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Home » Soups and Stews

Beef Stew with Puff Pastry

Published: Oct 1, 2020 · Last Modified: Sep 2, 2021 by Anecia

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This is really a good Beef Stew recipe and it's easy to make! The puff pastry is a nice little addition, too!

Make it on the stove top or in a slow cooker-either way it's perfect for a chilly evening!

An all-time favorite "comfort food," tender bites of seasoned beef in a savory broth with carrots and topped with a buttery puff pastry.

Beef stew in white bowl with a puff pastry on top

Break away from canned Dinty Moore™ Beef stew with this easy and delicious homemade beef stew recipe!

Jump to:
  • You'll love this recipe!
  • Here's what you'll need:
  • Stovetop method:
  • Slow Cooker method:
  • Make the Puff Pastry
  • Best cut of meat for stew
  • How to make a slurry to thicken beef stew
  • Storage and reheating
  • Related recipes:
  • 📋 Recipe

You'll love this recipe!

The beef stew seasonings are simple, yet delicious and the side of puff pastry really finishes out this hearty winter stew!

  • Great flavor - the bay leaves and coriander give traditional beef stew a nice hearty 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 Gumbo and Chili! 

Here's what you'll need:

About 1½ pounds of beef, onion, celery, carrots, sweet peas (frozen and optional), bay leaves, coriander, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, butter and prepared puff pastry.

Stovetop method:

This hearty beef stew is relatively easy to prepare. Here are the steps to follow for the stove top method:

Sauté onions, beef and celery in a little oil in a large Dutch oven

Add broth, carrots and seasonings

Bring stew to a boil, and add a flour slurry; combine well

Cover and continue to cook low until carrots are tender and beef reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF.

Cubed sirloin for beef stew on cutting board
Cut beef into cubes and lightly season with salt and pepper

 

Vegetables Beef and Bay Leaves in stockpot for beef stew
Combine sautéed beef, onion, carrots and celery into stockpot; add bay leaves, broth and remaining ingredients

Slow Cooker method:

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.

Make the Puff Pastry

I use store-bought, prepared pastry sheets  and they work fine. Pastry "puffs" best when the dough is cold and the oven is HOT. Do not bring the pastry dough to room temperature first. 

Thaw frozen pastry sheets and roll-out dough (while it's still cool) onto a lightly floured surface;  cut pastry into into fourths

Place the pieces of pastry on a lightly oiled and floured baking pan

Coat each pastry with an egg/water mixture and bake for 15 minutes

Best cut of meat for stew

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.

The slow braising method turns any tougher cut of beef into a tender, seasoned bite.

How to make a slurry to thicken beef stew

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 1:1 ratio of water and starch (usually cornstarch or flour.) 

Mix it together in a measuring cup and 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 a little.

Storage and reheating

You can store homemade beef stew in the refrigerator 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.

Add a little water when reheating.

A spoonful of beef stew in a white bowl

I usually serve beef stew with puff pastry 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

If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you! Thank you!

📋 Recipe

Beef Stew with Puff Pastry

Beef Stew with Puff Pastry

Comforting beef stew with carrots, peas and sirloin topped with a puff pastry.
5 from 4 votes
Print Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American, International
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Total Yield: 6 cups
Author: Anecia Hero
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Ingredients 

  • 1½ lbs. sirloin seasoned with salt and pepper and cubed
  • ½ stick butter , or oil
  • ½ large yellow onion diced
  • 6 large carrots diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 3 ounces can tomato paste (about ½ of a small can)
  • 1 cup red wine -(optional) Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup sweet peas - (optional) frozen or canned (drain if canned)

Slurry Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup water

Puff Pastry

  • 1 pkg. Puff Pastry from frozen aisle
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 teaspoon water

Instructions 

  • In large stockpot, melt butter; add onion and celery and cook until tender
    ½ stick butter, ½ large yellow onion, 2 stalks celery
  • Add seasoned, cubed beef to mixture and allow to brown on all sides
    1½ lbs. sirloin
  • Add remaining ingredients except for the peas; Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow to cook for about 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender
    6 large carrots, 6 cups beef broth, 3 ounces can tomato paste, 1 cup red wine
  • Add peas and cook for 5 minutes
  • If you want to thicken the broth, add a flour slurry (¾ cup water with 3 tablespoons flour; mix in a separate bowl and add to hot soup); add peas (optional)
    2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • Allow soup to simmer with no lid until it reaches desired consistency
  • Season generously with pepper ; taste for salt; remove bay leaves

Puff Pastry

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF
  • Lightly oil baking sheet
  • Unroll packaged pastry onto a lightly floured surface; cut pastry into fourths and place on baking sheet
  • In a small bowl, combine egg and water; brush pastry dough with egg/water combination and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
    1 whole egg, 1 teaspoon water
  • When pastry has browned and soup has thickened, remove bay leaves from soup and ladle soup into bowl; top with pastry

Notes

  • Beef stew usually consists of some potatoes, but I wanted to make a carb-free stew! If you use potatoes, simply peel and cube Yukon gold potatoes and add them when you add the carrots; 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 or canned (drained) peas, add them at the end
Puff Pastry
Puff pastry "puffs" when the dough is slightly cold and the oven is HOT. 

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 31gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1258mgPotassium: 1110mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 12725IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 4mg
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Anecia Hero, Food Blogger

About SmartyPantsKitchen

I'm Anecia, a native Texan, author, cook and photographer for SmartyPantsKitchen where I'm sharing Traditional and Contemporary Southern recipes for cooks of all levels. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about my recipes-just easy, simple, delicious and memorable! Take a tour and check out delicious recipes! 

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