Best Ever Beef Stew
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A cozy, classic beef stew with tender beef, carrots, mushrooms + potatoes. Everyone will love this, especially on those chilly nights!
Featured Comment
We just got back from Los Angeles. You know, from their perfect always-sunny-70-degree weather. Wait, why did we leave California again?
No, but really, it was a solid 20 degrees outside and a rude awakening back to Chiberia reality, and Cartman refused to walk as usual. But that’s okay. Because I came home to the best beef stew ever.
Wonderfully aromatic, super cozy, and filled with so many goodies – tender chunks of steak, mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots. All good things here, stewing in that perfectly hearty, rich gravy.
I poured the rest of the red wine I used for this recipe into a very large wine glass, warmed up some dinner rolls, and forgot just how cold it is outside.
tips and tricks for success
- Prep ahead of time. Save time by prepping and dicing the meat and vegetables ahead of time (minus the potatoes as they will brown if chopped too early).
- Sear the meat. Browning the beef first is key here. That dark crust on the sirloin steak will create such richer, deeper flavors in your stew (plus, the browned bits at the bottom of the pot are all lovely bits here, adding so much flavor).
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry red wine (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir or merlot) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with beef stew
- How to Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Skillet Dinner Rolls
- Honey Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
- Italian Chopped Salad
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Best Ever Beef Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
Mushrooms can be omitted completely if it’s not your thing. Eggplant or zucchini can be substituted, if desired, as it can absorb all the good flavors and mimic the texture of mushrooms.
Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock can be used for red wine as a non-alcoholic substitute. Stock will be less acidic and more mild in flavor than red wine.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes! You can absolutely make beef stew in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Beef stew is very much freezer-friendly. You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Best Ever Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds top sirloin steak, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 ½ cups beef stock
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season steak with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, add steak to the stockpot and cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes; set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk in flour and tomato paste until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the stockpot.
- Stir in beef stock, thyme, bay leaves and steak. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until beef is very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in potato; simmer until potatoes are just tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.*
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I have only made beef stew a few times in my life: using different recipes that were never really impressive. This was delicious, it turned out exactly as I hoped it would, hearty and flavorful. I threw the potatoes in at the same time as the beef by mistake, but it worked out just fine since I had the meat cut on the smaller side. I made the recipe exactly as is otherwise; it’s a keeper!
This is my favorite beef stew recipe. Quick and easy and so, so good. I’m going to have to double the batch though. I always plan to freeze ½ of it but it doesn’t last long enough to do so!
I made this tonight and I’d make it again but I needed to add more beef stock. Also minced the carrot and celery. My mistake. The tomato paste and flour should be blended together before going in the Dutch oven. Pretty easy for beef stew. I cut it in half and turned out.
What timing would you recommend for crock pot or instapot for this stew? Mom of a toddler here…
I highly recommend this instant pot version. Hope you get to give it a try!
Hands down the best beef stew I have ever made……. 5 stars
Has anyone made this without garlic? I have a food allergy and can’t use it. Suggestions for a substitute?
I just made this stew and it is delicious! I tweaked it a bit with more wine and a few extra veg and I love it!
I would just leave the garlic out altogether. If you wanted to add more seasoning add herbs de Provence after checking for allergens. My daughter has celiac so we always substitute gluten free flour which can be hit or miss in its thickening power so I feel your pain. Happy cooking!
Dang good!! I couldn’t find any of the cremini mushrooms so I had to use the porta Bella’s that they had. But other than that I followed the rest of the recipe and just finished eating!!
Cremini is just another name for baby Bella 😀
I am obsessed with this recipe and have made it many, many times. Sent it to my entire family to make and they also loved it. I’ve refined my process and do one slight modification…I add the potatoes at the same time I add the beef and forego the last 20 minutes (mostly because I cannot bare another 20 mins…it smells way too good). The beef comes out incredibly tender and the potatoes are also done by then. I LOVE THIS RECIPE, THANK YOU!!!
I make this recipe ALL the time! So good. My boys love it.
Hi this is my first time cooking beef stew and it turned out wonderful! Thank you so much for this recipe.
I made this stew and while I followed the recipe I had no idea how it would turn out. It is amazing. My modifications: browned beef in butter; used no flour; used chicken stock because I didn’t have beef stock; used a really good pinot noir wine; didn’t use the thyme; transferred the contents of the stockpot to my crockpot because I was leaving the house for a few hours. Flavors are deep and rich.
How long did you do it in the crockpot and in low ir high? Thx!
I’ve made this several times in the slow cooker and find that 8 hours on low works just fine. Even if it goes a little longer it’s not going to hurt anything.
This was absolutely delicious. That is all.
This is my “go to” beef stew recipe. I follow the directions exactly and it is perfect every time. Sometimes I will make the stew early in the day (except for potatoes and parsley), and put it in the fridge until we are ready to eat. I then heat up the stew, and add the potatoes and parsley. I think it tastes even better than when cooked and served immediately – the flavors really mature and blend.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
This is my “go to” beef stew recipe. I follow the directions exactly and it is perfect every time. Sometimes I will make the stew early in the day (except for potatoes and parsley), and put it in the fridge until we are ready to eat. I then heat up the stew, and add the potatoes and parsley. I think it tastes even better when cooked and served immediately – the flavors really mature and blend.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Absolutely the best beef stew. Am making it again soon.
I love all of your recipes, and I followed this one perfectly. It looked beautiful, and I was really excited about serving it to guests. Unfortunately, the taste was off. The only thing I can attribute it to is the Merlot that I used. What is the best wine, including brand, for this recipe? I have no doubt that it is amazing, and I’m sure my wine choice is the reason the flavor wasn’t incredible.
I’m not the one you asked BUT I know sometimes it’s a wait to get a reply (anywhere, not just here), but any red wine that you enjoy drinking should be good to use. However, Merlot often has a sweet profile, so if you found the stew too sweet, you might want to try something drier, like a shiraz, red zinfandel, or cabernet. Buy a bottle (or box! a lot of the boxes are really decent quality now) that you like and use it for the stew and then to drink with the stew. If that doesn’t fix it, it could be a flavor profile in the meat that you don’t enjoy. I try & try to like grass fed beef but I really enjoy the flavors of the grain fed meat, unfortunately. I hope the next try turns out much better!!
I used beef tenderloin. My husband said this was excellent, and I thought so too! This recipe is a keeper!
This was my first time EVER making beef stew (in my new Dutch oven)!
I left out the mushrooms (because I forgot them), and it was still absolutely delicious. My husband and I paired it with warmed up French rolls and red wine.
Made this last night using left over rib roast from Christmas. Sipped the browning part. Turned out delicious.