Ah, a classic beef stew — hearty, comforting, and perfect for cozy dinners 😌🍲
Here’s a chef-approved, foolproof method for tender beef and rich, flavorful sauce.
Classic Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) beef chuck, cut into 1–1.5 inch cubes
- 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 potatoes, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1–2 cups beef stock (or water + bouillon)
- 1 cup red wine (optional, but adds depth)
- 1–2 tsp salt, to taste
- ½–1 tsp black pepper, to taste
- 1–2 tsp dried thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1–2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp flour (optional, for thickening)
Instructions
1️⃣ Brown the beef
- Pat beef cubes dry with paper towels (removes excess moisture).
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven).
- Brown beef in batches so it sears properly, about 3–4 min per side.
- Remove beef and set aside.
2️⃣ Sauté aromatics
- In the same pot, sauté onion, carrot, and celery until softened, 5–7 min.
- Add garlic and cook 30 sec until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 min to remove raw flavor.
3️⃣ Deglaze & combine
- Pour in red wine (if using) to deglaze, scraping up browned bits from the bottom.
- Return beef to the pot.
- Add stock to just cover the meat.
- Add thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
4️⃣ Simmer
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover and simmer 1.5–2 hours, until beef is fork-tender.
5️⃣ Add potatoes & thicken
- Add potatoes and simmer another 20–30 min.
- Optional: mix 2 tbsp flour with a bit of cold water to make a slurry; stir in to thicken the sauce.
6️⃣ Finish & serve
- Taste and adjust salt/pepper.
- Remove bay leaves & thyme sprigs.
- Serve hot with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or over rice.
Chef Tips
- Use beef chuck — it has connective tissue that melts into gelatin, giving rich, silky sauce.
- Do not stir constantly — let it simmer gently for best texture.
- Make ahead — stew tastes even better the next day.
- Optional extras: mushrooms, parsnips, turnips, pearl onions.
If you want, I can also give a “super creamy beef stew” version, where the sauce is ultra-rich and velvety, almost like a beef pot pie filling 🍲🧈.
Do you want that version too?