This Beef Stew Recipe is perfect for the colder weather! Tender beef is simmered in beef broth with potatoes, onions, celery, peas, and carrots until melt in your mouth tender. It’s comfort food heaven!
I serve beef stew with 30 minute dinner rolls or Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits to sop up any gravy in the bottom of the bowl!
Beef stew is a classic dinner staple in so many households around the world. There are soup and stew adaptations of beef stew like my favorite Easy Hamburger Soup and cultural variations like Hungarian Goulash, but this classic beef stew recipe is a favorite for me!
How To Make Beef Stew
Searing the beef pieces before you add the stock makes such a difference in the flavor you get from the soup. It’s really the only chance you have to get that delicious caramelization on the meat!
As the veggies and broth simmer, you will really start to notice the flavors in the stew intensify. Peas cook quickly so I add them in the last few minutes!
This stew recipe is also the perfect way to use up any vegetables you might need to use up. If you’ve got leftover roasted potatoes, glazed carrots or fried mushrooms, just chop ‘em up up and throw them in!
How To Thicken Beef Stew
Beef stew will thicken a bit naturally thanks to the starches in the potatoes and the dredging of the beef, but I always like to thicken it a little bit more.
Stew can be thickened by giving the vegetables a quick mash or you can use either flour or cornstarch. My preferred method for thickening beef stew (and the method used in this beef stew recipe) is to use a cornstarch slurry.
How to Make a Slurry
A slurry is super easy to make! Combine equal parts cornstarch and water and stir. I told you it was easy!!
Pour this mixture a little bit at a time into bubbling soup or stew to thicken until you reach desired consistency. Once your stew is thickened, allow it to boil at least 1-2 minutes to ensure you cook out any starchy flavor.
If left to sit before adding to the soup or stew, a slurry will settle within a couple of minutes so be sure to give it a stir before adding it. I sometimes mix the cornstarch with low sodium (or no sodium) broth instead of water.
Can You Freeze Beef Stew?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze beef stew! I like to freeze it in freezer bags in single servings portions so I can take one portion out for lunches (or four out for dinner)! Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or you can defrost in the microwave (time will vary based on portion size) stirring occasionally.
What To Serve With Beef Stew
Beef stew is super perfect on it’s own; it is a complete meal!
We usually serve it with a bread, biscuit or even Garlic Crescent Rolls to sop up any broth! I also love serving it with mashed potatoes in the bottom of the bowl! Even just some crushed crackers or saltines are all you really need.
More Belly Warming Soups You’ll Love
- Easy Hamburger Soup– Reader favorite!
- Beef Barley Soup
- Hungarian Goulash
- Minestrone Soup – Classic Italian!
- Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
- Stuffed Pepper Soup – Easy and delicious!
- Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing beef trimmed and cubed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 cups beef broth
- ½ cup red wine optional
- 1 pound potatoes peeled and cubed
- 4 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 stalks celery cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or as needed
- 2 tablespoons water or as needed
- ¾ cup peas
Instructions
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Combine flour, garlic powder and salt & pepper. Toss beef in flour mixture.
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Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot. Cook the beef and onions until browned.
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Add beef broth and red wine while scraping up any brown bits in the pan.
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Stir in all remaining ingredients except for peas, cornstarch and water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender (up to 90 minutes).
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Mix equal parts cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Slowly add the slurry to the boiling stew to reach desired consistency (you may not need all of the slurry, if you'd like a thicker stew, you can add extra).
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Stir in peas and simmer 5-10 minutes before serving . Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
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Beef Stew was the best I’ve ever tasted. Very good! I wouldn’t change a thing!
I have gave this 4 stars because, with the first instruction it said to roll the beef in flour and cornstarch. It didn’t really taste that good so that was a -1 star.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Sallyann.
I am at a loss as to how this got so many good reviews. First. It takes way longer than 20 min to prep. I read reviews ahead of time that said potatoes just liquify. They do. I cut them into huge chunks after reading this but still – mush. No flavor. Just didn’t care for it. Threw it out. Waste of money and time. Sorry but that’s just my review. Followed recipe to a “T”.
So sorry to hear that, Holly! Thanks for trying our recipe.
how long would I cook this for if I make it in a slow cooker ?
Hi Helen, you can follow the cooking instructions in the crockpot beef stew recipe!
Very tasty and easy to make. Just follow the recipe and you really don’t need to modify. 5/5
The stew is very good but if the potatoes are added at the beginning they turn to mush. Next time I make this I wil add them at the halfway point.
If your potatoes turned to much they may have been cut too small. But definitely add them later if you want smaller potatoes!
Hello Holly — I don’t usually leave comments — but an author who takes the time to respond deserves to know how much we enjoyed your beef stew — made it on vacation so didn’t have use of my own utensils and kitchen but your ingredients were easy to secure and cook to make an exceptional dish. My husband doesn’t like leftovers but he asked for your beef stew for a second day. I had a nice piece of beef tenderloin so there was no issue for the tenderness of the meat — but I still loved the addition of the wine. LOL. Forgot to get the tomato paste but had some fresh tomatoes I chopped into it. I am sure that was not a substitute for the paste but I think the tomatoes did add a bit. Thanks for sharing your good food.
So glad you enjoyed it, Martha! Thanks for trying our recipe.
good at a base level but very bland with rosemary being the only spice. I added basil, oregano, sage, thyme, a little chili powder, and a dash of worcestershire sauce to give it some depth and it helped a ton.
That sounds delicious, thanks for sharing.
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Second time making this recipe in the crockpot. The first time was really good (I omitted the red wine) but I felt it needed just a little kick. This time I am adding the red wine and also sauteing minced garlic with more onion together. Can’t wait to try it!
This turned out very delicious!
Delicious and so easy. Thank you!
is the serving size the same as your hamburger soup recipe? 1.5 cups
A serving is about 1 cup.
Hi, I’d love to try this in my crockpot. Would it cook ok?
We use this recipe for the slow cooker.
Great recipe. I’ve added a few things such as mushrooms, radish and put a couple of chilies (not chopped) in there to give it a bit of a kick, and a couple more herbs but great dish, cooked a massive pot hoping it would last but I scrammed the lot in one day so cooking a bigger batch now lol Thanks again. will check your other stuff soon.
Glad you enjoyed it, Neilo. Those sound like delicious additions.
looking good, browning the beef is a good tip.
great recipe. Everyone thought it was very tasty. I like your recipes. because your directions are easy to follow and have common items I can use in other recipes. thanks for the hard work you put into your food.
So glad you loved it Mary!
Hi! I’m about to try this recipe. Looks great! I’m only wondering if I should use frozen peas or canned.
Frozen peas would work great in this recipe, Tammi!
Delicious!!! and I always come back to it when I’m feeling a hearty meal. Thank you!
Delicious! It was my first time making a stew and this tasted just like my childhood :) So yummy!
The stew had a good taste to it, but felt like it could use a little bit more on the spice side.
The only thing I added to the recipe was radishes and they turned out absolutely delicious.
Glad you enjoyed it, Ryan! You can definitely adjust the spices to your tastes.