Hearty Beef Stew

Course: Stew

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, beef stew slow cooker, easy beef stew recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2 30

Total Time: 2 45

Servings: people

Calories: 501kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

This Hearty Beef Stew is so heart-warmingly amazing. Slow cook in your oven with your Dutch oven (or your slow cooker) with a robust red wine. This will be the best hearty beef stew you'll ever have!

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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

A 3 to 4 lb nicely marbled chuck roast works best for this stew.

Don't worry about the dark layer that will form on the bottom of the pan from searing the floured meat. It is loaded with flavor and will come up with a wooden spoon after you've added the wine. This is called de-glazing.

It is very important to bring the wine (and stock and tomatoes) to a boil and then a strong simmer for 10 minutes. This cooks out the alcohol taste and transforms the wine into a wonderful sauce.

If you prefer to not cook with wine, then we suggest not making this particular stew. The robust wine is critical to making this stew hearty and uniquely delicious.

The stew is even better the next day. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.

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