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Beef Stew

Beef stew with fall-apart beef cubes, chunky potatoes and carrots, and a deep mahogany broth thickened with flour. Sear in batches, simmer until tender, then finish with peas for a fresh pop.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

beef
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck cut into 1.5-inch cubes
  • 1 cup beef broth 3 cups total; listed here for grouping
  • 1 cup beef broth use remaining 2 cups total
  • 1 cup beef broth use remaining 2 cups total
vegetables
  • 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes cubed
  • 3 carrots cut into thick rounds
  • 3 celery sliced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes drained if very watery
  • 1 cup frozen peas added at end
seasoning and aromatics
  • 4 cloves garlic minced (if you prefer, keep only one entry)
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Season beef by tossing the cubes with flour until evenly coated. Use a hot, dry surface so the coating can brown rather than steam.
  2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat, then sear the beef in batches until deeply browned, about 3-5 minutes per batch. Remove to a plate when the edges are dark and crusty.
Build the stew base
  1. Add onion, carrots, and celery to the Dutch oven and sauté for 5 minutes. Cook until the vegetables soften and begin to smell sweet.
  2. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Stir until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
  3. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes so the wine smell cooks off.
Simmer
  1. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire, dried thyme, bay leaves, and the browned beef. Stir to combine and make sure the beef is submerged as much as possible.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 60-75 minutes until the beef is very tender. Look for steady bubbling and beef that pulls apart with a fork.
Finish and season
  1. Add cubed Yukon gold potatoes and cook for 20 minutes. The broth should bubble gently and the potatoes should be tender through.
  2. Add frozen peas and cook for 3 minutes. They should turn bright green and heat through without getting mushy.
  3. Remove bay leaves, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust until the broth tastes balanced and savory.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the beef browning in batches so the pot stays hot and you get deep color. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze in airtight containers up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-sodium broth and replace the red wine with extra broth plus a splash of balsamic (still add Worcestershire) to keep the flavor punch.