Beef Stew
Chunks of well-browned chuck braised low in the oven with red wine, broth and herbs, with potatoes, carrots and peas in a thick, glossy gravy.
- Everyday Classics
- Cast iron / Dutch oven
- Oven
- Beef
- Dinner
- 180 min total
- Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
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Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 2 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut in 1.5-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine, or more broth
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1.5-inch chunks
- 4 carrots, cut in 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
Step 1: Heat the oven to 325°F. Pat the beef dry, season with salt and pepper, and toss with the flour.
Step 2: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, without crowding. Move to a plate.
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium and add the last tablespoon of oil. Cook the onion 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir 1 minute.
Step 4: Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer 2 minutes. Add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves and the beef with its juices.
Step 5: Bring to a simmer, cover, and move to the oven for 1.5 hours.
Step 6: Stir in the potatoes and carrots. Cover and return to the oven 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beef and vegetables are tender.
Step 7: Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the peas and let them warm through 5 minutes. Taste and season. Top with parsley.
Swaps
- Slow cooker: Brown the beef and build the sauce, then cook everything (except peas) on Low 8 hours.
- Veg: Add mushrooms, parsnips or celery.
- Thicker: Mash a few potato chunks against the side of the pot and stir.
Tips
- Buy a whole chuck roast and cut it yourself. Packaged “stew meat” is often scraps from different cuts that cook unevenly.
- Like most stews, it tastes even better the next day.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Beef stew is the cold-weather dinner that makes the whole house smell like somebody knows what they’re doing. Bonus: it’s mostly hands-off, which means you look busy while actually watching TV.
The flour on the beef does double duty. It helps the meat brown, and later it thickens the stew into a velvety gravy. Browning in batches matters, because a crowded pot traps steam and the meat boils gray instead of searing. The oven is better than the stovetop for the long braise, since it surrounds the pot with steady, even heat with no scorching on the bottom.
Adding the potatoes and carrots later keeps them from falling apart. They should be tender but still in chunks. Grab some crusty bread for dunking, because leaving any of that gravy in the bowl is a crime.
HAM out.
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