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    Home » Recipes » Comfort Food

    Easy Stovetop Beef Stew

    Published: Sep 21, 2011 · Modified: Aug 21, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    A Dutch oven has an easy beef stew cooking in it. The finished stew on top, the beef browning in a photo at the bottom.

    This easy beef stew recipe cooked stove top is perfect for freezing for a quick and comforting weeknight dinner. Heat the hearty stew and serve it spooned over mashed potatoes for a delicious meal even on your busiest night.

    A blue dutch oven has a wooden spoon stirring beef stew.

    Looking for an easy recipe to use a package of beef stew meat? This delicious slow cooked beef stew is loaded with veggies and comes together in just minutes.

    Let the pot simmer on your stovetop while you get everything else you need done. In just a couple hours you'll have a delicious homecooked meal to enjoy with your family.

    Want to plan ahead? Make this dish on the weekend and freeze it in smaller portions for easier reheating on the busiest of school nights. Keep a package of prepared mashed potatoes from the refrigerated section of the grocery for an easy heat-and-serve dinner you can grab in a pinch.

    Jump to:
    • Why This is the Best Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Tools You'll Need
    • Brown the Beef
    • Build the Beef Stew
    • Simmer the Stew
    • Prep the Veggies
    • How to Thicken Beef Stew
    • Make Ahead and Freezer Tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More Dutch Oven Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why This is the Best Recipe

    Cozy comfort foods are the best when the weather gets chilly but I think this is the best stovetop beef stew recipe because:

    1. One Pot: The whole dinner is made in just one pot. I love my dutch oven for this recipe!
    2. Freezer Friendly: Even if you're only feeding 1 or 2 people, make the whole recipe because you can freeze it and reheat it later. I love to store it in small containers for easy dinners.
    3. Rich with Flavor: Browning the beef first and layering in the right sauces and seasonings gives this easy recipe so much flavor.
    4. No Potatoes: While many beef stew recipes are thickened with potatoes, this one actually doesn't have any potatoes in it. I think that's a huge pro because you could then choose how you want to serve it: over mashed potatoes, over wavy egg noodles, with a loaf of fresh bread for dunking, or as a low carb dinner by itself.

    Ingredients

    The beef stew ingredients are very wholesome and easy to prepare.

    The Ingredients for the easy stovetop beef stew are on the counter.
    • Beef Stew Meat: I buy the pot roast beef that is already cut into stew sized chunks at the grocery store. You could trim it yourself, but this is an easy way to save time.
    • Celery
    • Carrots
    • Onion
    • Worcestershire Sauce
    • Paprika
    • Cloves
    • Bay Leaves
    • Minced Garlic: You could substitute fresh garlic cloves if you prefer to chop them yourself.
    • Canola or Olive oil
    • Cornstarch

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Tools You'll Need

    To successfully cook a tender beef stew on the stove top, you will need a thick-bottomed soup pot or dutch oven.

    I definitely prefer my enameled cast iron dutch oven by Le Crueset but there are also more affordable models available at retailers online.

    You can read about my favorite cooking tools here.

    • A crock filled with cooking spoons sits next to a gas stove top.
      My Top 20 Favorite Kitchen Tools

    Brown the Beef

    The first step is to brown the stew meat on all sides.

    Add the cooking oil to a large stew pot, I love my deep Le Creuset dutch oven for this recipe but any large soup pot will work.

    Place it over an oven burner set to medium-high heat.

    The chunks of beef are being browned in oil in a dutch oven on the stove top.

    Add just enough chunks of beef to the pot so that they cover the bottom in a single layer and don't overcrowd the pot.

    For 2.5 pounds of stew meat, I had to work in three separate batches.

    Turn the beef so that it browns on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

    Remove the browned beef to a clean dinner plate while you work on the remaining stew meat.

    A dinner plate holds already browned stew meat while another batch cooks in the soup pot.

    This is the most time consuming portion of the recipe. Once your beef is browned, the rest of the stew is going to be easy peasy.

    Build the Beef Stew

    Return all the browned beef back to the soup pot or dutch oven.

    Add water, garlic, all the seasonings, the bay leaves, sugar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and stir it together.

    The spices and bay leaves have been added to the stew pot.

    Slice the onion and add it to the pot.

    Simmer the Stew

    This is my favorite part: Place the lid on the pot, turn the heat to Medium-Low and let the beef simmer for 1 ½ hours.

    The rest of the dinner is mostly hands-off!

    The blue dutch oven has the lid covering the stew cooking on the stove top.

    Prep the Veggies

    While the beef cooks, when you have a moment, peel and chop the carrots and celery.

    Just place them in a bowl next to the stove top so they're ready to be added when it is time.

    The chopped carrots and celery are in a bowl next to the stove top.

    Once the timer goes off, stir the carrots and celery into the pot.

    Cover the pot again and continue to cook for another 30 - 40 minutes or until the veggies and beef are very tender.

    The finished beef stew sits in a dutch oven on the stove top.

    How to Thicken Beef Stew

    If you prefer your beef stew to have a very thick, gravy-like sauce, you can thicken it at this point with a little cornstarch.

    Mix the cornstarch into a small bowl of water and then pour the mixture into the stew. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes until the broth thickens.

    Make Ahead and Freezer Tips

    The beef stew reheats wonderfully in the microwave and will last for 3 - 5 days if stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

    Beef stew also freezes really well.

    I love to store it in smaller, individual-sized portions so we can reheat just a serving or two for lunches or a quick dinner.

    Let the frozen stew thaw in the fridge overnight and then just gently reheat it in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

    This easy beef stew recipe is just one of my favorite meals to freeze and reheat:

    • The photo collage shows a stack of meals in a freezer next to photos of the food cooked and served on a plate.
      35 Best Meals to Freeze and Reheat

    Serving Suggestions

    The beef stew goes perfectly with a scoop of mashed potatoes.

    I often buy the container from the grocery store refrigerated section but the Crockpot mashed potatoes are so easy you could do that, too!

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      Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
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      Steakhouse Brown Bread
    • A spatula is lifting a rosemary pull apart roll from the 9x13-inch baking pan it was baked in.
      Easy Rosemary Pull Apart Rolls

    More Dutch Oven Recipes

    If you loved how the beef stew turned out in your Dutch oven, you will also love these delicious recipes:

    • A Dutch oven is filled with chicken and dumplings with fresh chives sprinkled over the top.
      Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings
    • Two pork tenderloins in a dutch oven.
      Roasted Pork in Applesauce
    • A barbecue pulled pork sandwich is on a plate next to potato chips.
      Pulled Pork in the Oven or Slow Cooker

    📖 Recipe

    A blue dutch oven has a wooden spoon stirring beef stew.

    Easy Weeknight Beef Stew

    5 from 47 votes
    This easy beef stew only takes a few minutes of hands-on time to cook and can easily be frozen for busy weeknights.
    TOTAL TIME 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
    PREP TIME 20 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME 2 hours hours
    YIELD 6 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lb stew beef
    • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 onion sliced
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • Dash of cloves
    • 3 large carrots peeled and sliced into chunks
    • 3 ribs celery chopped
    • 2 tablespoon cornstarch

    Instructions

    • In a large dutch oven, add the oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on all sides in the hot oil, working in batches if you need to not crowd your pan.
    • Add the water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice to the pot. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 ½ hours.
    • Remove the bay leaves and add the carrots and celery. Cover the pot again and cook for 30 to 40 minutes longer.
    • To thicken the gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine ¼ cup water and the cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid from the pot and return mixture to the stew. Stir and continue to cook until the stew is bubbly.
    • Serve over mashed potatoes.

    Recipe Notes

    This recipe freezes perfectly. Store it in smaller containers so you can reheat single portions for busy evenings or quick lunches.
    COURSESoup
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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    A Dutch oven has an easy beef stew cooking in it. The finished stew on top, the beef browning in a photo at the bottom.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Barbara Maldonado

      September 21, 2011 at 10:04 am

      Can't wait to make this recipe! Thanks for the post!

      Reply
    2. carrie

      September 21, 2011 at 5:43 am

      Love this post, Tiff! 😉

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Stock your fridge with simple ingredients for these delicious fall recipes says:
      November 2, 2020 at 12:06 pm

      […] Beef stew with roasted smashed potatoes: This is an easy weeknight dinner, believe it or not.  […]

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    2. 30 Days of Veggies: helping picky eaters eat better says:
      October 20, 2015 at 10:13 am

      […] Old fashioned beef stew: the gravy makes the veggies soft and easy to eat for kids who hate the […]

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    3. 30 Days of Mommy Meals » Peanut Blossom says:
      March 26, 2014 at 6:16 am

      […] Old fashioned beef stew, french bread […]

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    4. Freezer Meals for the Busy Holiday Season - Inner Child Food says:
      December 16, 2013 at 8:06 am

      […] The Meal Plan: 1. Lighter Chicken Pot Pie 2. Sweet & Sour Meatballs with bell pepper & pineapple 3. Chicken Spaghetti 4. Perfect Chili 5. Old-fashioned Beef Stew […]

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    5. Stock your fridge for fall! » Peanut Blossom says:
      July 5, 2012 at 5:10 pm

      [...] Beef stew with roasted smashed potatoes: Found this recipe for potatoes over on Pinterest. Reason enough you should join me there! The leftovers make fantastic breakfast potatoes with eggs in the morning. [...]

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for women.

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