My Favorite Beef Stew Recipe
I’m thinking this is just the thing you need to make this coming Tuesday. I always love to have stew or chili on Halloween, I don’t know what it is but it’s becoming tradition.
It must have something to do with the fact that it’s always cold here when we take our kids out trick-or-treating (sometimes snowing!) so I love to have some warm comforting stew before we head out, then I like to have hot cocoa when we get home. I get cold easy.
Slow Cooking is The Best Method for Beef Stew
This slow cooker method is my favorite way to make beef stew because it just allows all that time for the beef to become melt-in-your-mouth tender and also it allows plenty of time for those flavors to meld and marry into utter bliss.
Ingredients Needed for This Recipe
- Chuck roast
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh vegetables including yellow onion, celery, garlic, yellow potatoes and carrots
- Tomato paste
- Low-sodium beef broth or chicken broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Fresh herbs including thyme, rosemary and sage
- Cornstarch
- Frozen peas
Scroll below for full printable recipe.
How to Make Beef Stew
- Dab beef dry season with salt and pepper then brown beef in a skillet with olive oil. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Saute onions and celery, followed by garlic then tomato paste.
- Pour in 1 cup of beef broth (to deglaze the pan) along with Worcestershire, soy sauce, thyme and rosemary.
- Add potatoes and carrots to slow cooker then pour in beef broth mixture. Pour in remaining broth, season with salt and pepper.
- Cook on low heat 7 – 8 hours.
- Whisk cornstarch with water, stir into stew and cook on high heat an additional 20 minutes to help thicken slightly. Stir in peas and half of the parsley.
- Serve warm garnished with remaining parsley.
Do I Need to Brown the Beef First?
I highly recommend that you don’t skip browning the beef it adds key flavor to this stew. It’s worth the extra 10 minutes hassle, trust me. Same goes with those onions/celery, if you don’t saute them first they have a different flavor and texture.
Are There Optional Ingredients?
I know it seems like a long list of ingredients but I don’t recommend omitting any of them. The herbs add freshness and things like soy sauce and Worcestershire add layers of flavor.
Do I Have to Use Fresh Herbs?
If needed dry herbs can be used in place of fresh but fresh is best. You can look for a roasting herb blend which should include thyme, rosemary and parsley. That way you don’t need to purchase 3 separately.
Can I Cook It on High Heat?
For best results I recommend cooking on low heat. It makes the beef extra tender.
What Should I Serve with This?
This is basically a meal in one with the beef and veggies but for a simple side you can’t go wrong with fresh bread for dipping. A spinach salad with some fresh apples or pears would another great option.
Make Ahead Tips for Beef Stew
- Cut up beef, onions, carrots, celery and garlic the night before cooking (and store separately in the fridge. Wait to chop potatoes so they don’t brown). This will give you a huge head start the following morning because this recipe does have a lot of prep work.
- You could also measure out and whisk together the beef broth mixture then just have it ready to pour into the skillet the next day.