This easy beef stew recipe is made on the stove top in a large pot and turns out so rich and flavorful with tender meat. Enjoy it with buttered bread for an amazing meal!
Hot take, but I truly believe every household needs a classic beef stew recipe to lean on in times of need.
Whether someone in the home is extra hungry and needs something filling and satisfying, it’s snowing, rainy, or otherwise stay inside weather, or you’re meal prepping for weekday meals, beef stew is always an excellent option.
I make a hearty beef stew no less than 4 times during the fall and winter months, and often even more.
Tender beef, squishy potatoes, and rich broth that I can dip buttered toast in? Sign me up early and often!
The main ingredients for beef stew are beef stew meat (or beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes), beef broth, dried herbs, fresh vegetables, and potatoes. This combination of ingredients yields a thick and hearty stew that is so flavorful and cozy for the belly.
Let’s chat about beef stew ingredients in detail as each one is important to the recipe.
Beef Stew Ingredients:
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion and brown the beef, we need a quality cooking oil. I use avocado oil because it has a high smoke point, ideal for cooking at high temperatures. Olive oil works too.
Beef Stew Meat: The main ingredient in beef stew. I buy beef stew meat from the meat section of the grocery store, because it comes pre-chopped which saves time. You can also chop a chuck roast or boneless short ribs into chunks if you prefer other cuts of beef.
Yellow Onion and Fresh Garlic: Fresh onion and garlic bring robust flavor to this easy beef stew recipe. Adjust the amount to your desired taste.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: For thick beef stew, we need to add a thickening agent like flour. I use gluten-free all-purpose flour but regular all-purpose flour works too. Corn starch or tapioca flour are also great options.
Fresh Vegetables: Carrots, Celery, Yukon Potatoes: Hearty vegetables like carrots, potatoes and celery bring a nuanced flavor, texture, and carbohydrates for a filling, balanced meal. I use baby potatoes because they are easy to chop in half, but regular potatoes work great too.
Beef Broth: The liquid in our beef stew. I like using beef bone broth for some added health benefits but regular beef stock works as well.
Seasonings: Dried Oregano, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Sea Salt, and Black Pepper: The simple seasonings for our stove top beef stew recipe.
Looking for ways you can customize this filling meal? Here are some options.
Recipe Adaptations:
- If you love cooking with red wine, use 3 cups of beef broth and 1 cup of wine. I recommend a dry red wine such as cabernet sauvignon.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste for a little acidic flavor.
- Mix in 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, or soy sauce for some rich umami flavor.
- If you don’t have bay leaves on hand, skip the bay leaf.
- Add in fresh herbs such as fresh thyme, parsley, or rosemary if you’d like.
- Swap the dried oregano and parsley for Italian seasoning if it’s what you have on hand.
- Use red potatoes or russet potatoes instead of gold potatoes.
- If slow cooking is your preferred method, prepare this homemade beef stew recipe in your crock pot.
- Skip the potatoes in the stew and serve it with mashed potatoes. I recommend my Caramelized Onion Roasted Garlic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan.
- Add 2 cups of chopped baby bella mushrooms if you’re a fan of mushrooms.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for beef stew, let’s make it on the stove top!
How to Make Beef Stew:
Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (I use a large Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. If at any point the onion begins to turn too brown, decrease the stove top to medium heat.
Scoot the onion off to the side and add in the beef stew meat. Brown the beef for a few minutes. Scrape the any browned bits off the on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the all-purpose flour until it appears to have been absorbed into the meat.
Add in the vegetables (chopped potatoes, carrots, and celery), beef broth, dried oregano, parsley, and bay leaf. Cover the pot and bring the stew to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low heat and cook at a gentle boil for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until potatoes and beef are fork tender.
Note: you can cook at a gentle simmer for even longer if you’d like. This may sound like a long period of time, but the long cooking time helps break down the connective tissue so that the beef is so tender and easy to chew. I find a long cooking time makes the best beef stew recipe.
Season the beef stew to taste with sea salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Serve beef stew in large bowls with crusty bread, and enjoy!
Storage Tips:
Refrigerate the beef stew in the same pot you used to make it, or transfer it to an airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze leftover stew double bagged in large zip lock bags for up to 3 months.
The next time you’re craving healthy comfort food, whip up this simple beef stew recipe!
Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
- 2 to 2.5 lbs beef stew meat
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour , or gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 cups yukon gold potatoes, chopped*
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (I use a large Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
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Scoot the onion off to the side and add in the beef stew meat and minced garlic. Brown the beef for a few minutes. Stir in the all-purpose flour until it appears to have been absorbed into the meat.
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Add in the vegetables (chopped potatoes, carrots, and celery), beef broth, dried oregano, parsley, and bay leaf. Cover the pot and bring the stew to a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low heat and cook at a gentle boil for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until potatoes and beef are fork tender.
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Season the beef stew to taste with sea salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
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Serve beef stew in large bowls with crusty bread, and enjoy!