Beef Stew

This easy Beef Stew recipe starts off on the stove but finishes up in the oven; that frees you up to tackle a project or two before dinner. When it's time to eat, every bowl is hearty, delicious, and perfect for chilly nights.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 193 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (3 pound) beef roast cut into 1½ -inch cubes (see note 1)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 2 onions diced
  • 2 celery ribs finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup red wine (see note 2)
  • 2 cups chicken broth (see note 3)
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried (see note 4)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes scrubbed and quartered
  • 4 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions
 

  • Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef pieces dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half the meat in a single layer and cook, without moving, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes.
  • Flip each piece of beef and continue cooking until browned on the other side. Transfer to a bowl. Heat another tablespoon of oil and repeat with remaining beef until browned. Transfer to bowl.
  • Heat last tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, wine, and chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, and browned beef, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
  • Bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven, and cook for 1 hour.
  • Remove pot from oven. Stir in potatoes and carrots. Return to a simmer, cover, and return to the oven for 1 hour longer, until beef is tender.
  • Remove pot from oven. Remove bay leaves and any thyme stems. Stir in peas and cover for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

  1. Beef roast: Preferably chuck-eye roast (also called boneless chuck roll or boneless chuck fillet). Look for beef that is well-marbled with white veins of fat.
  2. Red wine: I love a Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir here. If you are avoiding wine, just use more broth.
  3. Chicken broth: There's usually a block of frozen homemade chicken broth in my freezer, but you can use store-bought broth, too.
  4. Thyme and bay leaves: In my opinion, a bay leaf is essential, but you can switch up other green herbs if you don't have thyme: rosemary, parsley, etc.
  5. Make ahead: Make several days ahead, without a problem. To keep the peas bright, add them when you reheat the stew before serving.
  6. Freezing: Beef stew was absolutely made for freezing to have on hand for last-minute meals. Let cool, then portion, date and label, and freeze for up to 4 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before gently reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 267mgPotassium: 633mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5339IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg
Keyword beef stew
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