Easy Stovetop Beef Stew
Last updated on June 18th, 2021 at 03:52 pm
Easy Stove Top Beef Stew is loaded with chunks of tender beef, sweet carrots, and juicy peppers. It is a hearty, healthy and delicious meal that makes great leftovers.
We love making easy and delicious Beef Stews like our popular Instant Pot Beef Stew and Slow Cooker Beef Stew.
Easy Stovetop Beef Stew
This Easy Stovetop Beef Stew is a dinner staple in our family. It involves little preparation and only a few steps to make it. The stew is flavorful, warming with chunks of soft and tender beef, carrots and juicy red bell peppers. This is what I call comfort food and something that I love to eat on chilly nights under a blanket. Preferably someone else to do the dishes afterward.
The stew can be cooked without potatoes, to keep it lighter and lower in carbs. You could cook some delicious mashed potatoes and serve them as a side dish. The buttery potatoes would absorb the delicious broth, and in my opinion, that’s pure comfort food. I stole this recipe from my mom’s collection, and her secret to a mouth-watering beef stew is very simple: marinate the beef for a few hours before cooking rubbed with some mustard.
Beef Stew Recipe Tips:
- Use grass-fed, organic stew meat if possible. Grass-fed meet tends to be extra tender.
- For extra tender beef marinate it for a few hours.
- You can also add mushrooms, celery or potatoes to the stew.
- Don’t shy away from using carrots, they add a sweet taste that balances the richness of the meal.
- Brown your beef – this has a double purpose, first it locks the meat from the outside together, so during cooking, it doesn’t fall apart when it becomes extra tender. Second, it will add extra flavor to the meat and the overall stew.
- If possible don’t skip the Worcestershire Sauce, a little goes a long way, and it definitely makes the beef flavor shine.
- Use low sodium beef broth, you don’t want to end up with a salty stew.
- When stirring the stew, be gentle as at the end all the cooked ingredients become very tender.
What beef cut to use for Beef Stew?
You can use a chuck roast or round roast. The chuck roast has more fat, so it will be more tender and juicy. If you prefer less fat, I recommend using round roast beef. The round roast will be a little drier, so you will have to the meat in the slow cooker for another hour to absorb all the juices.
How Long Do You Cook the Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker?
It depends on what setting you are cooking. A 3-4 pounds beef brisket, chuck roast or round roast, needs to be cooked on low, for about 8 -10 hours, and on high you are looking at 4-5 hours. You can find the recipe for it here The Slow Cooker Beef Stew.
Can I store refrigerate the Beef Stew?
Yes. Store the stew in an airtight container in the fridge and make sure that the stew liquid covers all the ingredients so they don’t dry out. Best if stored for 3-4 days.
Looking for more Easy Ways to Cook Beef? Check these Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Red wine
- Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
- Instant Pot Mississipi Pot Roast
Easy Stovetop Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew beef (cut into chucks)
Marinade:
- 3 onions (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon mustard
Cook Stew:
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 cup beef broth (low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 large carrots (cut into rondelle)
- 1-2 red peppers (sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 bay leaves
To thicken the gravy:
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, red wine and mustard. Add the beef and 3 sliced onions, mix with your hands making sure the beef is coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, discard the onions and the liquid.
- In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown meat in hot oil, until golden brown. If needed brown in layers. Once you add the beef to the pot, don't stir for 2 minutes, so it gets a nice sear.
- Remove browned beef from pot and set aside.
- Add water to the pot and deglaze, using a wooden spoon to try to remove and bits that stuck to the bottom.
- Add the remaining diced onion and garlic, stir and cook for about 1 minutes.
- Add back the beef, followed by tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, paprika and bay leaves.
- Cover and simmer on low for 1½ hours.
- Add sliced carrots and bell peppers. Cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes longer on low heat. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. If needed add a little more broth, in case it reduced a lot.
- If you would like to thicken the gravy, combine 1/4 cup water with 1/4 cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot gravy and return mixture to pot.
- Stir and cook until mixture starts to boil (bubbly).
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
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