What is Beef Stew?
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What is beef stew? It is a classic combination of potatoes, stew meat, carrots, onions, and celery simmered to perfection in a really yummy beef broth. It is easy and so delicious!
I love this beef stew! It reminds me of my elementary school days. This is how my school would make beef stew, a ton of chunky vegetables and a really thin broth with the biggest pieces of meat in the world. They also always paired it with a homemade roll, does that date me? I swear I’m not that old :)!
This beef stew isn’t thick like regular stew, it is just broth for the liquids. To add more protein to this dish, bone broth is a great substitution instead of regular broth.
These are my favorite soup bowls, if you are looking for something that is super cute and keeps your food hot these bowls are the perfect solution.
Why You’ll Love This Beef Stew Recipe
This beef stew is a one pot meal, meaning clean up takes no time at all. All you have to do is chop the veggies, sear the meat and then add everything to the same pan. This means there are maybe two big dishes total!
The beef will get extremely tender if you let it sit and simmer for awhile. Stew beef is usually a little tougher cut of meat so it needs to sit in the liquids and really cook out to get the perfect texture when you go to bit into it. The longer you can let this cook the better the flavor and the meat will be, it will have a full, rich, slow simmered flavor that is hard to beat.
This beef stew is also very easy to cut the veggies for. Because the veggies need to hold up in liquids for a longer period of time really big chunks is what I recommend. You will get all the flavor without the mush.
Beef stew is a really cozy meal that is perfect for a Sunday dinner but it is easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Or you can even throw all of this into the crock pot, head to practice then you have dinner ready when you get home!
Tips for the Perfect Beef Stew
You can sear the meat when you first start it in the pan. Put a little oil in the bottom of your heated saucepan and then drop the meat pieces in. This will make the most delicious sizzling sound and it will add a deeper flavor to the meat.
Even though you cut the veggies really large, they will still take less time than the beef to cook all the way through. So, after browning the meat and letting it simmer for about an hour, then add the vegetables. Then cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
Simmering this on low and slow for at least two hours will be the best for flavor and texture of the meat. As I mentioned above, stew beef is usually a tougher cut of meat and needs some love and time to cook all the way and be the most tender.
If you really want to thicken this you can add a cornstarch and water slurry. This will cause it to be a thick stew instead of a runny liquidy one as I have pictured.
Meal Prep and Storage Tips for Beef Stew
Store leftovers in a container for up to four days. If you are meal prepping these are my favorite containers to use.
When you reheat this you can use the stovetop or you can use the microwave depending on what you have available.
Beef stew is a great meal to freeze. You can easily put this in a baggie or other air tight container then in the freezer. You just need to make sure to cool it off properly before storing.
Other Soup/Stew Ideas to Try
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the vegetables by washing, peeling, and chopping.
- Heat olive oil and drop in stew meat to get it to have a slight sear.
- Then dump all other ingredients in and let it cook until meat is cooked through and vegetables are fork tender.
- Serve with a dinner roll, biscuits, crackers, etc!