This easy classic beef stew recipe is cooked in one pot on the stove top. Prep time is quick and you’ll be rewarded with healthy comfort food for your entire family.
This classic comfort dinner is made with beef stewing meat, vegetables, red wine and tomato paste and hearty seasoning. The long cooking time turns the meat in this simple homemade stew so tender – and did I mention it’s freezer friendly and a great make ahead meal?
The perfect fall recipe to make in your Dutch oven!
Baby Ella joined our family this week and we are absolutely smitten.
When we had our first little lady two years ago we were not really prepared.
Scratch that. We had absolutely no clue what we were doing.
This time I had absolutely EVERYTHING ready for 4 weeks. Yes, that’s four. weeks.
I thought it was about necessary to start washing the baby clothes again.
Since I had to have a c-section the last time, I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to go much more than a week past my due date. And I guess the harder I tried to convince her to join us, the less she wanted to ?
I decided to spend the few days past my due date prepping the one thing I hadn’t done yet: Food.
I know, I know. Some say it’s the most important thing to have on hand with a newborn. But honestly? I’m just lacking the freezer space to stock up weeks in advance.
So I only did a few small batches, but they are SUCH a relief! Now I have portions of Mediterranean Chicken Stew, Healthy Cottage Pie and this Classic Beef Stew stashed away.
I love stew recipes, and especially during the fall. I know I already shared a very similar beef stew recipe ages ago, but this one is a little chunkier and thicker. I also switched up the veggies and seasoning a bit to keep it simple and tasty.
A few pointers to make sure this one pot classic beef stew is super easy to prepare:
Have everything ready before you start
This is something I had to learn the hard way. You know how they always say to prep everything before starting to cook? It makes things SO much easier.
At least have your meat and veggies ready to go, and measure out the liquids before switching on the stove.
Don’t skimp on pot size
There’s a lot of vegetables in this stew, and really. You don’t want to go too small here.
I’m using this oval 5 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven (it’s this one on Amazon!*) whenever I make large batches – bonus points because the color is just so pretty 😉
If you’d rather make beef stew away from the stove, I have two other recipes for you: Instant Pot Beef Stew or Crock Pot Beef Stew.
Give your stew enough time
This is not a done-in-30-minutes kind of dinner. It’s easy, but it’s not fast.
The good thing is that most of the time you need to get this classic beef stew extra tender is completely hands-off. But the meat does need time to get that fall-apart texture and the flavors do get more intense with longer cooking.
Consider using this recipe for a make ahead meal
I swear, I thought it was a myth. But stews really do get better a day or two later.
Or a month in the freezer, whatever you need.
If you want to turn this into an all-in-one make ahead meal for extra easy weeknight dinners later, make sure you allow the stew to cool down completely before portioning it into freezer bags or airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to two days or in the freezer for up to a month.
If you’re reheating from the fridge, just make sure you bring it to a boil for two to three minutes. You might need to add a little extra liquid if it has thickened too much.
To reheat from the freezer, thaw the portions you need in the fridge overnight and then proceed as if you were reheating from the fridge.
If you need a comforting and healthy meal you can make in advance, this is your recipe.
Watch the recipe video:
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound beef stewing meat, cubed
- 1/2 pound onions, chopped
- 1 pound carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 pound celery root, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 juniper berry, optional
- 1 bay leaf, optional
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 4 cups water
- 6 potatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 leek, cut into rings
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry
Instructions
- Heat a large durch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and cook the beef until browned.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery root and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, juniper berry, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until sizzling hot and starting to brown.
- Pour the wine into the pot. Bring it to a boil while scratching the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Pour the water into the pot. Stir in the potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer the dish for 1-2 hours.
- When you're almost ready to serve, stir the leek into the stew. Cover the pot and simmer for another five minutes. Finally, add the cornstarch slurry to the stew and quickly stir the dish until the sauce thickens.
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
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