Best Ever Beef Stew
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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 Chicago 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.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your stew. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety.
- 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 pounds top sirloin steak, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 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
- Season steak with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. 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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Very good. I just found you site and it looks great but, I wish you would/could add Nutritional Values.
Hi John! Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”). Hope that helps!
Can I make this in a crock pot?
This was really good. I did do two things different. I added the potatoes at the same time as the meat and I used bacon grease instead of olive oil. Turn out Great
I have made this stew and it turned out to be the best I’ve ever had. I will definitely make this again. I wonder if this can be adapted to make in the InstantPot.
The flavor of the stew was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly as written. Unfortunately the potatoes were not cooked. They took far longer than the recipe stated. When I make this recipe next time I will add the potatoes with the beef.
Question: recipe does not say you remove beef in step one prior to adding the veggies, but a few comments seem to indicate you should. Other recipes I have. Could you clarify? Does everything just stay in the pot from step 1 forward?
You take the beef out and set aside, towards the end you add the beef and let it cook for 30 minutes, add the potatoes in cook some more. I didn’t see where you put it back in at first, but its there in the recipe.
You take the beef out and set aside, towards the end you add the beef and let it cook for 30 minutes, add the potatoes in cook some more. I didn’t see where you put it back in at first, but its there in the recipe. Enjoy. I’m cooking it right now. Hopefully all comes out great
This was amazing, I’m a lazy cook but I enjoyed it
Very, very good . Robust and wonderfully tasty.
I made your stew as written, but substituted parsnips for potatoes as we prefer those. Boy was this stew delicious. Using top sirloin steak meant the stew meat didn’t have to cook for hours. About an hour start to finish and it was one of the best beef stews I’ve ever made. I’ll use this recipe again!!
I’ve made plenty and many beef stews and have always been disappointed – this one though – omg – amazing! I love it!
First bowl kinda broke into soup, but don’t give up on it. After that I simmered in the slow cooker for another hour or two without the cover. And it turned into the most delicious stew I’ve ever had.
This is such a flavorful stew!! Great recipe. My only recommendation would be to add an extra 30-45 minutes onto the final simmering cook period. That extra time makes the beef really tender and the whole stew even more flavorful. Served it with toasted baguette. Lovely comfort meal.
Seriously the best beef stew I’ve ever had! I actually just used regular stew meat (but cut up the pieces pretty small so they would be tender). YOWZA! So so good! I tripled the recipe. I didn’t skimp on the wine and added frozen peas in during the last 10 minutes (to “beef” it up). Absolutely yummy!
What can you use in lieu of wine . I at work offshore . So no wine available .
Chicken or beef broth will work fine.
Without a doubt, the best stew I’ve ever had. I made it for my brother-in-law following surgery. He and his wife are fabulous cooks and they said they’ve never had stew this tender. Don’t cheap out on the wine …only use one of your favourites. I used consommé instead of beef broth.
OMG! So very good! I used lean stewing beef, about half a campbell’s can of Cabernet ( maybe more coming), 10 oz of sliced mushrooms and a jar of Goya sofrito (tomatoes, green bell pepper, garlic and olive oil) together with everything else you listed. It’s late fall and I’ve been wanting to make beef stew for a couple of weeks now. I also used dry thyme bc I didn’t have fresh. Potatoes coming in next. Oh, and my sweetie wants me to add baby Lima beans (hmmmm) but it’s stew so why not!
You have a winner here!
Made this for my roommate and boyfriend today. I added a bit extra red wine, paprika, and rosemary instead of thyme — it turned out really great! I also forwent the celery in lieu of frozen peas at the very end for some colour and sweetness, which I recommend. I think maybe the recipe could do with a bit less mushrooms but it certainly wasn’t overpowering or anything. It’s a nice savoury meal, perfect for fall. Thanks!
I made this stew last night and I followed the recipe exactly and it is seriously the BEST beff stew I’ve ever had in my life! The depth of flavor was insane for a stew that has such a short cooking time. Also, the beef and vegetables were perfectly tender and delicious! Great recipe!
I made this recipe by the book and it was absolutely delicious. However, being the Southern country boy that I am, I had to make it the way my grandma woulda made it. Beef stew ain’t beef stew without whole kernel corn in it and corn bread on the side. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Make it per the recipe and change it (if ya jest gotta) how you like it.
I love it!
Very nice
What would recommend as an alternative to mushrooms?