Tender chunks of beef, potatoes, and carrots simmer in an herby red wine-based broth in this traditional beef stew recipe. Everything cooks in one big pot on the stove — this is hearty, no-frills comfort food at its finest.
Homemade Beef Stew Is the Perfect Way to Warm Up on Cold Nights
Hearty, comforting, and deeply satisfying, beef stew is one home-cooked meal you’ll find on almost every dinner table around the world. From slow-cooked French beef bourguignon to richly savory Tuscan beef stew, there are so many unique ways to flavor fork-tender pieces of beef and vegetables.
The recipe I’m sharing today is the simple stovetop version I grew up eating. It’s an easy recipe made by simmering beef chuck roast in a red wine-infused broth with hearty root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
Everything cooks in one pot on the stove. While I love to braise certain stews low and slow in the oven, this recipe yields beef that’s fall-apart tender after just half an hour’s simmer.
Make this beef stew recipe for your family this winter — I promise this is one meal that even the pickiest of eaters will devour.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Choose a cut of beef with a good amount of marbling. Leaner cuts of beef don’t work well in stews because they don’t have enough collagen or fat to properly break down and become fork tender. I suggest buying beef chuck stew meat for best results (either pre-cubed or buy a whole chuck roast and cut against the grain to make your own stew meat).
Sear the beef first for a more flavorful stew. I’ve skipped this step in the past, and while my beef stew was tasty it lacked the depth of flavor that batches made with seared beef had. For the best sear, dust the beef with flour and brown it in two batches to prevent the meat from steaming.
Add red wine for a more complex flavor. The wine is used to deglaze the pot and release all of the fond into the stew, and it also adds a deeper, more complex flavor. It’s simmered for a few minutes to cook off most of the alcohol, so all you’ll taste is the concentrated flavor left behind.
The Main Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Beef — I prefer buying a whole beef chuck roast and cutting it into 1 ½-inch cubes myself. This is preferable to using plain “stew meat,” which contains various cuts of beef that have varying levels of tenderness and flavor.
- Bacon — This is my secret ingredient for making the most flavorful beef stew EVER. The bacon is cooked by itself to release all of its drippings into the pan, then the beef is seared in the drippings to really lock in all that flavor.
- Aromatics — A blend of celery, onion, and garlic infuses the broth.
- Tomato paste — Gives the stew a richer, simmered-for-hours flavor.
- Red wine — Creates a more complex tasting stew and also helps break down the muscle fibers in the beef, which makes them super tender.
- Stock — Instead of pre-made beef stock, I mix concentrated beef base and concentrated chicken base with water for a much deeper flavor.
- Vegetables — Beef stew works best with hearty vegetables that hold their shape after simmering. My favorites are carrots and white potatoes, and I always add some frozen peas at the very end for a pop of color.
- Herbs — Fresh rosemary and thyme add herby savoriness to the stew.
How to Make Beef Stew on the Stovetop
- Render the bacon fat. Working in the pot you plan on simmering the beef stew in, cook the bacon until it renders all of its fat. Leave the drippings in the pot, but transfer the bacon to a plate.
Heidi’s Tip: If you own a Dutch oven, I strongly suggest cooking your beef stew in it. Dutch ovens distribute heat more evenly, including up the sides of the pot. This reduces the chances of your stew scorching on the bottom and creates more tender pieces of beef.
- Brown the beef on all sides. In my recipe testing, I discovered that my beef developed more color if I dredged it in flour beforehand. And even though I was using my large Dutch oven, I still had to work in batches to create a deep sear. After searing, remove the beef to a plate.
- Sauté the aromatics. I know it’s tempting to shortchange this step, but cooking the garlic, celery, and onion adds complexity to the stew and mellows out the harsh flavor of the onion and garlic in particular.
- Cook the tomato paste to deepen its flavor. Tomato contains natural sugars that caramelize upon contact with the hot pan. Stir the aromatics and tomato paste as the tomato paste cooks, otherwise it might burn.
- Deglaze the pot with red wine and whisk the beef/chicken stock together. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the golden bits of fond off the bottom of the pot. Cook the mixture for 3 or so minutes to give the alcohol time to cook off and for the red wine to reduce. Whisk the concentrated stock and set aside.
Heidi’s Tip: Here’s a red wine substitution when cooking: According to Cook’s Illustrated, steep 1 black tea bag in 4 ounces boiling water until it cools, making it super strong. Mix in 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar, then replace equal amounts for the red wine. The tannins in tea replicate those in wine, adding the same type of acidity.
- Simmer everything together. Stir in the beef/chicken stock, browned beef, vegetables, and fresh herbs. Let the beef stew simmer uncovered for at least 30 minutes, or until the beef is tender, the broth has thickened, and the veggies have cooked.
Heidi’s Tip: Wait to add the frozen peas until the final 5 minutes of cooking, otherwise they’ll turn to mush. No need to thaw, either!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Traditional Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 pound beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced, about 2 ½ cups
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons concentrated beef base
- 2 tablespoons concentrated chicken base
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced ⅜-inch thick
- 12 ounces white potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- ½ cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Cook the bacon to create fond. In a 5 or 6 qt. Dutch oven over medium, cook 4 slices slivered bacon, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the fat has rendered. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving the bacon drippings in the pot.
- Flour, then brown the chuck meat in batches. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss 1 pound beef chuck stew pieces with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until well coated. Shake off the excess flour and place half of the stew meat in the Dutch oven, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook until all sides are browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the seared meat to a plate or bowl, cover with foil to keep warm, and repeat the process with the rest of the stew meat, adding a little oil to the pot if needed.
- Sauté the aromatics. Reduce the heat to medium, then add 1 tablespoon oil to the pot with 1 diced yellow onion, 2 ribs diced celery, and 4 pressed garlic cloves. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion and celerty softens, stirring often. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to deepen its flavor.
- Add the wine and whisk the stock. Add 1 cup red wine, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes to reduce. In a 4-cup measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk 3 cups water with 2 tablespoons concentrated beef base, and 2 tablespoons concentrated chicken base, stir well to dissolve, and set aside.
- Combine everything together. Add the seared beef, 2 sliced carrots, 12 ounces cut potatoes, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, and 1 sprig fresh rosemary. Pour in the 3 cups beef/chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam from the top of the broth, then reduce heat to medium, and cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the frozen peas, cook for 5 more minutes, and serve.
Nutrition
FAQs
After cooking the bacon, browning the stew meat, and sauteeing the aromatics, the “finished” beef stew needs to simmer over medium heat for at least 30 minutes before adding the frozen peas.
You’re welcome to simmer your stew for longer, though. Unlike chicken, beef doesn’t become rubbery or tough the longer it simmers. Instead, it will actual become more and more tender.
The root veggies will also become more tender and after a point the carrots might start to fall apart — but if that doesn’t bother you, simmer away!
I suggest coating the stew meat in a couple tablespoons of flour before searing the meat. This encourages browning (and browning = flavor), and it also helps thicken the stew as it simmers.
Another option is to simply simmer the stew with the lid off until it reaches your desired consistency.
You’ll want to buy an actual bottle of wine, not “cooking wine.” It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, just something drinkable.
I prefer adding dry red wines to my beef stew; something like a Cabernet, Merlot, or Pinot Noir would all work.
Short answer: yes, you can replace the red wine with extra water or beef broth.
Long answer: still yes, but note that by omitting the wine you’ll be removing a key flavor builder from the stew and it won’t taste as rich. The wine also helps to tenderize the stew meat, which is essential in an old-fashioned recipe like this that simmers in just 30 or so minutes.
I’m partial to chuck stew meat because it’s got a good amount of marbling, has a rich beefy flavor, is easy to find, and is one of the more affordable cuts of beef.
Avoid anything too lean when making beef stew, which lacks the necessary amount of marbling to become truly fork tender.
Yes! You’d need to brown the beef, cook the aromatics, and reduce the red wine as instructed. Then, you’d add everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
For more detailed instructions, I suggest referencing my butternut squash beef stew recipe.
What to Serve With Beef Stew
Storage Tips
Leftover beef stew will last up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, warm over low heat in a saucepan or microwave in 30-second bursts.
More Stovetop Beef Dinner Recipes
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