Stovetop Beef Stew

This easy stovetop beef stew is the ultimate winter comfort food. After simmering gently on the stovetop the meat becomes deliciously tender. It's full of potatoes, carrots, and vegetables in a rich red wine beef sauce.

This stovetop Beef stew is an easy and delicious meal that can be made quickly on the stove in a pot or Dutch oven.

Beef stew is a classic comfort food dish popular in many countries around the world.

It is made by simmering beef, vegetables, and a flavorful broth together in a pot until the beef is tender, the sauce is thick, and the vegetables are cooked through.

We prefer to serve our beef stew on its own with fresh bread for dunking, but it can also be served over rice, potatoes, or pasta noodles!

Beef makes it a great source of iron and protein, and this hearty stew can be made as a healthy, nutritious meal.

The red wine in the sauce is optional, but it makes it beautifully rich.

Beef stew can be stored in the fridge or freezer for easy meals later in the week, or it can be made in large batches for a crowd.

If you love beef recipes, be sure to also try Dutch Oven Chili.

Ingredients

• Beef Stew Meat: Cubes of beef stew meat (chuck steak, braising steak, gravy beef), are perfect in this recipe.
• Beef Broth: Aka beef stock. Use store-bought in the carton, or bouillion cubes. Alternatively, make your own beef broth.
• Red Wine: Wine gives a lovely depth of flavor to the sauce, and the alcohol cooks away. You can leave it out and just use water.
• Potatoes: Potatoes help to thicken the stew slightly and make it hearty. Use baby potatoes, or other potatoes (such as Yukon gold) cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Celery, carrot onion: These three vegetables add bulk, flavor and texture to the stew.
• Soy Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce: These ingredients add lots of big umami flavor.
• Garlic: For this recipe, I use a whole unpeeled head of garlic and just cut the top off of it. You can substitute 2 minced cloves of garlic.
• Rosemary, Thyme, Bay Leaves: These classic herbs add lots of flavor. If you don't have fresh rosemary and thyme, use ½ teaspoon dried of each.
• Oil: Use your regular cooking oil, olive oil or canola.
• Cornstarch: Stirring a little cornstarch (cornflour) into water and then stirring into the stew helps to thicken it with no clumps.
• Salt and Pepper: To season the stew. You may not need any salt if your beef broth is quite salty.

See the recipe card for the full method and quantities.

Instructions

If you're wondering how to make this easy stovetop beef stew recipe, don't worry, it's easy!

Just follow this step-by-step photo tutorial. Then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and recipe method.

Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, then place them into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper and stir. 

Heat a skillet over medium/high heat. Add the beef (you may need to cook it in batches) and cook, stirring often, until browned on the outside. Transfer the beef to a large pot or Dutch oven.

Add the red wine to the pan you cooked the beef in (don’t clean it out first) over high heat and let it bubble and reduce for a few minutes. Then add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. 

Pour the beef sauce into the large pot that the beef is in. Add the head of garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Place over low heat and stew for 1 + ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft.

When the hour of stewing is up, add the sauteed vegetables and potatoes. Stir and simmer on low for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Mix the cornflour into 2 tablespoons of water, then stir it into the stew. Cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Check that the beef is tender. If necessary, cook for a little longer.

Discard the bay leaves and head of garlic. Serve and enjoy!

Variations

• You can leave out the red wine.
• Add other chopped root vegetables along with the carrots - parsnips and rutabaga work well.
• For extra vegetables, add some frozen green beans and/or peas towards the end of the cooking time.

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📖 Recipe

Stovetop Beef Stew

This easy stovetop beef stew is the ultimate comfort food with tender beef, potatoes, vegetables and rich thick sauce.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, French, Irish

Servings 6

Calories 332 kcal

Equipment

• Large skillet
• Pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat (braising steak, chuck roast)
• 3 tablespoons oil (divided)
• ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
• ½ cup red wine (optional)
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 head of garlic (top cut off horizontally)
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 1 carrot (chopped)
• 3 celery stalks (chopped)
• 1 pound baby potatoes (cut in half (or quarters if large))
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, then place them into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper and stir.
• Heat a skillet over medium/high heat. Add the beef (you may need to cook it in batches) and cook, stirring often, until browned on the outside. Transfer the beef to a large pot or Dutch oven.
• Add the red wine to the pan you cooked the beef in (don’t clean it out first) over high heat and let it bubble and reduce for a few minutes. Then add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the beef sauce into the large pot that the beef is in. Add the head of garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Place over low heat and stew for 1.5 hours, stirring occassionally.
• Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
• When the hour of stewing is up, add the sauteed vegetables and potatoes. Stir and simmer on low for 15 minutes with the lid on.
• Mix the cornflour into 2 tablespoons of water, then stir it into the stew. Cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
• Check that the beef is tender. If necessary, cook for a little longer and/or add a little water if the sauce is too thick.
• Discard the bay leaves and head of garlic. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 30gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 670mgPotassium: 1073mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1730IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 3mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

Keyword beef stew, stovetop beef stew

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