Stovetop Beef Stew

This easy Stovetop Beef Stew is the only beef stew recipe you will ever need! Tender, fall-apart beef stew, cooked slowly on the stove using a Dutch oven or a regular pot, flavored with red wine, fresh herbs and beef stocks, combined with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and celery.

Making this delicious beef stew on stove top today! It is rustic, hearty, flavorful, and will making your home smell amazing…It truly doesn’t get cozier than this on a cold Fall or winter day!

If you love this delicious stovetop beef stew recipe, don’t forget to also check out Stovetop Pot Roast, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Beef Tips and Gravy, and Beef Noodle Soup – I have a feeling you are going to love those as well!

Cooking Beef Stew on Stove Top

Beef stew is such a classic dish, and there are so many versions out there. I like to make beef stew on the stove top using simple ingredients and with minimal effort, while bringing on maximum flavor.

My favorite way to make beef stew is hands this this Stovetop Beef Stew recipe, using a Dutch oven. Or use a regular pot if you don’t have a Dutch oven.

But basically, ALWAYS make beef stew on the stove top. I think it yields the tastiest product.

When cooking beef stew on the stove, we will be able to gently sear the meat, bringing out the flavors and also locking the juices in.

Using the stove also makes it possible to simmer the liquid in the stew until it is nice and thick in a controlled manner. Adjust the heat as you see fit to get it to the perfect consistency in the sauce.

While the liquid simmers, the fibers of the beef stew will be slowly broken down and it will yield super tender, juicy pieces of beef stew that is soaked in that heavenly red wine and herb flavor combo.

When making beef stew on the stove, you can adjust the heat, check on it easily, and quickly stop cooking once the meat is tender (or cook longer if it is not). And if you need to, you can easily make it cook faster or slower because you can force the temperature of the beef stew up and down relatively quickly (versus an oven).

Another reason why this stovetop beef stew recipe is the best beef stew out there? We have a secret ingredient that makes this dish what it is…and that is wine. A solid, fairly dry, light to medium-bodied red wine.

Just one cup of it will bring your beef stew a deep, complex, gorgeous flavor hard to achieve any other way. Along with the herbs and spices, this is one of the most flavorful and delicious beef stews out there.

Ingredients

My goal is to keep this Stovetop Beef Stew recipe as easy as possible, yet bring about maximum flavors. Every ingredients serve a purpose in bringing something unique (and yummy!) to the dish.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make beef stew on the stove top:

• Beef chuck – slice cross grain into 1 1/2-inch cubes, or get ready-sliced beef stew meat for convenience.
• Beef broth – use good quality broth. It makes a big difference!
• Red wine – dry red wine works best, such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon. When cooking with wine, the rule is to not use wine that you would not drink. Don’t spend a lot of money on expensive wine, but don’t use super cheap, or even worse, old wine. Unfortunately, the cooking of wine does not take away its badly quality!
• Garlic cloves – avoid substituting with garlic powder. It’s just not the same!
• Thyme – Fresh thyme brings the best flavors but dried thyme works as well. Rosemary is another herb you can use in place or in addition to thyme.
• Bay leaf – another important spice to add lots of great flavors.
• Smoked paprika – gives it a nice smoky flavor. Regular paprika works as well.
• Canned tomatoes – I love adding tomatoes to my stew. For the longest time I didn’t, and boy I was missing out. Tomatoes bring another layer of flavor that enhances this dish. After making this with tomatoes once, I made I promise to myself that I will forever make my beef stew with tomatoes.
• Carrots – use stalks of carrots, cut into 1-2 inch pieces. Cut into good size pieces because it will be cooked for a little while and you don’t want the carrots to get too soggy.
• Potatoes – use gold potatoes or red potatoes. I like to avoid russet potatoes because it breaks apart more easily and is grainy in texture.
• Onions – use white, sweet or yellow onions. Avoid red onions. I like to dice them so you don’t taste large pieces of them. Using onions for the flavor more than the texture.
• Salt & black pepper – salt is very important, not just to add saltiness, but to open up the flavors.
• Sugar – just a touch of it to balance out the flavors.
• Cornstarch – used to thicken the stew. Flour can be used instead to thicken it as well.
• Cooking oil – any neutral oil such as olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil can be used.

How to make beef stew on the stove top

It’s time to make this delicious stew!

Step 1: Sear Beef

First, sprinkle beef chuck cubes or beef stew meat with salt and black pepper.

This is an important step because when it sears, the salt and black pepper will stick to the meat.

This way the flavors will not just be in the broth, but also in the meat itself!

Step 2: Cook Beef Low and Slow

Heat Dutch oven with vegetable oil on the stove top, then sear beef chucks on all sides until they are browned.

You do not need to cook the beef completely. We are just searing it to lock in those delicious juices and to bring flavor to the meat by sealing in the salt and pepper.

Next, add beef broth, red wine, garlic, and all the herbs and spices (smoked paprika, bay leaf, and fresh thyme) into the Dutch oven.

Bring to a boil, cover, and let it cook slowly on medium low heat on the stove for 90 minutes.

This is when we are slowly breaking down the fibers of the meat, making them really tender and yummy!

Once that is done, you will find that there will be significantly less liquid.

Step 3: Adding Vegetables

Add canned whole tomatoes, along with the liquid, and a pinch of sugar.

Then use a spatula to break apart those tomatoes.

Next, add the rest of the vegetables:

• carrots
• onions
• potatoes
• celery

The reason why we are only adding the vegetables now is because we do not want to cook them as long as we would the beef chucks as they will become soggy if overcooked.

Stir, then add water to submerge most of the items in the pot.

Bring to a boil, then cover and let it cook under medium low heat on the stove for 45 minutes, or until beef is tender.

We are close to being done…but in order to get a chunky, thick Beef Stew, we will need to thicken the broth.

To thicken the broth, combine cornstarch and a few tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Mix to dissolve cornstarch, then pour cornstarch mixture into the Dutch oven.

Bring to a boil (again) and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until stovetop beef stew is thick and chunky.

Feel free to add more cornstarch/water mixture if you like your stew even thicker.

Get ready to experience tender meat infused in deep, gorgeous flavors of red wine and herbs, combined with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and celery.

It is everything you would dream of a solid Beef Stew would be…and much much more!

Variations and Substitution

• Tomatoes: Instead of canned tomatoes, ~ 1 tbsp of tomato paste can be used. This will yield less liquid in the stew.
• Veggies: Other veggies to add to stew are peas, turnips, green beans, other types of potatoes (yukon gold, baby potatoes etc)
• Herbs: Other herbs to use are rosemary, marjoram, parsley, sage etc.
• Red Wine: If you do not want to use wine, use beef broth as a substitute.
• Other seasonings: A dash of Worcestershire sauce can be used to open up the flavors, and beef bouillon is a great way make the flavors more intense if needed (especially if you are not using red wine).

Pro tip: serve this with warm, fresh, crusty bread, and take this yum thing to the next level.

I stand by what I said from the very beginning. Beef stew on the stovetop is the way to make the best kind of beef stew.

I’ve tried many methods…and this is still by far my favorite!

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Other soup and stew recipes

• Turkey Stew
• Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
• Ravioli Tomato Beef Soup
• Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
• Healthy Turkey Chili
• Simple Tomato Soup
• Best Chicken Stew (by Hip Foodie Mom)