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Easy stovetop beef stew recipe
When the weather turns cold, you are going to want to make this easy stovetop beef stew recipe. The recipe will only take you a few minutes to put together but will slow roast for several hours, filling your home with the delicious smell of hot stew. It will be hard to resist sneaking a spoonful before it is fully cooked!
Hearty Stovetop Beef Stew Recipe
Beef stew is a winter recipe staple. It is so filling and so deliciously warm that it truly warms your body and soul. Our recipe is sure to do just that and it is also very simple to make, require just about 20 minutes of prep time to get the stew in the pot and ready to slow cook for hours.
This recipe will create a very thick and hearty stew thanks to the potatoes and veggies that cook so long, they get tender and mashed. So get ready to fill your belly in just a few amazing and flavorful bites!
How to Make Stovetop Beef Stew
There are a few ways to make a beef stew and different recipes will call for different cooking methods. You may find recipes that utilize a slow cooker or still other recipes that have you bake the stew in a dutch oven. While all of those methods work well, we prefer the stovetop cooking approach since it only requires one dish and also enables you to stir the stew and check on it occasionally.
Here is how we make our stovetop beef stew:
- Cut the beef roast (or chuck roast) into small, one inch pieces and place in a large pot or dutch oven along with the onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Sear the meat over medium heat until it is browned and the onions are soft and translucent.
- Fill the pot with water, cover and simmer, letting the stew cook over low heat for three hours, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to keep the meat and veggies covered. You don’t want to bring to a boil or too much water will evaporate and the beef will cook too quickly.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and simmer again over low for three more hours or until the potatoes and veggies are nice and tender (it may take a little less time, 2 hours less even so be sure to check!). Once again, add more water (or beef broth) to the pot as needed as well as some more salt and black pepper.
- Add the tomato juice to the pan within the last hour of cooking rather than adding water.
- Taste the beef stew and adjust the salt, pepper, and other seasonings to suit your preferences. Serve while hot!
While the cooking time in this recipe may seem long, it is necessary to make this stew perfect. In fact, if you ever wondered how do you make beef stew meat tender, this is how! Slow cooking over low heat is how the proteins in the meat break up, making tender, juicy meat.
The Better Beef Stew
Our recipe makes an amazing beef stew that relies primarily on the quality of the beef stew meat and the simple vegetables that we add in. You can easily make a perfect stew this way since all of the ingredients are so flavorful. However, there are a few more ways to increase the flavor of this stew and make it even more irresistible.
- After the meat has browned, add about 1/2 cup of red wine the pot to deglaze it. This will release the nice browned bits on the bottom of the pan that add so much flavor.
- After adding the veggies to the pot, start using beef broth instead of water to keep the stew liquid. Beef broth will add another layer of beefy taste to the already rich recipe.
- Cook the onions and garlic and then add the beef. Waiting to put the meat in will help season the pan and also the beef will brown faster in a preheated pot.
- Add a bay leaf, splash of Worcestershire sauce or extra ground black pepper to the recipe along with the first addition of water. These small additions will add lots of flavor as the stew cooks and Worcestershire sauce is actually a classic ingredient in many beef stew recipes.
- Use sweet potatoes in place of regular potatoes to add a delicious fall flavor to the beef stew recipe.
With so many options, you will have to make this recipe a few times in order to see what you like best. Red wine, beef broth and extra seasonings are all simple ways to make the beef stew a little different while maintaining it’s integrity!
Freezing Beef Stew
You can definitely freeze this beef stew recipe, saving some for another cold day when you are craving this recipe but just don’t have time to make it. To freeze the stew, place it in airtight containers, label with what’s inside and date the container as well. Freeze the stew for up to three months.
When you are ready to reheat the stew, you may need to add about a cup or two of water or beef broth as the stew can have a tendency to dry out in the freezer. Place the stew in the microwave with a microwave plate cover on top to prevent splattering. Heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef stew is hot!
You can also place the frozen stew in a pot and reheat on the stovetop. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then enjoy. Once again, you may need a little extra liquid to ensure the beef stew is not too dry and still soup-like!
Hopefully, you give our delicious recipe a try next time it is cold outside- it is the perfect recipe to warm you up and fill you up! In addition, if you want to try more of our great recipes, send us your email address and we can sign you up to receive amazing recipes delivered right to your inbox. You can also browse our recipes now as there are many on our site that you are sure to love. Enjoy!
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PinDescription
An easy and hearty stew, pefecrt for a cold winter’s day.
Ingredients
- 2 pound beef roast cut into small chunks (about 2 inch pieces)
- 2 pound bag of baby carrots, diced
- 6 medium size potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 small white onions, peeled and chopped
- 64oz canned tomato juice
- 2 tablespoons of garlic (fresh or frozen works!)
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Toss the beef in a skillet over medium-high heat with the chopped onion, garlic and salt and pepper
- Cook the beef for about 10 – 15 minutes or until the beef is browned and onions are soft
- Cover the mixture with water (about 6-8 cups), put the lid on whopper jawed, and let it simmer on low for 3 hours, adding water as needed
- After 3 hours, add the diced carrots and potatoes into the pan along with more salt and pepper
- Cover the mixture with water, put the lid on whopper jawed, and let simmer on low for 3 hours, adding water as needed
- For the last hour of cooking, add tomato juice in the pan instead of water and use a sturdy spoon to stir everything around
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Look for beef chuck or beef round that is already cut into pieces for you, ready to be cooked into soup recipes. Sometimes it is even labeled as “stew meat” in the grocery store. This will save you a little cook time and usually does not cost much more than the whole pieces of meat.
- You can easily cook this recipe in a slow cooker, following essentially the same directions. Brown the meat, onions and garlic on the stovetop and then transfer to a slow cooker. Continue to follow the recipe as written, just stirring and adding water to the slow cooker instead! No need for different slow cooker recipes when this one can easily be adapted!
- Start to cook this beef stew recipe in the morning so that it is ready to enjoy by dinner time!
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