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.
This is SO DELICIOUS! Will NEVER use any other beef stew recipe. Thank you for posting!
Didn’t cared for this one, wine was overpowering there are better recipes out there for beef stew
Hi Jennifer, if you cook out the wine per the recipe, it should be mild and blend nicely without being overpowering. Make sure you let it cook for that full 10 minutes uncovered and then it further mellows out in the oven.
Wanted to ask, do you think I could I freeze it and use it as a postpartum meal?
Hi Diana, while I haven’t tried freezing my beef stew, it always gets gobbled up. I’m reading that it is possible to freeze. “Beef stew can be stored in the freezer for up to 3-6 months, provided it is packed in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags to preserve its quality” I hope that helps.
I love this recipe its the only one I use 😋 ❤️ anyone who says it’s not flavorful must have burnt out taste buds lol its full of delicious flavor 😋 and I tried plenty of recipes through the years.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sharon! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I was so excited to try this recipe because other recipes I’ve have tried were so delicious. Unfortunately, it was a lot of work for not a lot of flavor. After several days of rain we were looking for a hearty stew to warm us up and satisfy our craving for stew. I wish I had stuck with my family recipe instead. Very disappointing.
HI Laurie, normally this has loads of flavor. Did you change anything in the recipe?
….This was excellent!!! I cut the recipe in half and shortened the bake time by about 20 min….
The wine definitely gave the stew the perfect taste!!
I’m so glad you loved it, Lynn! Thanks for sharing.
Just made this and love it. Curious about serving size because I macro! How much is each serving? In grams or ozs?
I’m glad you loved this recipe! I didn’t measure per serving that way, I hope I did though but this recipe makes 8 servings so I would divide it by 8 to get per serving size.
This was absolutely delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe states it fed 8 people with some to spare. I did thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. Fantastic! My family loved it!
Great to hear that you and your family enjoyed it!
I made this for the first time tonight, and it was DELICIOUS!!! My husband even asked if we could eat the leftovers tomorrow night for dinner!! This recipe is a winner!!
Yay that’s awesome! Thank you so much for your comments and feedback, Melissa.
What a fun recipe. Had so many ingredients. Was worth all the prep time. Stew had a great flavor Will definitely be making in the future
Hi Myles, good to know that you had fun mkaing this recipe!
Can I put this in a slow cooker to finish off the cooking instead of the oven?
I have a Slow cooker beef stew recipe here.
this was delicious! i just left out the thyme since not my favorite!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Carol!
Your beef stew is the “bomb”. I was on a mission to find a great stew and yours is it…hands down! I made a large pot and shared with many. Everyone loved it. You made me a rock star.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Theresa! Thank you for visiting my blog and trying my recipe!
Can this be made in a crockpot?
If so, what adjustments are needed?
Hi Julie. I have a Slow cooker beef stew recipe here.
Thanks and I saw that recipe, but I wanted to make this particular recipe for tomorrow & hoped to be able to cook it in a crockpot.
Hi Natasha, I prefer this recipe to your slow cooker recipe. Can I cook it in my crockpot so I don’t have to buy a Dutch oven? If so, are there any changes I need to make? Hoping to serve this for supper tonight
Hi Julie. I have a Slow cooker beef stew recipe here.
So good! Made almost exactly as is. I had an open bottle of red wine from the night before which yielded 1 1/2 cups, so I topped it off with beef broth. I used Better Than Bouillon for the beef broth. Loved by everyone. Will definitely be making this one again!
I’m so glad you found this recipe! Thank you for the feedback: