Hearty Beef Stew Recipe (Classic Comfort Food)

Beef stew with carrots and potatoes in a blue bowl, garnished with green onions.

5 from 9 votes

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe (Classic Comfort Food)

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.

Prep Time25

Cook Time2

simmering20

Total Time2 45

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 342kcal

Author: Kim Schob

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
3-4 cloves garlic fresh minced
8 oz mushrooms white, sliced
2 lbs beef stew cut into 1” cubes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
3-4 cup beef stock divided*
1 cup red wine dry
1 bay leaf whole
3 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks finely diced
1 yellow onion diced
2 lbs Russet potatoes chopped
2 tps fresh thyme leaves rinsed
2 tps fresh oregano leaves rinsed
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves chopped
*Use more or less beef stock to achieve the desired consistency

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Clean and prepare the vegetables. Leave potato skins on or peel them if you prefer.
In a large deep pan over medium-high heat, cook olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes until mushrooms soften.
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.
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.
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.
Mix in the carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and herbs. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef stock.
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.

Notes

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.

Nutrition