If you’re looking for a stew that will comfort you, make you feel happy, and be about the most delicious bowl of yumminess you’ve had all year…you’ve come to the right place.
This stew is reminiscent of Beef Bourguignon, which slow cooks in a robust red wine. The meat is melt-in-your-mouth good and the depth of flavor is incredible. You can slow cook this in a pot, preferably a Dutch oven, or in your slow-cooker. Either way is comfort food at its very best.
HOW TO MAKE HEARTY BEEF STEW
This easy beef stew recipe is a snap to make at home.
We’ll take you through all the easy-to-follow steps for honestly making the best beef stew you’ll ever eat or serve.
THE BEST BEEF FOR BEEF STEW
We highly recommend a nice 3 to 4 lb chuck roast for this hearty beef stew.
Now, there are different types of chuck roast.
EXPERT TIP: The best cuts of a chuck roast to look for are top blade, chuck eye, and arm pot roast. Be sure to look for thin streaks of fat throughout the meat – this is called ‘marbling.’ These streaks of fat melt during cooking and bastes the meat internally so it becomes moist and tender. However, don’t confuse marbling with the thicker strips of fat that separate distinct muscles.
Cutting the meat into 1-inch chunks, and the dredging them in seasoned flour, and then searing them in the pot locks in flavor and helps to keep the meat super tender.
BUILDING THE FLAVOR PROFILE
After the meat has been seared (usually in two batches), set the meat aside, and in the same pot, it’s time to sauté the vegetables.
If necessary, add a little more oil, and then add in the onions, carrots, and celery.
EXPERT TIP: As the meat sears, some of the meat and seasoned flour will stick to the bottom of the pan. This is normal and very good. A little later, when you add the red wine, you’ll use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the delicious goodness. This is called de-glazing and deepens the flavor of the stew.
Next, goes in the wine. That’s right, an entire 750ML bottle of good quality, robust wine.
You’ll also add beef stock and hand-crushed whole tomatoes.
After simmering for 10 minutes, the alcohol cooks out, and the wine begins to transform into a deeply flavorful stew.
Finally, it’s time to add the meat back into the pot.
You’ll want to create a thickener at this point. We take a 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and combine it with a heaping tbsp of tomato paste.
Whisk this into the hearty beef stew and it will slightly thicken. NOTE: The stew will continue to thicken as it slow cooks in the oven, or slow-cooker.
HEARTY BEEF STEW SLOW COOKER VERSION
If you want to transfer the stew to a slow-cooker to finish cooking, this is the time to do it.
Simply add to your slow-cooker and set the setting to low, for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
We love our slow-cooker, but we really love covering the stew in the Dutch oven with the lid, and then let it finish off in the oven for an hour and a half, to two hours. Stirring once or twice during the cooking.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BEEF STEW
The stew is just amazing and always gets major rave reviews when we serve it to family and friends.
As with so many dishes, it’s even better the next day.
It’s very filling and is even better when served with Country White Bread, and you and your loved ones will be so very happy.
Just in case you need one more reason to make this stew.
Just take a close look at the bowl full of deliciousness.
We promise you, it’s just a good as it looks. Maybe even better!
Ready to make the best Hearty Beef Stew in the land? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and hashtag #howtofeedaloon!
Hearty Beef Stew
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven, or sturdy pot with a lid. Or, slow-cooker.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour you'll use 3 tablespoons at first, and then the rest at the end
- 2 tsp Kosher salt divided, 1 tsp for dredging, 1 for tomato thickener
- 1½ tsp black pepper divided, 1 tsp for dredging, ½ tsp for stew
- 3½ lb beef chuck cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 15 oz pearl onions if frozen, thawed
- 1 750ML bottle red wine robust cabernet or burgundy is great
- 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste heaping
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F (unless using a slow-cooker).
- On a platter, stir together the ½ cup flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper.
- Turn the beef pieces in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add half of the floured meat into the pan. Let cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Use a wooden spoon to turn the meat around in the pan, and cook for another 5 minutes until the meat is browned all over. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a clean plate.
- In the same pot, add a little more oil, if necessary. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 - 8 minutes. Stir in the pearl onions.
- Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add ¼ cup of flour and the tomato paste. Use a fork to work the paste into the flour. It's okay if it's not completely a paste.
- Return the beef to the pan. Add 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper.
- Stir in the tomato thickener and whisk for about 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. The stew will continue to thicken as it cooks in the oven or slow-cooker.
- Place the lid on the pot and place in the oven for 1½ to 2 hours until the meat is very tender, stirring a couple of times during the cooking process. If using a slow-cooker, add the stew and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 5 hours. Serve warm with bread!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in March 2015 but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with tips, new photography, and a fabulous new video.
Some of us cook for recovering alcoholics, many of whom refuse to eat anything made with alcohol. Although chefs claim there is no alcohol remaining after it has been cooked, other sites say that is mostly, but not 100%, true, and a person who is avoiding alcohol needs to be accommodated in that way. It seems that some recipes, like your beef stew, are so heavy on the wine, there is no way to make that dish without sacrificing flavor by eliminating the wine. But, other times, there’s only a cup or less of wine, please offer an alternative to the wine when you present the recipe. Thank you!!!
Hi Janet! We completely agree. Although most of the alcohol cooks out, it’s not 100%. For a dish like this, that is derived from the French beef bourguignon, a red wine beef sauce, it would be difficult to omit the wine. However, you could simply use additional beef broth in place of the wine. We also have another beef stew recipe that is more traditional: Slow-Cooker Beef Stew. We hear what you’re saying, though, and we always try to provide alternatives when alcohol is included in one of our recipes. Thanks again!
Hi Guys! I’m planning to make this for St. Patty’s day–would I be able to make this on the stovetop instead of the oven? And, if so, would I need to alter the simmer time or is 1-1/2 to 2 hours still a good timeframe? My oven will be occupied with other items so stovetop is my preference. Last resort I can use my slow cooker. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! So sorry for the delayed response! We would recommend simmering on low (covered) for a minimum of 2 hours. 3 hours would ensure very tender chunks of beef. Just be sure to check and stir periodically to make sure it’s not burning on the bottom of the pot. Your slow cooker is a sure fire way to cook it, too!! Hope this helps and let us know how it all turns out. Sound amazing!!! Have fun!!!
This is the BEST hearty Beef Stew recipe hands down. I added some “baby ” potatoes and small bella mushrooms also. Their should be a warning about the sauce because if you don’t have bread to sop it up from the bottom of the bowl/plate you WILL BE USING YOUR FINGERS! Just absolutely amazing!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It will be made monthly during the winter seasons. Cheers!
Melissa♡
Hi Melisssa! You just made our day! We are so so thrilled you had such great success with the beef stew and your additions sound fantastic! And so so so true about needing bread for that sauce! Really perfect for those chilly days! Thank you so much for sharing! All the best, Kris & Wesley
No potatoes????
We find this red wine beef stew doesn’t need them, but they can, by all means, be added if you prefer!!!
This was so incredible and so easy to make. I used an Old Vine Zin for the wine. So rich and hearty and complex at the same time. I’m not ashamed to say I licked the bowl when I ran out of bread. This will definitely be a staple for me.
Yay!! CrockPot!!! I read this last night but didn’t see until this morning that it’s YOU!! We love making that stew so much!! Only thing that would have been better is if we were all chowing down together!! Well, some day!! Thanks for the awesome comment!! Love you!!
Love you all.
Thank you so much!!! Sending so much love back to you, too!!!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley
I made this last night. It was AHmazing! While I did make a few changes (I added fresh garlic and a sprig of rosemary, seasoned salt and smoked paprika at the end). It truly was nummy. Now, in honor of you website name, I used Smoking Loon wine 750ml (and extra of another to make the 950ml).
The hubby had seconds and has decreed this a keeper. It was a great ending to a dreary cold overcast January day!
Next is the slow cooker Braciole!!
We are SO SORRY for the delayed response, but we are THRILLED that you loved the beef stew so much!!! And we love even more that you used the Smoking Loon!! LOL!! That is awesome and the tweaks you made to the recipe sound wonderful!! Thank you so much for letting us know and for the great review! That means the world to us! Be sure to let us know how the braciole turns out!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
This is the best stew I’ve made, I used bison meat and cut the wine and used more broth. Wish I had some kind of bread to dip in all that yummy sauce
Hi Jessica!! Woo hoo!! That all sounds absolutely amazing!! We agree, it’s all about the bread dipping, right? Thanks so much for letting us know! And please stay in touch!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
Delicious!
Hi Elizabeth! Woo hoo!! So so happy you enjoyed the beef stew! And thank you for letting us know and for the great review! That means the world to us!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Really delicious! I added some potatoes as requested by my family, but they aren’t really necessary. The fresh pearl onions were sooo good! I used a 750ml (was 950ml a typo?) bottle of cabernet sauvignon. I really loved the idea of the tomato paste/flour mixture to thicken the stew. Brilliant!
I NEED to make this! But no fresh herbs? Wouldn’t a few sprigs of thyme give it even more depth of flavor? Fresh parsley, bay leaf? Even a few chopped garlic cloves? Fun to add what u like, I suppose! Thanks for a great winter recipe!
Hi Patti! Sure! Go for it! The red wine gives it a deep, satisfying flavor, but added herbs would be great, too! Let us know if you make it and what you think!! Thanks! Kris & Wesley
can i use london broil meat instead of chuck?
Hi Patty! Yes, you can use London broil, no problem! The slow cook time will still make the cut nice and tender. Let us know how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley