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Beef Stew

Beef stew with deeply browned, fall-apart beef and a thick mahogany broth made from a sear, deglazing with red wine, and a covered simmer. Loaded with Yukon potatoes and carrots for a hearty, spoon-tender texture.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck Cut into 1.5-inch cubes.
Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes Cubed.
Carrots
  • 3 carrots Cut into thick rounds.
Celery
  • 3 celery Sliced.
Onion
  • 1 onion Diced.
Garlic
  • 4 garlic Minced.
Frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen peas Added at the end.
Beef broth
  • 3 cup beef broth
Red wine
  • 1 cup red wine
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour Toss with beef for browning and body.
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Bay leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season and sear the beef
  1. Season the beef by tossing the cubes with the all-purpose flour until evenly coated. You should see a dry, lightly dusted surface on each piece.
  2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat and sear the beef in batches until deeply browned, about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Remove the beef and set aside when you get dark, crisp edges.
Sauté the vegetables
  1. In the same pot, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes. Stir until the onion softens and the vegetables start to look glossy.
  2. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Keep stirring until fragrant and slightly darkened.
Build the stew
  1. Deglaze with the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble for about 1 to 2 minutes so the liquid reduces slightly.
  2. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire, dried thyme, bay leaves, and the browned beef. Stir to combine so everything is submerged in the mahogany broth.
  3. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes until the beef is very tender. It should be fork-tender with visible softening at the edges.
Finish with potatoes and peas
  1. Add the cubed Yukon gold potatoes and cook for 20 more minutes. The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork.
  2. Add the frozen peas and cook for 3 minutes. They should turn bright green and heat through without going dull.
  3. Remove the bay leaves, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust until the broth is balanced and savory.

Notes

For the deepest flavor, brown the beef in small batches so the pot stays hot and the meat actually sears. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (peas may soften a bit when reheated). To make it dairy-free and gluten-free, use a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend for dredging the beef (and keep the Worcestershire gluten-free if needed).