EASY HOMEMADE BEEF STEW

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 This Classic Homemade Beef Stew recipe is so easy to make and so heavenly. A one-pot meal that’s hearty, flavorful and loaded with tender beef morsels, potatoes, and carrots. Cooked in a rich and savory sauce, this beef stew recipe is comfort food at its best.

This simple and healthy beef stew recipe can easily be made in an instant pot, slow cooker, in the oven, or on a stovetop. We will be showing you the different ways to cook up this delicious homemade beef stew so you can make it whichever way is more convenient. Enjoy tender, melt in your mouth beef chunks with soft comforting potatoes and carrots. We assure you that this will be the best beef stew recipe you will ever have!

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BEEF STEW

Lets first talk about how we made this easy vegetable beef stew recipe.

  • Preheat oven: While prepping everything else preheat the oven to 325° F.
  • Prep Beef: Season the beef chunks on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over and toss the seasoned beef to coat it on all sides.
  • Heat Skillet: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. If you don’t have a dutch oven, use an oven-safe skillet/pot that has a cover.
  • Partially cook beef: Brown the beef in batches, on all sides, for 3-4 minutes per batch. Don’t worry about cooking the beef all the way through at this stage. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside.
  • Add other ingredients: Then add the onions, garlic, and carrots to the Dutch oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly browned. Add the potatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce, and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Mix and simmer: Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring, and return the beef to the pot.
  • Cook in Oven: Cover the Dutch oven (pot), and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook the stew for 2-2.5 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Remove the bay leaf.
  • Serve: Taste the stew and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve warm.

Note: To finish cooking this beef stew on the stovetop, cover the pot and let it simmer for 60-90 using medium to low heat. Check it occasionally to see if the beef is tender using a fork and add some broth or water if the sauce starts to dry out.

HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEW IN A CROCKPOT OR SLOW COOKER

So many of you out there love the convenience of using a crockpot or slow cooker. Who wouldn’t? Set everything up, go to work, go run some errands, take your kids to their activities and come back to dinner ready to serve!

There is a quick method to using a crockpot to make this hearty beef stew and another more flavorful method.

THE QUICK METHOD:

Turn on the crockpot or slow cooker
Add the beef, veggies, broth, spices, and all the ingredients in together at once.
Give it a nice mix
Cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours,  and high 6-7 hours.
To thicken the stew, 30 minutes before serving, remove about 1/2 cup of the liquid/sauce, mix it with about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Pour it back in and allow to cook and thicken up. Remove bay leaf, serve and enjoy.

MORE FLAVORFUL METHOD

  • Set up the crockpot
  • Season the beef chunks on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over and toss the seasoned beef to coat it on all sides.
  • In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Brown the beef in batches, on all sides, for 3-4 minutes per batch. The beef does not need to be cooked through. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside.
  • Deglaze –  Add the onions, garlic, and carrots to the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly browned. Add the broth and let it cook for another minute to deglaze the bottom of the skillet and collect all the flavors.
  • In the crockpot or slow cooker, add the potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce.
  • ADD in the beef. Give it a good mix to combine everything.
  • Cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours,  and high 6-7 hours.
  • To thicken the stew, 30 minutes before serving, remove about 1/2 cup of the liquid/sauce, mix it with about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Pour it back in and allow to cook and thicken up. Remove bay leaf, serve and enjoy.

HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEW IN AN INSTANT POT

  • Prep: cut up beef into small chunk sizes along with the potatoes and carrots
  • Prep Beef: Season the beef chunks on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over and toss the seasoned beef to coat it on all sides.
  • Brown the beef: Turn on the instant pot, and put it on the saute mode. Add the oil and then add the beef. Brown the beef for 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  • Cook onion: After you remove the beef, add onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes and stir until brown and soft.
  • Deglaze: Pour the broth over the onions. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir for a minute.
  • Season: Next, add the tomato paste, seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir for a couple of minutes.
  • Add beef and veggies: Then, add the beef in, top with the potatoes and carrots. Finally, add the bay leaf.
  • Close IP and cook: Close the lid of the instant pot, turn the steam release valve to seal. Press manual, and cook at high for 35 minutes, then allow the pot to naturally release for 10 minutes before opening the lid. Remove the bay leaf.
Notes: If the stew is not thick enough to your liking, you may thicken it with some corn starch. We mentioned above to use the sauce of the stew to mix in with some cornstarch but another way to thicken the sauce would be to mix about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a tad bit of water and pour into the instant pot. Mix and turn it to sautee mode again for another 5-10 minutes until the stew thickens up. Serve and Enjoy.

SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BEEF STEW

HOW TO THICKEN BEEF STEW

The easiest way to thicken beef stew would be to mix about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with some water, add it to the stew, stir and cook for a few more minutes until it thickens up. Not too keen on using corn starch? You may use some whole wheat flour instead.

You could always remove some of the carrots and potatoes and blend them with a bit of water before returning it back to the stew to thicken it up.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BEEF STEW

Here are some great side options to try with beef stew:
  • Cauliflower rice
  • Quinoa
  • Brown or basmati rice
  • Corn Bread
  • Mashed potatoes – Try THIS low carb cauliflower mash potato
  • Salads and steamed veggies

HOW LONG TO COOK BEEF STEW IN AN INSTANT POT

Once you’ve sauteed the veggies and browned the beef and you are ready to close the lid of the instant pot, it takes about 30-35 minutes on HIGH for the stew to cook through and become tender.

HOW TO COOK BEEF STEW

There are a few ways to cook beef stew. It will depend on your preferred method. You can cook on your stovetop, in the oven, in your crockpot or slow cooker, or in an instant pot. We have discussed all the methods above to show you how to cook your beef stew.

WHAT CUT OF BEEF IS A STEW MEAT

The most popular cut of meat used for stew is Chuck. You may also use a variety of roasts like bottom round, round tip, top round, and pot roast.  Some others to consider would be oxtail, bohemian, and cross-cut shank.

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