Classic Beef Stew
You’ll love this mouth-watering, classic Beef Stew recipe! It’s is easy to make and perfect for a chilly evening. Make it on the stove top or in a slow cooker-either way it’s a hearty beef dish and an all-time favorite comfort food.
Break away from canned Dinty Moore™ Beef stew with this easy and delicious homemade beef stew recipe!
Why this recipe works
- Great flavor – the bay leaf, allspice and coriander give this traditional beef stew a rich and savory flavor
- Easy to make! Stovetop or slow-cooker
- Cost-efficient – you can use the toughest, cheapest cut of beef for this recipe. The low and slow braising method tenderizes even the toughest meat.
This is a winter favorite at our house, along with Louisiana Seafood Gumbo and Texas Chili.
Here’s what you’ll need
The ingredients for a really hearty beef stew are pretty simple and it all comes together in one pot, so there’s not a lot of clean up!
- Beef stew meat– about 1½ pounds of beef- I get a sirloin steak and cut it into 1″ inch pieces (cubes), but you can use chuck roast
- Butter
- All-purpose flour– just enough to lightly coat the beef cubes; about 2-3 tablespoons
- Onion– I use sweet yellow onion, but you can use plain yellow or white onion
- Celery
- Carrots – I prefer fresh organic carrots, but you can use frozen if you like
- Beef broth or beef stock
- Tomato paste – just a few tablespoons tomato paste
- Dried bay leaf
- Ground coriander
- Ground allspice
- Garlic powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Sweet peas– (frozen and optional)
- Salt and ground black pepper
Stovetop method
Classic beef stew is relatively easy to prepare. Here’s an overview of the steps to follow for the stove top method. You can use a big stock pot or a dutch oven. For complete recipe measurements and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Heat oil over medium heat – add onions, cubed beef and celery in a little butter or oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat. (You can use olive oil or vegetable oil-either works well on low heat)
- Add broth, carrots and seasonings
- Cover and continue to cook over medium heat until carrots are tender and beef reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF.
- For best flavor, reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes; season with salt and ground black pepper
Slow Cooker beef stew
If you choose to use a slow cooker for this hearty recipe, simply add all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low setting for 8 hours, or high for 5-6 hours. You don’t have to brown the meat before you put it in the slow cooker, but you can if you want to.
Recipe tips
- The best cuts of beef for tender stew are usually sirloin, chuck or rump; however, it isn’t necessary to buy the most expensive cut because the beef simmers in the broth and tenderizes naturally. Have the butcher cube the meat or, slice it into bite sized pieces using a sharp knife.
- If you want a thicker beef stew, just add a slurry to it. A slurry is a combination of a starch and water that is added to a soup or stew to thicken the dish. Typical starches include cornstarch, arrowroot and flour.
To make a thickening slurry, use a ratio of water and starch (usually cornstarch or flour.)
Mix it together in a measuring cup until smooth, then add it to your soup or stew near the end of the cooking time. If you use cornstarch, you’ll want to turn the heat up to medium-high becuase cornstarch thickens at a higher heat than a flour slurry.
- Potatoes – some folks like to add cubed potatoes to their beef stew. Add a cup of peeled, diced potatoes about an hour before you plan to serve the stew.
Storage and reheating
You can store leftover stew in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze it up to 3 months! When you’re ready to re-heat, I recommend using the stovetop method because the liquid may thicken a little upon storage. You may have to add a little water when reheating.
I usually serve beef stew as a “one-dish-dinner” however, if you want a side dish, serve this with mashed or baked potatoes!
Related recipes
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Bolognese Sauce
- Mom’s Pot Roast
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy
- Southern Pecan Pie
- How to Fix Over Salted Soups and Stews
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you! Thank you!
Classic Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. sirloin , cubed and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 cup yellow onion , petite diced
- 2 cups sliced carrots , cut into ¼" inch rounds; about 6 medium carrots or 3 large carrots
- ¾ cup celery , petite diced; about 2 large stalks
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour See Recipe Notes
- 4 tablespoons butter , divided
- 2 cups beef broth
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas – (optional)
Slurry Ingredients – optional
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
Prep
- Dice onions, peel and dice carrots, dice celery; set asideCut beef into 1" inch cubes and transfer to a large mixing bowl; lightly season with salt and pepper; give it a good stir until the beef cubes are well-coated1½ lbs. sirloin, 1 cup yellow onion, 2 cups sliced carrots, ¾ cup celery, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- In large stockpot over medium heat, melt half of the butter; add diced onions and celery; give it a good stir until all the veggies are coated and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions are tender4 tablespoons butter
- Add the flour coated cubed beef to mixture and allow to lightly brown on all sides, stirring constantly1½ lbs. sirloin
- Add remaining butter and 2 cups of broth to stockpot; give it a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pan for any browned pieces2 cups beef broth
- Add tomato paste, carrots, ground coriander, Worcestershire sauce, Allspice, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and bay leafReduce heat to simmer or low heat; cover and allow to cook until the beef and carrots are tender3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 dried bay leaf
- Once the carrots and meat are tender, add frozen peas if you want; cook until the peas are tender1 cup frozen sweet peas
- If you want to thicken the broth, add a flour slurry (mix together 3/4 cup water with 3 tablespoons flour in a small bowl; whisk with fork until smooth, then add it to the hot stew)¾ cup water, 3 tablespoons flour
- Allow soup to simmer with no lid until it reaches desired consistency
- Remove bay leaf; season to taste with salt and pepper
Notes
- If you want to include potatoes, simply peel and cube Yukon gold potatoes and add them after the carrots are tender (about an hour before you want to serve the stew); you may have to add more beef broth, as potatoes absorb liquid.
- If you want to add pasta or barley, do so after the soup is done. Both will cook on a low heat in about 10 minutes. Note: if adding barley, add more water or broth as barley absorbs liquid
- If adding frozen peas, add them at the end
