Homemade Beef Stew Recipe

4.15 from 7 votes

This classic beef stew is the perfect comfort food, full of melt-in-your-mouth beef and plenty of hearty vegetables. Serve with biscuits, rice or a loaf of crusty bread to soak up every last bite.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: people

Calories: 210kcal

Author: The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

1½ pounds beef stew meat chuck roast, or any kind of steak, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (plus extra for tossing with the beef)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
3 cups onion minced
2 teaspoons garlic minced
3 cups potatoes peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1½ cups celery sliced
1½ cups carrots peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup tomato sauce
5-6 cups beef broth enough to cover all stew ingredients
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 large bay leaves
4 springs thyme

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare stew meat by cutting roast or steaks into 1" pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and then lightly in flour.
In a large Dutch oven pot, add a few tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. In batches, add stew meat in a single layer, leaving space between the meat so it can brown. Salt and pepper as you go. Once browned, remove stew meat and set aside, repeating until all stew meat is browned.
In the same Dutch oven over medium heat, add the minced onion and deglaze the pot with about a cup water or red wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to make sure you get up all of the browned bits, then caramelize the onions until they are golden brown. Add minced garlic and cook until the garlic is translucent, or about 2-3 minutes.
Add the browned beef, potatoes, celery, carrots, tomato sauce, broth, bay leaves, worcheshire sauce, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and simmer on the stovetop on low for about 40-60 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls, then garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Storing leftovers: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheating: transfer stew to a pot and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat.

Substitutions:

Instead of flour you can substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
Instead of water you can substitute red wine
Instead of tomato sauce, substitute 3 tablespoons of tomato paste

Nutrition