Hearty Beef Stew

5 (1)

This is a recipe for the most delicious, yet brilliantly simple Hearty Beef Stew. The flavors in this Stew are immense with the inclusion of loads of tasty vegetables, flavorsome aromatics, and the star of the show – melt in the mouth Braised Beef. This is the perfect dish to serve up to a hungry group during the colder months of the year. The warming, comforting nature of a well made Stew is second to none. Oh, it also happens to taste amazing as well!

A good stew is loaded with Ingredients, and they’re simply thrown into the pot!

Don’t be overwhelmed by the ingredient list in the recipe below. Sure, there’s a load of ingredients, but that’s what a great stew is all about! Loading up a big pot filled with Vegetables, Aromatics, Liquids, and of course, that beautiful Beef, is what makes a Hearty Beef Stew so delicious

The good news is this recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. There’s a little bit of flavor building early in the piece (which is typical in most recipes), where we Brown off the Beef, then cook down the Vegetables before adding the liquids. That’s really all there is to it though. You just throw a bunch of tasty ingredients into the pot and let the slow cooking magic take over

What is the best Beef to use in a Stew?

The cut of Steak can really make or break a stew. Because this dish is slowly braised (which means the meat is cooked in liquid over a low temperature for a few hours), tougher cuts of Beef tend to work better. The braising method will slowly break down the Beef, leaving the most beautifully tender and delicious flavor. Beef Chuck, Cheeks, or Short Rib are the best choices for this method of cooking

For our Hearty Beef Stew, we are utilizing Beef Chuck. It’s a fantastic cut of Beef to use for slow braising, and it is very affordable. Unlike Short Ribs, and even Cheeks, the Beef Chuck is still super-cheap. Which is a good thing, because this recipe requires about 3 – 3 ½ lbs. of Beef

You will need to trim the Beef before cooking it. You can keep a little bit of fat on the Steak (fat equals flavor after all!) but try to avoid excessive amounts as the Stew will come out greasy. Braising Beef will typically have silver skin and some cartilage too, so please remove all of that as you are preparing the Steak

Adding Red Wine to the Hearty Beef Stew is optional, but delicious!

An optional step to add a layer of sophistication and richness to the Stew is the inclusion of Red Wine. A classically French prepared Beef Stew (which would be more like a Beef Bourguignon) relies heavily on Red Wine to create the saucy liquid. For this recipe, you can enjoy the dish perfectly fine without adding Red Wine. However, for some added richness it’s well worth the addition

About 1 cup of Red Wine is needed, and it is added earlier on in the cooking process. Once your Vegetables have been cooked, but before the Tomatoes and Broth goes in is the time for Wine. You add the Wine and allow it to reduce until it’s almost completely disappeared. The alcohol of the Wine is burnt off, and what is left is the rich, sweetness of the grapes

It’s a great addition to the dish, and for those who enjoy a glass of wine while they’re cooking. Just pour a bit of it into the pot, and the rest of the bottle is for you! It does add a nice sweetness but is not necessary. If you want to replicate some sweetness in the stew without using wine, try adding about 2 tsp. of Sugar for a similar result

We highly recommend using homemade Beef Broth / Stock

If you’ve read any of our recipes requiring Broth you know that we are huge advocates for using homemade Broth over the store-bought stuff. The flavor comparisons are simply not even fair! You can extract a ridiculous amount of flavor from Beef Bones if you make your own Stock. Simply keep any leftover Beef Bones from previous meals in the freezer. When you get enough of them you can make a delicious Broth so easily

Check out our Broths page here for full details on how to make homemade Beef Broth. The rich flavor of Homemade Beef Broth will completely transform your cooking, including this dish! Please avoid the store-bought stuff if you can. It’s loaded with Salt (to keep it shelf stable) so not only does not it not taste great, but it’s also bad for you

Once you get into the habit of making your own homemade Stocks and Broths you’ll wonder what you ever did without it. Whip up a big batch and simply partition it into 1 cup portions. Place them into Ziploc bags, label, and freeze them. This way you’ll always had some delicious Broth ready for cooking

Load the Beef Stew up with Potatoes for a truly hearty meal

What I love about a classic Beef Stew such as this one is there’s no need for a side dish. A common pairing for stews is Potatoes (baked, roasted, or mashed), but in this recipe there is no need as the Potatoes are cooked right there in the stew!

The starchiness of the Potatoes adds a wonderful heartiness and creamy texture to the dish. Simply chop the Potatoes up into cubes and add them to the Pot along with the other veggies. They will slowly cook and become beautiful and tender in the liquid. Any type of Potatoes will work too, whatever you’ve got on hand just throw them in!

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 ½ lbs. Beef Chuck (or suitable stewing Steak)
• 2 cups of Beef Broth (recipe here)
• 14 oz. chopped Canned Tomatoes
• 1 cup of Red Wine (optional)
• 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• ¾ cup of All Purpose Flour
• 2 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 Celery Stalks, diced
• 1 Large Onion, diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, diced
• 3 Potatoes, Peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 6 Sprigs of Thyme
• 1 cup of Button or Cremini Mushrooms (leave whole)
• 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Remove any silver skin and excess fatty pieces from the Beef, then cut it into chunks about the size of Golf Balls. Fill a large bowl with the AP Flour and 2 tsp. of Salt. Add the Beef and coat well
2. Heat half the Vegetable Oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add half the Beef and cook until browned on all sides (about 3 – 4 minutes). Remove Beef and set aside. Repeat the process by adding more Oil and browning the remaining Beef
3. In the same pan, add the Onions, Celery, Mushrooms, Potatoes, and Carrots and cook for 5 minutes. The Vegetables will help to deglaze the pan as they cook
4. (Optional Step): Add the Wine and cook for 5 minutes while stirring until the liquid has almost completely evaporated
5. Season the Vegetables with Salt, then add Garlic and Tomato Paste. Cook while stirring for 2 minutes, then add the Beef Broth and Canned Tomatoes. Bring to a simmer then add the Beef and juices back into the pan along with the Thyme
6. Drop the heat to low, partially cover the pot and cook for 2 ½ hours, stirring every 20 – 30 minutes or so
7. Remove the lid completely and cook for 30 minutes until the sauce is thick and luxurious. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary before serving
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Ensure the Beef is completely submerged in liquid before you begin to braise. You can add more Broth if needed
• You can replace Beef Chuck with Short Ribs or Beef Cheeks
  
  

That’s our wonderful recipe for the most warming, Hearty Beef Stew you’ll ever enjoy. This is such a simple recipe, and even though it is so rich, it’s quite healthy for you! Making for a great recipe to feed the family during those cooler Fall and Winter months

If you enjoyed this recipe then check out some other slow cooked meat dishes we’ve got on our website. Here’s a few of our favorites:

• Kansas Style Pork Ribs
• Beef and Guinness Pie
• Braised Beef Cheeks with Pedro Ximenez
• 10 Hour Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
  
  

Happy Cooking!