Classic Beef Stew Recipe (Hearty & Comforting Dinner)

There is nothing like a hearty beef stew simmering away on the stovetop. The rich aroma fills the kitchen, and once it’s ready, all that’s left to do is ladle a generous scoop into a bowl and grab some crusty bread for dunking. This classic beef stew is comforting, flavorful, and perfect for a cozy dinner at home.

Adapted from a traditional beef stew recipe, this version is especially satisfying during colder months. Beef stew is one of those timeless comfort foods that brings everyone to the table, warming you up while filling you up — exactly the kind of home-cooked meal we love in fall and winter.

Are you looking for something else to cook? Be sure to see all our beef recipes and soup recipes.

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Hearty Beef Stew 

This easy stovetop beef stew is rich, flavorful, and perfect for warming up on chilly evenings. Made with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, celery, and aromatic herbs, it’s a classic comfort food that cooks in about 2 hours.

Fall is in full swing here, with cool nights and colorful leaves still on the trees. As the season shifts toward winter and Thanksgiving draws near, nothing hits the spot like a hearty, home-cooked stew. It’s great for feeding a crowd or enjoying leftovers the next day — cozy, satisfying, and full of flavor.

Kitchen Tools To Own For Cooking Stew

• stew pot, stew pot, or stew pot
• chef knife
• cutting boards
• spoon for stirring the stew
• ladle
• potholders

  

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

• 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1‑inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 can (14‑1/2 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10‑1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth, undiluted
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 2‑inch pieces
• 3–6 medium potatoes, peeled, cut, and quartered
• 1 cup sliced celery (about 3–4 stalks)

Instructions

1. Prep your veggies and set them aside until needed.
2. Dredge the beef cubes in flour, salt, and pepper.
3. In a heated stew pot, add olive oil and the dredged beef.
4. Brown the beef on all four sides.
5. Add the onion and celery, moving the beef to the side. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
6. Add the garlic and sauté a few minutes longer.
7. Add the carrots.
8. Open and add the beef broth and canned whole tomatoes to the pot with the sautéed veggies and beef.
9. Add the spices.
10. Cook on a simmer until the meat is cooked through and potatoes are fork‑tender.
11. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
    Enjoy!

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Yield: 6

Hearty Beef Stew

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Hearty Beef Stew Recipe - This beef stew is similar to the classic beef stew we know and love. With a few changes to the original recipe, you will have a flavorful, hearty beef stew! Grab the recipe and make stew for dinner!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 can 14-1/2 ounces whole tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can 10-1/2 ounces condensed beef broth, undiluted
• 3 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
• 1/4 c Italian parsley chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 medium carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3-6 medium potatoes peeled, cut and quartered
• 1 cup sliced celery about 3-4 stalks

Instructions

How To Make Beef Stew

1. Prep your veggies. Set them to the side until needed.
2. Dredge the beef cubes in flour, salt and pepper.
3. In a heated stew pot, add olive oil and the dredged beef.
4. Brown the beef on all four sides.
5. Add the onion and celery to the same pot, moving beef to the side. Saute them until the onion is translucent.
6. Then, add the garlic and saute a few minutes longer.
7. Next, add the carrots.
8. Open and add the beef broth, canned whole tomatoes. Add them to the pot with sauteed veggies and beef.
9. Add the spices.
10. Cook on a simmer until meat is cooked through and potatoes are soft enough to fork through.
11. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste preference.

Enjoy!

Notes

• You can blend the tomatoes, use an immersion blender, or break them up small with your hands.
• To thicken the broth you can add some of the cooked potatoes and all of the tomatoes into your Vitamix and blend. Then add the blended vegetables back into your stew. 
• If you need to thicken it more. Use cornstarch per the package directions. 
• Can you make this recipe in the Instant Pot? Yes, adjust the cooking time. (source) Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 531Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 150mgSodium 549mgCarbohydrates 46gFiber 6gSugar 5gProtein 55g

Not all nutritional information is always 100% accurate.

I can't believe I started cooking my stew recipe almost ten years ago! And it's still a keeper in my books. 

Recipe Tips:

• You can blend the tomatoes, use an immersion blender, or break them up small with your hands.
• To thicken the broth, you can add some of the cooked potatoes and all of the tomatoes into your Vitamix

  

  and blend. Then add the blended vegetables back into your stew. 
• If you need to thicken it more. Use cornstarch

  

  per the package directions. 
• Can you make this recipe in the Instant Pot? Yes, adjust the cooking time. (source) Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.

What to serve with beef stew?

• Bread, rolls, biscuits
• A side dish, such as a salad

No fancy photos of this stew, I called it Hearty Beef Stew. I hurried along making this during the week, but managed to take a couple of photos while it simmered on the stove (way back in 2013!). You can see the photography class I'm taking on my sidebar. I'm going back and updating posts. I've learned a lot over the years. 😉 

The original recipe called for cooking it in the oven, but I didn't. But I made it into a stovetop beef stew recipe. And, I also added a few more spices and eliminated the tapioca for thickening. I never use tapioca. When the stew is simmering, it seems to thicken up on its own. If needed, I prefer using cornstarch to thicken the stew. You can use what your preference. 

Try cooking this recipe for the beef stew; it is worth the time it takes. And if you are busy, cook the stew on the weekend and use the leftovers for the next day! The recipe is easy to make. We enjoyed this hearty beef stew. Then the next day, we enjoyed it again. I could have frozen half, but sometimes leftovers are even better than the previous day. For two reasons: flavors meld, and my favorite reason is not having to cook two days in a row!

Adapted from Classic Beef Stew Recipe

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Happy Cooking and Fall, Y'all!