Traditional Beef Stew made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
A Slow-Simmered Bowl of Honest Beef Stew
Long, gentle cooking turns pantry-friendly ingredients into a fork-tender, deeply savory stew you can mostly forget while it does its work.
This is the kind of stew you make when you want comfort that’s as reliable as a favorite sweater: hearty, unpretentious, and exactly what a cold evening asks for. Cubes of beef chuck, browned until they’ve built up a caramelized crust, spend the afternoon melting into a glossy, beefy broth scented with garlic, onions and a splash of red wine—little things that add up to rich, rounded flavor without fuss.
The technique is what makes it sing: trim excess fat, pat the beef dry, lightly dredge in flour, and brown in batches so the pan gets good fond for deglazing. That quick swoosh of red wine and a little tomato paste scraped into the skillet is where the base layers of taste come from; pour them into a slow cooker with low-sodium beef broth and let time do the rest. Using low-sodium broth means you can control seasoning at the end instead of salting too early.
Carrots, celery, russet potatoes and a humble onion give this stew sweetness, body and a silky, comforting mouthfeel—the potatoes soften and help thicken the broth while the carrots add a mellow brightness. After about eight hours on low the beef is fork-tender, the sauce is velvety, and the kitchen smells like something that took way more effort than it did.
Prep is about 25 minutes and then you’re hands-off for the day; it feeds six and keeps beautifully (and freezes well) so it’s perfect for making ahead. Finish with a grind of black pepper and a handful of chopped parsley or a slice of crusty bread for dunking—simple, satisfying, and exactly what a chilly night ordered.
Ingredients
How to Make Traditional Beef Stew
- Trim excess fat from the beef chuck and cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes; pat the pieces dry with paper towels and season evenly with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and lightly dredge the beef cubes, shaking off excess flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; working in batches, brown the floured beef on all sides (about 3–4 minutes per side) to build flavor, then transfer the browned pieces to the slow cooker.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the red wine to the same skillet and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon; stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Roughly chop the onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery into bite-size pieces and mince the garlic; add all the vegetables and garlic to the slow cooker with the beef.
- Pour in the low-sodium beef broth, add the Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves, and the remaining 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper; stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours) until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- If the stew needs thickening, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water until smooth, stir it into the stew, then cook on HIGH for an additional 15–20 minutes until slightly thickened; remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed, then serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or crusty bread if desired.
Recipe Card
Traditional Beef Stew
Traditional Beef Stew made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 8 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the beef chuck and cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes; pat the pieces dry with paper towels and season evenly with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and lightly dredge the beef cubes, shaking off excess flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; working in batches, brown the floured beef on all sides (about 3–4 minutes per side) to build flavor, then transfer the browned pieces to the slow cooker.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the red wine to the same skillet and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon; stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Roughly chop the onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery into bite-size pieces and mince the garlic; add all the vegetables and garlic to the slow cooker with the beef.
- Pour in the low-sodium beef broth, add the Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves, and the remaining 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper; stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours) until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- If the stew needs thickening, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water until smooth, stir it into the stew, then cook on HIGH for an additional 15–20 minutes until slightly thickened; remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed, then serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or crusty bread if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 30
- Saturated Fat
- 12
- Sodium
- 560
- Fiber
- 4
- Unsaturated Fat
- 22
- Protein
- 27
- Fat
- 35
- Cholesterol
- 106
- Trans Fat
- 0.5
- Calories
- 560
- Sugar
- 6