Fall is the perfect time to have a delicious bowl of hot beef stew. The incredible flavours of the beef and vegetables make this the perfect one-pot meal.
Easy dutch oven beef stew is hearty comfort food that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, especially on a cold wintery day. It is full of flavour and is packed with vegetables. It’s a one-pot meal that the whole family can get behind.
To stew means to cook slowly, in this case until tender and scrumptious. Not sure that’s the right word to describe stew but it really is!
I like stew to be a bit more on the liquid side but if you prefer the gravy to be thicker we have the solution for you below.
Also, the vegetables we suggest are the traditional beef stew veggies, but feel free to add others as you wish. Some mushrooms, zucchini and even peppers would work beautifully. Just add them when you add the potatoes so they don’t overcook.
Preparing Easy Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Ingredients
Fresh Ingredients
Stewing beef: Chuck is the most common cut of beef used for stewing. It’s part of the neck, shoulder and upper arm. You want the meat to have some marbling to give the meat that perfect tender softness once stewed.
Carrots: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot.
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Yellow potatoes: I use yellow flesh potatoes in this recipe as they end up blending in very nicely with the rest of the vegetables in this stew. This is very much based on personal preference so feel free to use white flesh potatoes instead if that is what you have on hand.
Celery: Celery is made up of a long stalk that has leaves at the top. Celery is packed with fiber is a very common vegetable used in many cuisines. It has a very distinct earthy flavour.
Herbs
Bay leaves: Bay leaves are the leaves of the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are often added to dishes whole and removed after cooking, before serving. When used in their dry form they don’t soften during the cooking process so are not pleasant to eat.
Rosemary: Rosemary is a perennial herb with stiff, long stems and long green, evergreen-like leaves. It does flower with purple blooms. The leaves are fragrant and are used for cooking and baking. This plant is native to the Mediterranean. I use dried rosemary leaves for this recipe.
Pantry
Beef stock: The beef stock carries a lot of flavour. Before putting it in the soup have a taste to test out how salty it is. You don’t want
to add salt if you don’t need it. If you find the stock salty enough for you, skip the ½ tsp of salt that we call for near the end of the cooking process.Flour: The flour is just for coating the beef to seal in a bit of the juices. It’s not a necessary ingredient.
Olive oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.
Worcestershire sauce: This sauce is a complex mix of flavours that turn into a deep pungent and deep condiment. It’s made up of ingredients that include soy, anchovy, malt vinegar, chilies, and tamarind, among others.
Red wine: A full-bodied cabernet sauvignon is the perfect addition to this French Onion soup. Though it adds a bold flavour and beautiful colour it’s an optional ingredient that you can easily skip if needed.
How to Make Beef Stew
The dutch oven is the perfect vessel for this beef stew because it seals well and distributes the heat evenly allowing everything to cook well without intervention.
With that said, if you don’t have one don’t fret, a soup pot will do just fine.
Sear the Beef
We start with searing the beef to lock in the flavours. To help this process along we coat the beef with flour. Add the flour, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper to a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add the beef to the bowl and toss to coat making sure all sides of all the pieces are covered.
Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven on medium-high heat.
Add the flour-coated beef to the dutch oven without crowding. You may need to do two batches. Sear the beef cubes on all sides for about 1-2 minutes per side. Set the cooked meat aside for later. If needed, add another tablespoon of oil between batches.
Cook the Vegetables
While the beef is cooking you can prep your vegetables. Peel and slice the carrots, wash and slice the celery and peel and dice the onion.
Once you’ve emptied the dutch oven, add a tablespoon of oil and add all the prepped vegetables. Sautee for 2 minutes stirring midway.
Once the vegetables have started to soften, add the wine to deglaze the pot. Scrape all the bits from the bottom and cook down for a minute or two.
The wine is optional so if you prefer to skip it move on to the next step using the stock to deglaze.
Spice and Stew
Add the beef, and all the juices back to the dutch oven and cover with beef stock. Add rosemary, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and remaining salt and pepper. Cover the dutch oven and simmer for 20 minutes.
When the 20 minutes are up, keep the stew covered and simmering while you prep the potatoes. Peel and dice them into ½-inch pieces and add them to the stew.
Cover again and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Before proceeding, pierce a potato with a fork to make sure it’s cooked through. If its still a bit hard, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Next, make a slurry by combining 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Whisk to combine making sure all the flour has dissolved. Add the slurry to the stew whisking vigorously to prevent clumps from forming. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes until thickened.
If you like your stew to be thicker, make another slurry following the instructions in the previous step until you reach your desired consistency.
Substitutions
Red Wine: If wine is not available or your preference, try adding a dark stout instead. It’s a heavy-bodied beer with very deep flavours. The most common dark stout is Guinness.
Potatoes: You can use any variety of potatoes that you like. White potatoes are also great, you can even use sweet potatoes. Note that sweet potatoes cook faster to either cut them into bigger pieces or check on them after 15 minutes.
Rosemary: You can use fresh rosemary instead of dried if you prefer. If you’re all out of rosemary try adding thyme instead. It will change the flavour of the stew but it will definitely still be a delicious dish.
Serving Easy Dutch Oven Beef Stew
There is nothing that needs to be added to this stew to make it ready for serving. Once fully cooked it is ready to go.
You may choose to sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley on top for added colour and freshness and add a toasted bun with butter on the side.
Serve in a bowl with a spoon to make it easier to get a spoonful of all the ingredients.
How to get kids to eat stew
If you have a picky eater then anything one-pot, like stew, is a big no-no. Here is how I serve stew to my kids. Sometimes they eat it and sometimes they don’t.
The goal here is to keep things separate. The green plate is for my sometimes-picky girl. She generally tries everything but has her days when she’s pickier. The blue plate is for my oldest, and my pickiest, eater. The pink plate is for my 10-month-old who ironically ate the most out of all three.
If you’re serving stew to your kiddos for the first time start with only one component, one they are most likely to try. This is usually the carrots or potatoes.
Then the next time you make it add another ingredient and so forth. Eventually, you may get to a place where they eat everything together.
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Easy Dutch Oven Beef Stew Recipe
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- Large bowl
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb stewing beef
- ¼ cup flour +1 tbsp
- 7 oz carrots (approx. 2 large)
- 7 oz small onion (1 medium)
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 tsp salt (divided)
- 1 tsp pepper (divided)
- 3-4 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup red wine (optional)
- 900 ml beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1.1 lb potatoes
Instructions
- Add the flour ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper to a large bowl. Stir to combine1/4 cup flour +1 tbsp, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
- Add the beef to the bowl and stir to coat making sure all sides of all the pieces are well coated.1 lb stewing beef
- Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep pan or dutch oven on medium-high heat.3-4 tbsp oil
- Add the flour-coated beef to the dutch oven without crowding. You may need to do two batches. Sear on all sides for about 1-2 minutes per side. Move the cooked batch(es) to a bowl. If needed, add another tablespoon of oil between batches.
- While the beef cooks, dice the celery, carrots and onions. Once you’ve emptied the dutch oven, add a tablespoon of oil. Then add all the diced vegetables. Sautee for 2 minutes stirring midway.7 oz carrots, 7 oz small onion, 1 celery stalk, 3-4 tbsp oil
- Add the wine to deglaze the pot. Scrape all the bits from the bottom and cook down for a minute or two.¼ cup red wine
- Add the beef, and all the juices back to the dutch oven and cover with beef stock. Add rosemary, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and remaining salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 900 ml beef stock, 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp dried rosemary
- When the 20 minutes are up, keep the stew covered and simmering while you prep the potatoes. Peel and dice them into ½-inch pieces and add them to the stew. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.1.1 lb potatoes
- Pierce a potato with a fork to make sure its cooked through before proceeding.
- Make a slurry by combining 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Whisk to combine making sure all the flour has dissolved.1/4 cup flour +1 tbsp
- Add the slurry to the stew whisking vigorously to prevent clumps from forming. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- If you like your stew thicker repeat step 11 until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve in a bowl with your favourite bun buttered.
