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).
NEVER MISS A RECIPE! SUBSCRIBE to our free EMAIL LIST – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM
Recipe
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.
Donna
Well I had no idea there was a whole month dedicated to Merlot, how fun! This is amazing, I grew up in Ireland and beef stew was our go-to Sunday meal. Always so comforting and belly warming 🙂
Marie
This beef stew looks absolutely comforting and perfect to have on chilly days! Love all the veggies in this stew. I also didn’t know that there is a whole month dedicated to merlot. I need to grab a bottle the next time I’m out shopping.
Jacqueline Debono
I love beef stew and yours looks so hearty and warming! I like the tip about the veggies. I tend to cook them from the beginning and of course they get too soft!
Mary Bostow
This Beef Stew sounds so flavorful! One of my favs. I can’t WAIT to try this! Thank you for this great recipe! So YUMMY!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Beef stew epitomises this time of year to me. Yours looks especially delicious!
Demeter
Pure comfort food at it’s finest! Such a hearty dish that’s perfect for a chilly day.
Jamielyn
This looks so comforting and delicious!
Melanie Bauer
Oh wow this looks incredible! Comfort food at it’s best, so hearty and flavorful!
Chrissie Baker
This recipe looks super easy and full of ingredients my family loves. Looking forward to trying soon.
Toni | Boulder Locavore
This will be a staple in my house this fall!