Classic Beef Stew

January 04, 2020

Classic Beef Stew is a delicious recipe to make again and again. It’s truly a classic favorite.

This is pure comfort food that is perfect for a chilly winter day. One bowl of this Classic Beef Stew will fill you up and warm your heart. Tender beef is cooked with mushrooms, potatoes and carrots in a red wine gravy. It’s the kind of meal that is perfect for simmering away on the stove while you go about your business. The scent wafting around in your kitchen will have you craving stew immensely by the time it’s ready for serving!

I love to make this recipe for a Sunday night dinner. And then we usually have some good lunch leftovers for Monday and Tuesday. This recipe qualifies as a family favorite in my house, which means I make it quite often. That makes everyone happy!

How to make Classic Beef Stew:

Mushrooms, onion and garlic are sautéed first. Flour-dusted beef stew meat is browned next. At this point, the pan will have collected some great flavors, so you’ll add a cup of red wine to the pan, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and simmer the wine with fresh thyme, beef broth and a bay leaf. Finally, you’ll add the beef, mushrooms and onion back to the pot and let it all simmer on low for one hour. This is good time for that beef to become nice and tender.

After an hour of cooking, it’ll be time to add in potato and carrots. Then you’ll give it another hour of cooking until the vegetables are nice and tender and the gravy has thickened. One small addition of salt and pepper, and then it’s ready to serve.

Note: I’ve served this stew to a lot of people- both family and guests. It always gets rave reviews.

My mother gives this Classic Beef Stew recipe a big thumbs-up. Why is that important to know? Well, my Mom happens to call herself quite the stew expert. She especially likes it the next day when the flavor has time to seep into the vegetables. I do too.

Here are a few more favorite beef recipes you might like to try:

Classic Beef Stew

Fabulous rendition of the old favorite!

1 tablespoon olive oil, (divided)
16 ounces small cremini mushrooms
2 cups chopped sweet onions
3 medium garlic cloves, (minced)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 pounds lean beef stew meat, (cut into bite-sized pieces)
3/4 teaspoon salt, (divided)
1 cup dry red wine
Two 14.5-ounce cans low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 whole bay leaf
2 cups 3/4-inch cubed, peeled white potato
1½ cups sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme sprigs, (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to brown. Spoon the mushrooms into a large bowl. Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add the garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add the onion mixture to the mushroom mixture.
Place the flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge the beef in flour, shaking off excess. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add the browned beef to the mushroom mixture. Repeat the procedure with the remaining beef mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Add 1 cup of wine to the pan, scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Add the broth, thyme, and the bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in the beef mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is just tender.
Stir in the potato and carrot. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the beef and vegetables are very tender and the sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

If you are preparing this recipe as Gluten Free, sub GF flour for the all-purpose (or use another GF thickener), and be sure to use a brand of beef broth that is designated as GF.
Purchase pre-cut lean stew beef, or cut lean beef sirloin or chuck into bite-sized pieces.
White skinned potatoes hold up well in soups and stews; you can substitute red potatoes too.

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