Easy and comforting Beef Stew recipe – with a few updated twists. Tender meat and vegetables in a flavorful broth, made in one pot. Check out my tips for making the BEST Beef Stew every time!
Thank you Decoy for sponsoring this post.
As if there isn’t already so much to love about October (Crisp air! Football! Pumpkins! Sweet Potato Casserole!), October is also International Merlot Month. A whole month dedicated to merlot? Yep, you read that right. I‘ll be celebrating with this delicious Beef Stew, which pairs perfectly with Decoy Merlot.
How to Make Beef Stew
This beef stew has many similar characteristics to a traditional beef stew, with a few updates to make it even better! Here’s how to make it.
- Start by browning stew meat in a dutch oven or large saucepan.
- Add onions, tomato paste, thyme, worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. These ingredients will give the meat lots of flavor!
- Simmer the meat for a couple of hours (without adding all the vegetables yet), so that the meat has plenty of time to get nice and tender. This is the key!
- Add all those veggies! Potatoes and carrots are the usual suspects, but I also add celery, butternut squash, and peas.
- Simmer for another 30 minutes or so, until the veggies are tender.
- Serve piping hot with crusty bread and, of course, a glass of Merlot.
Tips for Making Beef Stew
- Cook the meat longer than the vegetables. This allows the meat to get super tender without the veggies getting mushy.
- Use herbs both in the stew and and as a garnish. I like thyme, parsley, and bay leaf, but you can also use rosemary, oregano, or sage. This adds a fresh flavor to this hearty dish.
- Use your favorite veggies. I typically use potatoes, carrots, celery, butternut squash, and peas. You can also add mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and/or green beans. Pick and choose your favorites!
- Adjust how thick/thin you want the stew by adding flour (to thicken) or beef broth/water (to thin).
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Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds stew meat
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 5 cups beef broth, divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 medium potatoes (I used yukon gold), cut into large-bite size pieces (about 5 cups)
- 1 cup chopped celery, cut into large-bite size pieces
- 2 cups chopped carrots, cut into large-bite size pieces
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash, cut into large-bite size pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- minced parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the stew meat, salt and pepper. Brown the meat, stirring occasionally (several minutes). If there is an excessive amount of grease, drain some of it out of the pan.
- Return the pan to medium heat, add onion, worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any brown bits. Add thyme, bay leaf and 3 cups of beef broth (this should be enough to cover the meat and onions. If not, add water until the meat is covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 2 hours.
- Once the meat is tender - but not falling apart, add the potatoes, celery, carrots and butternut squash. Pour over another 2 cups of beef broth and enough water to cover the vegetables. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes - until the vegetables are tender.
- If you’d like the broth thicker: In a bowl, whisk ¼ cup of flour with 1 cup water until smooth. Add the mixture to the stew,stirring until combined. This will thicken the sauce, and create more of a "gravy" consistency.
- Add peas, and simmer the stew for another 5 minutes or so, until the sauce has thickened and the peas are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste (this will depend on how salty your beef broth is).
- To serve: sprinkle each serving with minced parsley and/or thyme and serve with crusty bread on the side for dipping.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Emily
I’ve never tried Decoy before, but it looks like it’s really good. I will have to give it a try.
Colleen
That is one delicious looking beef stew, and Merlot makes everything better!
sue
how much merlot??
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Sue. This stew is served alongside wine. If you’d like to add some to the stew you can, just reduce the other liquids accordingly. I would use about 1/2-1 cup of wine. Enjoy!
Debra Salley
I read, I made and I loved, loved it!! The pictures don’t do it justice!!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Roxana
This is a great stew packed with flavor. Looks so delicious too. Love all those vegetables in it too.
Noelle
By far my favorite stew recipe, thank you!
Kate Hackworthy
I love that you’ve added loads of veggies. And yes, definitely serve with Merlot!
Carol
Made this tonight and the first both kids said as I was cooking, “I won’t eat squash.. I don’t like peas.. I don’t think I’ll like this stew..”.. they both came back for seconds and raves about how the squash is just like potatoes and they loved it! If the kids eat seconds it’s a winner in this house. So good I can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow!! Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment. Enjoy! 🙂 -Allison
Michelle
Good recipe…. if you need to add water, add as little as possible… add beef broth instead. Added water as instructed and lost a little flavor and was a little too soupy even after addition of flour/water and even a little cornstarch/water.?? Overall flavor is one of the better ones though!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your feedback. 🙂
Teri
I’m making this yummy stew for our dinner tonight. Tomorrow I’m taking a pot of this stew to my brother. It’s one of his favorites and we all need a little comfort food right now during “stay at home” orders.
Jeannette
This was fantastic! Thank you!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Mags
Made stew today. Yum. This one will be my go to
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂