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.
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.
Ingredients
The beef stew ingredients are very wholesome and easy to prepare.
- 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.
Instructions
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.
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.
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.
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.
Slice the onion and add it to the pot.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Equipment
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.
Storage
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.
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!
If you’ve tried this stovetop beef stew recipe or any other recipe on PeanutBlossom.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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📖 Recipe
Easy Weeknight Beef Stew
This easy beef stew only takes a few minutes of hands-on time to cook and can easily be frozen for busy weeknights.
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.
Notes
This recipe freezes perfectly. Store it in smaller containers so you can reheat single portions for busy evenings or quick lunches.
Barbara Maldonado
Can't wait to make this recipe! Thanks for the post!
carrie
Love this post, Tiff! 😉