Easy Beef Stew Recipe
Beef stew is the ultimate comfort food for a cool fall or winter day. Combine stew meat, spices, and veggies in a large pot and simmer your way to a delicious dinner for the entire family!
This post is sponsored as part of my ongoing partnership with Perdue Farms. All ideas and opinions are 100% honest and my own.
One of my favorite things about the fall is the cooler weather and all the yummy comfort foods that just taste better when it’s cold outside.
I’m talking about soups, stews, casseroles, and all those other things you don’t really want to eat during the summer because it’s so hot outside. I’m already dreaming about homemade chicken noodle soup , beef barley soup , and Cincinnati chili !
I remember my mom making beef stew when I was growing up, and I got so impatient while it simmered because it smelled so good on the stove!
This beef stew recipe is comfort food at its finest and reminds me of that old-fashioned beef stew my mom used to make. Panorama organic gras-fed stew meat , potatoes, and veggies all combined with one super flavorful broth.
The entire family will love the amazing flavor and there’s nothing weird about it – just meat and potatoes, so it’s great for picky eaters! Plus, it’s super easy to make and even easier to clean up (one pot meals for the win!).
It’s like the old-fashioned beef stew you used to eat but even better.
Beef Stew Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
The most important ingredient in this recipe is the stew meat. We love Panorama Organic Grass-Fed stew meat because:
- The pieces of meat are fairly small, no need to cut up again
- It’s organic and grass-fed, which is how we prefer our meat
- Panorama cattle are raised humanely and fed only grasses, legumes, and range forage – never hormones, grain feed, or antibiotics.
With so many lower quality meats out there, it’s so important to know where your meat comes from and what it’s being fed. It’s better for the animals, better for the ranchers taking care of the animals, and ultimately better for you.
Plus, it just tastes better and at the end of the day I want my food to taste good.
If you can’t find Panorama beef in stores near you, you can get it shipped directly to your door, along with ton of other meat options, from the Perdue Farms website. It all ships frozen so it’s a great way to stock up on meats!
And if you order via this link , you’ll get an extra 15% off your entire order! It’s my favorite way to get meat, especially right now when going to the grocery store is just a hassle.
Just a few other notes about the ingredients in this recipe:
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- Spices – all of the spices listed in the recipe are dried spices. The dried spice mixture flavors the broth really well, so I recommend using dried and not fresh.
- Beef broth – we recommend a low-sodium beef broth for this recipe. If you use a regular one that’s not low-sodium, the broth may end up being a bit too salty. Cut the salt in half then salt to taste.
- Olive oil – can also use avocado oil to brown the meat
- Potatoes – we like to use regular russet potatoes in this because they tend to hold their texture for longer than small potatoes, but you could substitute others as well if you have them on hand. Just make sure they’re fairly large chunks so they don’t dissolve too fast.
Instructions
First, you need to cut your veggies. The goal is to cut everything – celery, carrots, and potatoes – into 1 inch chunks so that they all cook and serve evenly. If you make them uneven, you’ll end up with carrots that are cooked and celery that’s still super crunchy.
Once your veggies are cooked, heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Everything will be made in the one pot making cleanup a breeze when the beef stew is done!
Remove beef from the packaging and pat it dry with a paper towel. Add the beef to the pot in a single layer and cook for about five minutes, browning each side for about a minute before switching over to the other.
If not all meat fits in one layer, brown half and then repeat with the other half of the meat. Once all the meat is browned, remove from the pot and set aside for later.
Add the olive oil to the same pot and stir to coat the bottom. Then add your celery, carrots, and a pinch of salt and cook for about four minutes. Stir every minute or so until the vegetables have lightly browned.
You can see in the photo below the size and shape of how to cut the veggies. They’re all about the same size so that they cook in about the same amount of time.
Once the veggies are cooked, it’s time to add your garlic and spices. Add them all and cook for one minute – stirring constantly so you don’t burn the garlic.
After a minute, add the beef you cooked and reserved earlier back into the pot, along with any juices that might’ve snuck out with the beef.
Sprinkle the beef with flour and stir for three minutes or until all the flour has dissolved. This will help to thicken the beef stew once liquid i added.
Add one cup of the beef broth and deglaze the pot. Make sure to scrap up all of the browned bits from the beef and vegetables – those are what will give it the good flavor!
Add the remaining broth and sugar to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for an hour. You’re almost done!
After the hour simmering, add the potatoes, stir, and bring the heat back up until the beef stew is simmering again. Simmer for about another hour or until the beef and potatoes are tender.
So while this easy beef stew recipe may take a while to cook, it’s super easy to do and totally worth it!
Once the potatoes and beef are tender, remove the bay leaf and season with salt to taste. Serve warm immediately.
Expert Tips
Make this gluten free by replacing the flour with a gluten-free alternative like tapioca starch/flour.
chore chart for 2 kids
Don’t crowd the pan. You want the stew meat to all fit in one layer so that it browns nicely. Take the extra five minutes to brown it in two different groups if necessary.
Cut the potatoes in 1-inch cubes or larger so that they don’t totally dissolve into the soup. You want the stew to still have large chunks of veggies and potatoes to bite into.
Wait to cut potatoes until the stew is simmering the first time. Then you do not have to worry about them browning before they get added to the stew.
Recipe FAQs
What is the best meat for beef stew?Beef stew meat is best for beef stew. It’ll come already cut up in small chunks and is perfect for just tossing in and browning.
Do I have to brown the meat for beef stew?Yes, brown the stew meat first before you start cooking everything else. This guarantees that the meat is fully cooked and adds to the flavor of the meat.
Can you freeze beef stew?Beef stew freezes great! Store in freezer safe containers for up to six months. Reheat either in the oven (if the container if is oven safe) or transfer back to the stove stop and reheat.
What foods go with beef stew?Beef stew would be great served with some yummy bread or these garlic breadsticks and a salad. Otherwise, everything you need is included in the stew!
How can I thicken my beef stew?Adding the flour to the stew should thicken the stew plenty but if it’s not thick enough to your liking, let it keep simmering until more of the liquid has evaporated.
More Soup Recipes
- Homemade chicken and noodles
- Whole30 zuppa toscana
- Beef barley soup
- Creamy butternut squash soup
- Best white chicken chili
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Easy Beef Stew Recipe
This easy beef stew combines stew meat, spices, veggies, and potatoes all together in the ultimate comfort food for fall and winter!
Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Total: 2 hours 25 minutes Serves6 people Ingredients
- ▢ 1 lb Panorama beef stew meat
- ▢ 1 TBS olive oil
- ▢ 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- ▢ 4 celery ribs cut into 1 inch pieces
- ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
- ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
- ▢ 1 tsp dried thyme
- ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
- ▢ 1 tsp dried garlic granules or garlic powder
- ▢ 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- ▢ 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ 2 TBS flour
- ▢ 4 cup low-sodium beef broth
- ▢ 1 TBS sugar
- ▢ 4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Pat beef dry with a paper towel.
- Add the beef in a single layer in the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, browning each side for about a minute. Do not crowd the meat in the pot. If not all the meat fits, brown half, and then repeat the process with the second half. Remove browned beef and set aside.
- Add the olive oil and stir to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Add the carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt and cook for 4 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the vegetables have lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and other spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Add the beef and any juices back to the pot.
- Sprinkle with the flour and stir for 3 minutes, until all the flour has dissolved.
- Add one cup of the broth to deglaze the pot and scrape up all of the browned bits left by the beef and vegetables.
- Add the remaining broth and sugar and bring to a boil.
- Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add the potatoes, stir, regain the simmer, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the beef and potatoes are tender.
- Discard the bay leaf, season with salt to taste, and serve warm.
