Hearty Beef Stew Recipe (Classic Comfort Food) (2024)

Hearty Beef Stewis at the top of my list of classic comfort foods. This Classic Beef Stew features plenty of delicious, garden-fresh herbs and vegetables, so it is a great way to enjoy those savory treasures from your garden or the local farmers’ market.

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When I say that this is the best beef stew recipe, it is! It’s the ultimate way to fill your belly with comfort food that everyone will love to eat. If you crave a thicker stew, this is the recipe for you. The rich flavor will have you filling your bowl for more!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. This hearty beef stew is full of tender beef.
2. It’s perfect for colder weather or any time of the year.
3. It’s one of my favorite dinner recipes because there’s always some left for the next day.

Ingredients For Hearty Beef Stew

• Extra virgin olive oil: A staple in this recipe, it’s used for browning the beef and sautéing the vegetables, imparting a subtle, fruity note to the base of the stew.
• Garlic cloves: Essential for adding a savory depth of flavor, garlic works hand in hand with the herbs to create a robust backdrop to the dish.
• Mushrooms: They soak up flavors like little sponges and add a meaty texture to the stew, complementing the beef wonderfully.
• Beef stock: It serves as the liquid foundation, bringing a complex, rich flavor that intensifies the overall taste of the stew.
• Sea salt and pepper: These seasonings are the simplest yet most crucial for enhancing and balancing all the flavors within the stew.
• Beef stew meat: Opt for well-marbled cubes of meat that, when cooked slowly, become irresistibly tender and are the star of the show.
• Dry red wine: A good glug of dry red wine will not only help tenderize the beef but will also add a luxurious depth and slight acidity to the sauce.
• Bay leaf: A bay leaf infuses a subtle layer of earthiness and a hint of floral quality to the stew, removed before serving.
• Carrots: Carrots are a hearty stew’s best friend because they provide natural sweetness and a delightful pop of color.
• Celery stalks: Their fibrous crunch softens in the stew, and they offer a slightly bitter, aromatic counterpoint to the rich beef.
• Yellow onion: This foundational ingredient delivers sweetness and a characteristic bite that mellows with cooking.
• Russet potatoes: Their starchy quality helps to thicken the stew while giving it body and making it even more filling.
• Fresh thyme leaves: With its subtle, slightly minty flavor, thyme complements the beef and root vegetables perfectly.
• Oregano leaves: They bring a pungent, herbaceous note and a touch of the Mediterranean to the stew’s palatial assembly.
• Rosemary leaves: Rosemary’s needle-like leaves provide a pine-like aroma and a sharp flavor, which enlivens the rich tapestry of the stew’s broth.

Substitutions and Variations

• You can always add Worcestershire sauce to add flavor quickly.
• You can also up the number of bay leaves that you add to this classic beef stew recipe.
• If you want to add lots of flavors, you may want to change up the ingredients and try adding sweet potatoes, frozen peas, or other veggies to the soup pot.
• If you prefer a more intense umami flavor, try adding a spoonful of tomato paste or a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Those who enjoy a bit of heat might enjoy a dash of cayenne pepper or diced jalapeños for a spicy kick.

How To Make Hearty Beef Stew

1. Clean and prepare the vegetables. Leave potato skins on or peel them if you prefer.
2. In a large deep pan over medium-high heat, cook olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes until mushrooms soften.
3. If needed, brown the beef in batches in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the beef and mushrooms to a bowl and set the skillet back on the stove.
4. Add 1 cup beef stock and red wine to the skillet. Scrape up the cooked bits and boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Then, put the beef and mushrooms back in.
5. Lower the heat and add 2 cups of beef broth and a bay leaf. Cover and cook for about 1 to 1.5 hours until the beef is tender. Stir once in a while.
6. Mix in the carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and herbs. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef stock.
7. Cook without a cover for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not overcooked. Remove the bay leaf. Add salt and pepper as you like. Serve hot.

Recipe Tips

• Sear the beef well: Don’t rush the browning of your beef cubes—searing them until they develop a good crust adds immense flavor to the stew.
• Deglaze the pan thoroughly: After browning the beef, use the red wine and beef stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the flavorful bits to incorporate into the stew.
• Go low and slow: Allowing the stew to simmer at a lower temperature will enable the flavors to meld together and the beef to become perfectly tender.
• Cut vegetables uniformly: Make sure all your vegetables are roughly the same size to ensure they cook evenly.
• Add delicate vegetables later: Ingredients like herbs or peas should be added toward the end of the cooking process to prevent them from becoming overcooked.
• Adjust consistency with a slurry: If the stew is not as thick as you’d like by the end of cooking, mix a little flour or cornstarch with cold water and stir it in to thicken the stew.
• Taste and adjust seasoning: Before serving, be sure to taste your stew and adjust the salt, pepper, and herbs to your liking.

Alternative Cooking Methods

This beef stew recipe is quite adaptable to various cooking methods. For those with an Instant Pot, you can enjoy the same rich flavors in a fraction of the time. Here’s how to adapt the recipe:

1. Use the sauté function of the Instant Pot to brown the beef and sauté the mushrooms, garlic, and onions.
2. Add the beef stock, red wine, and all remaining ingredients except the delicate vegetables, like peas, to the pot.
3. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
4. Once done, carefully quick-release the pressure and add any delicate vegetables.
5. Cook on sauté mode for an additional few minutes until these vegetables are tender.

This method retains the robust flavors of a traditional stew while significantly cutting down the cooking time, making it a perfect meal for busy evenings.

Storing Tips

This great meal makes quite a bit, so you’ll have a little bit left for the next day. Just add the homemade beef stew recipe into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. You can reheat it on the stovetop in a large pot. You should eat within 2-3 days.

Beef stew freezes very well. Allow the stew to cool completely before transferring it into freezer-safe containers or bags. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw the stew in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it on the stove until it’s warm throughout.

What To Serve With Hearty Beef Stew

A great side dish is a game changer. For a complete meal, consider adding one of these recipes.

• Savory Bacon Cheddar Scones Recipe
• Cheddar Biscuits with Chilies
• Pull-apart Garlic Cheesy Bread
• Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Rolls With Colby!
• Easy Copycat Little Caesars Crazy Bread
• See all of our delicious side dishes!

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