Warm, tender, and perfect for the holiday season, this easy beef stew recipe with beef, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and more is perfect for a couple, for a crowd, and will melt into your mouth with every single bite.
I’m not sure what it is, maybe it’s the fact that Christmas and all of the other fun holidays are lingering around the corner.
But I’ve been craving beef stew like nobody’s business lately.
The issue is, I had never made it before.
Never even come close to attempting it myself.
Until very recently, the only beef stew that I ever ate has been made by my mother and by my grandmother.
But then, there was chuck roast on sale at my local grocery store.
And I just had to buy it.
And the rest was history.
I have to say, I made a delicious beef stew for my first go around.
And then I practiced, practiced some more, and practiced again.
I looked at profiles of famous chefs and saw how they did it, and tweaked my own easy beef stew recipe.
And I finally can say that I’ve developed the best beef stew recipe there ever was.
All you have to do is let the stew simmer for a long time and taste test it a little bit, and you’ll have a great dinner that the whole family will love.
What You’ll Need:
A beef stew is a labor of love, I’ll be the first to admit it.
The groceries may even cost you a bit of extra money.
But this can be frozen ahead of time, prepped in one huge batch, and can be stored in your freezer for the entire winter, giving you an abundance of meals. Put the extra time and effort into preparing your ingredients, and you’ll be thanking me later.
Beef Chuck Roast: This is the most optimal beef stew meat. You can buy this prepared as stew meat, or prepare it yourself. I used two pounds of chuck roast, trimmed the fat, and cut the meat up into little chunks, before setting it off to the side as I prepared the rest of my ingredients.
Flour: You can also use a tablespoon of cornstarch or almond flour if you don’t have all purpose flour. This helps to create tender beef.
Worcestershire Sauce: This gives beef stew the delicious tanginess that it’s known for.
Beef Stock: I used unsalted beef stock, as I preferred to create my own flavor in the broth. However, you can certainly use beef broth if that’s what you have, it’ll work just fine.
Red Wine: A dry red wine is perfect with this. Don’t use cooking wine.
Diced Onions: White onions work just fine. This gives the broth maximum flavor.
Celery: This is also a broth enhancing ingredient. Dice it up nice and small.
Garlic: Four cloves of minced garlic should do the trick.
Yukon Gold Potatoes: These are the best ones, as you can leave the skin on. You can buy a bag of small gold potatoes, and use half of them. Use as much or as little as you want.
Carrots: Carrots are perfect in beef stew. Don’t dice them too small, you want to know when you’re eating a carrot.
Mushrooms: Slice these and throw them in the stew too.
Thyme, Rosemary, Bay Leaf: Aside from the usual suspects, these fresh herbs will season the broth.
Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder: This is to help tenderize the beef.
Directions:
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Sprinkle the stew meat with flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Mix well and set to the side for 10-15 minutes.
In a large stock pot or large dutch oven over medium heat, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil over the bottom of the pot. Lay the stew meat down, and begin to cook until it is seared on each side. Don’t worry about it being fully cooked through, just make sure it gets that beautiful crispy color.
Remove the stew meat from the pot, and in the excess oil, begin to saute the onions and celery in the browned bits at the bottom of the pan until the onions are translucent. Add your garlic, saute for an additional minute or two.
Add in your beef stock, wine, worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Season the broth with a generous amount of salt and pepper, and add your stew meat back into the pot. Cover and simmer on low for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally and testing for taste, making sure the simple beef stew has great flavor
After an hour and a half, add the remaining ingredients into the pot. Simmer for another hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
Your stew will be done when you have tender potatoes and carrots, and your meat is perfectly tender and melting in your mouth. Serve hot and store in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to six months.
FAQs:
Q: What other kinds of vegetables can I add to this homemade beef stew recipe?
A: You could add peas and green beans to this too. They’ll taste delicious.
Q: What other kinds of potatoes could I use?
A: Russet potatoes would be good, just be sure to peel them extremely well and dice them small. You can also use red potatoes.
Q: What kind of red wine is best for this classic beef stew recipe?
A: Something dry! I used cabernet sauvignon, and it was delicious. You can also use pinot noir, merlot, malbec, sangiovese, etc.
What To Serve With Beef Stew:
Drink: Drink the leftover wine you didn’t use in the broth. It’ll taste perfect with the hearty stew.
Appetizer: Garlic. Bread. Trust me. You’ll want a crusty bread to dip into your stew, the flavor will be unmatched.
Dessert: Try out this coffee panna cotta recipe!
Print
Beef Stew Recipe For Two: Simple One Pot Recipe
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck roast, cut into small chunks
- 2 small yellow onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 large carrots, sliced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups small yukon gold potatoes, quartered
- 1 box beef stock
- 1–2 cups dry red wine, depending on if you like thick stew or not
- 1–2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1–2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Coat the beef chunks in flour, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp pepper, and onion powder. Mix well, and set to the side.
- Begin to prepare your other vegetables.
- Once the vegetables are prepared, in a large pot, heat up the oil over medium-high heat.
- Stir meat until beautifully browned on each side. Don’t worry about whether or not it’s cooked the whole way through. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- In the leftover oil and brown bits, saute the celery and onions until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two, until fragrant.
- Add the stock, wine, and worcestershire sauce. Add the meat back to the pot, along with the rest of all of the seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover, and let simmer for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally and tasting to test.
- After an hour and a half, add the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Stir, and simmer for another hour to hour and a half.
- Your stew will be done when the carrots and potatoes are soft and the meat is extremely tender. Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 3 Hours
