbled steaks.
- Bacon – center cut is always my favorite cut of bacon. It adds a wonderful richness and a salty bite to the stew.
- All-purpose flour – used to dredge the beef and to thicken if desired
- Red wine – use a drinkable red wine and avoid anything labeled “cooking wine” (see below for our list of recommended wines for cooking)
- Mushrooms – use brown or white mushrooms, thickly sliced
- Carrots, Onions, and Garlic – the aromatics which release a fragrant aroma and add flavor when cooked
- Tomato Paste – adds acidity to balance the broth
- Beef Broth – you can use beef bone broth, beef stock, or even substitute with chicken stock
- Bay leaves and thyme – these simple seasonings round out the flavors of the soup
- Potatoes – new potatoes or fingerling potatoes make the soup look extra fancy but you can dice up and add waxy potatoes such as yukon gold or red potatoes.
What is Stew Meat?
Beef stew meat is a great choice for your next meal – it’s made up of tender pieces of beef, ranging from filet mignon and prime rib to trimmings from steaks that may have been too large for their packages. I’ve even spotted pieces of filet mignon and prime rib in my packs! Not only is it reasonably priced, but it’s also incredibly versatile.
We love beef stew meat recipes such as Instant Pot Rice and Beef and Rice Soup. If you aren’t able to find stew meat, another good option is boneless beef chuck which you can buy and cut into bite-size pieces yourself.
The Best Red Wine for Cooking
The wine adds so much flavor to this classic beef stew. For most cooking, dry red wine is best. Avoid anything labeled “cooking wine.” A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t drink it, you should not cook with it. Some good red wine options include:
- Pinot Noir
- Merlot
- Cabernet Savignon
- Soft Red by Ste Chapelle (our favorite local brand)
How to Make Beef Stew
Here is a quick visual reference of how to make beef stew but be sure to watch the full video tutorial above and you’ll see just how easy this is to make Beef Stew.
- Brown the bacon in a large, oven-proof pot, then remove to a plate.
- Season beef in a separate bowl with salt and pepper then toss with flour. Sautee beef in 2 batches, adding more oil as needed.
- Add red wine and scrape to deglaze the pot. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat 10 minutes.
- Sautee Vegetables – In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add oil, carrots, onions and garlic then sautee until softened. Stir in tomato paste and transfer the veggies to the pot.
- Combine and bake – Return Beef and bacon to the pot, add beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, and potatoes. Stir to combine and make sure the potatoes are submerged. COVER and bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 45 min.
For a Healthier Stew: you can tilt the pot after it comes out of the oven to allow the liquid to pool to one side, then skim off any excess fat with a spoon.
Pro Tip: Make sure to use a tight-fitting lid so you don’t lose too much steam while the pot is in the oven. We love cooking beef stew in a dutch oven since it has an ideal heavy lid.
How to Thicken Beef Stew?
Beef stew is not supposed to be gravy. Tossing the beef in flour and the natural starch from the potatoes will make the sauce slightly thicker than a typical soup base.
For a thicker stew with a more gravy-like consistency, melt 2 Tbsp butter and stir in 2 Tbsp flour to make a paste. Once the stew is out of the oven, place it on the stove, add the paste a little at a time (to reach desired consistency) then bring it back to a boil for a few minutes to thicken and cook the flour.
Can Beef Stew be Cooked on the Stovetop?
You can finish your stew on the stovetop instead of the oven. Be sure to use a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven and keep it at a low simmer and stir occasionally to make sure you don’t scorch the bottom. It should take about 1 1/2 hours on the stovetop or until your beef reaches the desired tenderness.
To Serve
Since stew is a meal in itself, loaded with beef and vegetables in a rich broth so we love to serve it with simple sides:
- Soft Dinner Rolls – to soak up the tasty broth
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes – the stew is almost a light gravy with potatoes.
- White Rice – steamy, buttery and so simple
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes – so comforting in the cooler months
- Beet Arugula Salad – we love a fresh green salad with stew
- Caesar Salad – with the best homemade dressing
Now go forth and conquer this classic homemade beef stew! There’s nothing quite like curling up with a bowl of steamy, hearty stew in the colder months.
More Beef Recipes for Dinner:
- Beef Stroganoff – in mushroom cream sauce
- Lasagna – classic with a beefy sauce
- Baked Ziti – irresistibly cheesy pasta bake
- Meatloaf – with our favorite glaze
- Beef Chili – easy, one-pot 30-min dinner
Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz bacon, chopped into 1/4" strips
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, to sautee
- 2 lbs beef stew meat, (or beef chuck cut into 1″ pieces)
- 2 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups good dry red wine
- 1 lb mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth , or beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 lb small potatoes, new potatoes, or fingerling, halved or quartered
Instructions
- In a large, oven-proof pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until golden brown and fat is released. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a separate bowl.
- While bacon is cooking, place beef in a large mixing bowl and season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Sprinkle beef with 1/4 cup flour and toss to combine and evenly coat beef. Transfer beef in 2 batches into the hot bacon fat and cook over med/high heat, until beef is browned (3 min per side). Add olive oil if needed. Transfer browned beef to the bowl with bacon.
- Add 2 cups wine to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to deglaze the pot. Add sliced mushrooms and simmer over medium heat about 10 min.
- Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add sliced carrots, diced onion, and 4 chopped garlic cloves, and saute 4 min. Add 1 Tbsp tomato paste and saute another minute. Transfer veggies to the soup pot.
- Add 4 cups beef broth, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Return beef and bacon to the pot then add potatoes. Stir to combine and make sure potatoes are submerged in liquid. Cover with lid and bake at 325˚F oven for 1 hour and 45 min.
The BEST stew I’ve had. It’s in my oven now for my 2nd time. Thanks for sharing.
Ruth, thank you for the great review and you are welcome 😀
Have you ever done this recipe in the crock pot for the last part? Any idea how long or the setting?
Hi Erin, I haven’t tried it so I can’t really recommend a specific time for it. If you test it out, let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi, AMAZING recipe. I like all kind of Stews. It looks tasty. Brilliant recipe. Thanx for sharing. Andrew
You are welcome Andrew, I’m glad you like it 😁
How many quarts is your oven safe pan/pot? Thanks
My Dutch oven is 5 1/2 quarts.
Making this now and smells amazing!!!
I would love to hear your feedback 😀 .
This is the absolute best beef stew I have ever had. My husband has been begging me to make it again. My dad is my biggest critic, and I gave him a bowl of this, he had not one bad thing to say about it! I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe!
Lauren
alsoknownasmama.com
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing that with me. 🙂
Hi! My boyfriend’s side of the family is almost all gluten free… Do you know of any good substitutes for the flour part or would it be okay if I just don’t use any flour? I think this would be an amazing hit for thanksgiving! Thank you!!!
I think any gluten free flour would work. That’s awesome that you’re making it for Thanksgiving! 🙂
Ever since I was in Ukraine, I have been looking for a beef stew recipe comparable to what I had there. With the addition of dried and fresh dill, this came the closest to any recipe I have tried! It was delicious, but most importantly, my kids loved it! Thank you for sharing it.
Tiffany, thank you for the great review, I’m glad that kids approved 😀 .
Love this recipe! However, just a personal preference: I like my veggies to be a little more firm, so next time I’ll probably add them when there are 45 minutes left in the oven. I followed the directions exactly and the vegetables were VERY soft. But the meat was perfect and tender! Very delicious.
Hi Anne! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
made this last night. total success!! loved it!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for the great review 🙂
I had a bit of trouble with this one.
I followed the recipe pretty closely. The changes were pancetta instead of bacon (I had to get rid of it somehow), my wine was Mark West Pinot Grigio, I used whole baby carrots, and at the very end I tossed in about 1 1/2 organic green peas at the end because the kids:)
The excellent: the sauce came out great, it was just the right consistency and color. The beef was really tender, and I did not start with the best possible meat.
The not-so-great: there was a sour undertaste to everything – I don’t know if it came from the wine, perhaps I need to switch the brand. And I ended up with a major stomach ache – also probably due to the wine.
I might need to tweak it a little, definitely has potential to be great.
Hi Victoria, Is that a white wine? I’m not familiar with it and couldn’t find a picture of it on google. I’ve only tried this with red wine (see notes on wine towards the top of the post). It’s very likely that it was the wine if it was sour tasting – I didn’t have that experience with the soft red that I used. After switching to a red wine, make sure to cook it uncovered for 10 minutes to boil out some of the alcohol. Also, did you cook the whole thing as long as the recipe states? By the time it’s done, you will have cooked most of the alcohol content out of the stew. I hope that helps! 🙂
It is a red wine and it tastes descent enough to drink. https://winelibrary.com/wines/pinot-noir/2013-mark-west-pinot-noir-86671?mkwid=sYk6dcOjY_dc&pcrid=52471769329&pmt=&keyword=&src=%5Boffer%5D&gclid=CJvux4b1nskCFYI8gQodSJoHqA I sadly could not find the one you recommended. I think it might need to be softer, this tastes very dry.
I think a softer one would work better. Or maybe using less of the one you have and make up the difference with broth? Did you change anything else in the recipe that would add a sour taste?
I am trying again:) Don’t mind me, I am a Chemist so I obsessed with perfection and tracking down problems:) I tracked down where the weird taste comes from. It is Better Than Bouillon Beef Base. I have never used before this recipe so I don’t know if it is just my batch or it is systemic, but if one follows their directions it turns out to have this sour-metallic chasing taste. It might just a matter of taste but I dislike it. I added some heavy cream and a tsp of baking soda. It turned out a lot better than last time. Good news is, this fiasco made me try a new soft red wine: http://www.wine.com/v6/Menage-a-Trois-Silk-Soft-Red-Blend-2013/wine/147845/Detail.aspx?state=FL It is quite delicious in the stew and to drink as well:) Thank you for taking your time to respond, it is very kind!
Thank you for sharing and I really appreciate that you even left a link to the new wine you tried! I wonder if it’s that particular batch of beef base – I’ve never had a sour one before. I wonder if it went bad especially if you ended up with a stomach ache. I’ve purchased 1 can of chicken broth that was questionable from their brand and I contacted the company about it and they sent me several new cans to try. You might try that 🙂
Pinot Grigio is most certainly a white wine – perhaps the commenter meant Pinot Noir?
The only things that could really impart a sour flavor are:
* bad wine
* white wine
* burned garlic
* bad meat
I didn’t put this in the oven, I left it on the stove top.
This stew is just excellent, surely the best that I have ever had. This will be a go-to for sure.
Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for the awesome review!
So you need 5 lb beef total, wasn’t sure what you mean by 2 2 1/2 beef.. Thank you
Recipe calls for roughly 2 or 2.5 lbs of beef.
Do you think I can make this without the potatoes and serve it over puréed parsnips instead?
Hi Katie, I haven’t tried that flavor combination but I don’t see why not :). It would still work without the potatoes, you would just have more liquid in the stew.
I may try it this weekend, I’ll let you know. Trying to cut back the carbs and puréed parsnips are amazing! I can trick the potato eaters with it by adding roasted garlic and bringing on the cream 😜
Fabulous. Made it tonight for the family and wow. Whatta hit!
Thank you Sandra for such a nice review, I’m glad that your family approves it 😀 .
I’m thinking about using my slow cooker for this. low and slow.
any suggestions? maybe add the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms later in the cooking process?
I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker so I can’t say for certain how it would work out. I think the vegetables would be ok at the same time (you can add them later if you want them to be a little more firm-tender), but you definitely want to brown the beef and the bacon per instructions before adding them to the pot.
Great recipe! I think wine (red or white) makes everything better. I cut the meat portion in half….kicked up the potatoes and carrots a little. I had a little flour left over in the bowl and I knew the recipe needed that flour so I smashed up a little butter (because a little butter makes everything better too!)and made a paste and stirred it into the stew before putting it in the oven. Husband said best beef stew ever! thank you!
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review 🙂
This was definitely one of the best beef stew recipes I have ever made! The family loved it.
Carla, thank you for such great review, I’m glad you liked the recipe :).
I made this a few nights ago. This was my first time making beef stew and it was amazing! I made it with white rice and we spooned the stew on top of the rice. My sister and the kids ate 2 bowls of it the first night alone. My sister couldn’t stop raving about how good it was. The beef was so tender and the flavor was so wonderful! I will definitely be making this again. Thanks!!!!!!!
Cammy, what a great review and you are welcome :D.
Is there a way I can make this without putting it in the oven? I don’t have an oven pot lol
I always make this in the oven but I think it would work well if you cover and cook it at a simmer on the stove until the meat is tender. You do have to be careful to keep the heat at a simmer low enough that you don’t scorch the bottom. Also to prevent scorching, make sure you are using a heavy bottomed pot for more even heat distribution.