Beef Stew Recipe

Hearty potatoes, loads of yummy veggies, and melt-in-your-mouth chuck roast come together in my classic beef stew recipe! Throw in some oven-warm rolls!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword beef and vegetable stews, beef stew recipes, stew recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 15

Servings servings

Calories 516kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups low sodium beef stock
1 heaping tablespoon Better Than Bouillon, beef flavor
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove any excess moisture on beef cubes (3 pounds) with paper towels. Place in a large mixing bowl and toss with salt (1 1/2) and black pepper (1 teaspoon).
In a large heavy-bottom pot, over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until it shimmers. Brown the meat in 3 batches on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. (Do not crowd the pan or the beef will simmer rather than brown and you won't create any fond.) Remove browned beef to a plate; set aside. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more oil as needed.
Add onions (2 cups) and garlic (1 tablespoon) to the pot and saute until almost soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour (1/4 cup) over the top of the vegetables and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes to reduce the flour flavor.
Add beef stock (6 cups), better than bullion (1 heaping tablespoon), tomato paste (2 tablespoons), Worcestershire sauce (2 teaspoons), bay leaves (2), paprika (1/2 teaspoon), thyme (1/2 teaspoon), and sugar (1 teaspoon). Return browned beef and any juices that have accumulated on the plate to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer until the beef is tender about 1 1/2 hours.
Add the carrots (4) and potatoes (2) and simmer until tender. Add the peas (1 cup), remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 5-7 minutes. Adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley or fresh thyme, and serve.

Notes

Beef: For stew in general, a chuck roast is a perfect choice. It creates a rich mouth-feel and becomes meltingly tender during the long, low cooking process.
Aromatics: As with most beef stew recipes, you can’t skip sautéing the aromatic vegetables before adding them!
- When these veggies are raw, they contain compounds that are pungent and sulfurous—not what you want in your soup. But when those same vegetables are heated, the compounds change, evolving into something sweet and wonderful!
Brown Bits: When you brown the beef in the oil, you create brown bits, called fond, at the bottom of the pot. These are flavor gold.
- You want to make sure there’s enough oil and that you moderate the heat while browning so the fond becomes deeply colored but does not burn.
- In many recipes, the liquid is added and brought to a boil after the browning to release the fond from the pan so it can be incorporated into the sauce. In this recipe, I sauté the onions and garlic instead. The vegetables release their natural liquids and do a perfect job of loosening the brown bits.
- Don’t be alarmed when the onions take on a deep brown color. It’s just the fond goodness coating them.
Garlic: I like to rough chop garlic rather than mince it. Because the pieces are larger, I sauté them with onions without worrying they’ll burn. If you prefer minced garlic, add them to the onion for the last few minutes of the sauté and stir frequently.
Potatoes: I always make this beef stew recipe with russet potatoes. What’s the difference between russet potatoes and other kinds? Russet potatoes have some of the highest starch content, which means they break down very well when cooked in soups and stews to help further thicken the broth.

Nutrition