This Dutch oven beef stew is the ultimate Sunday supper -- a meal you can make enough of to last you on another chaotic weeknight. The beef stew is hearty, comforting, and packed full of vegetables.
Hey, stew! You're such a good companion on a Sunday, when the Sunday scaries set in (you know, the moment it starts getting dark and you realize you have to go to work the next day...those scaries).
This is not a weeknight dinner for us by any means because it requires you to do a decent amount of chopping and takes awhile to cook, but it's a fabulous thing to make on a Sunday night so you can eat it that night...and the next night...and the next night.
This is my new favorite way to meal plan. I make two meals/week that I know will yield leftovers. We had the beef stew on Election Day, and it was life-saving to not have to cook dinner that night. I would argue that it gets even better the next day as the flavors set in.
Why You'll Love Dutch Oven Beef Stew
- This recipe can last for two meals, which is always a welcome treat for busy weeknights.
- Made in a Dutch oven for easy clean up and cooking. I love not having to dirty a million pots and pans. I also love a good Dutch oven meal for easy cooking, like pulled chicken, chicken dumplings, or pulled pork.
- Comforting and cozy. It's the ultimate fall and winter dinner when you have some time to spend indoors while the stew cooks.
- Packed full of veggies. Hello, carrots and mushrooms! If you want to consume less carbs, you can always leave out the potatoes, but I am a huge potato fan (crispy smashed potatoes, taco stuffed sweet potatoes, or Southern fried potatoes).
You won't regret making this beef stew!
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Ingredients You'll Need
Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you. All of the ingredients are things you likely have already in your house!
- boneless beef chuck
- salt + pepper
- olive oil
- yellow onions
- mushrooms
- garlic
- balsamic vinegar
- tomato paste
- all-purpose flour
- dry red wine
- beef broth
- water
- bay leaves
- fresh thyme
- sugar
- carrots
- baby Yukon potatoes - the best potatoes!
- parsley - optional for serving
Tips & Tricks for Delicious Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Whatever you do, don't skip the browning of the meat first! This is really a must to ensure you don't have soggy meat in the end. I don't like crockpot meals for a reason!
I'd also buy a big hunk of beef chuck from the counter at your local grocery store. Usually when you buy the pre-packaged, pre-cut beef, it's the toughest cuts and the pieces are so small. I bought 3 pounds of boneless beef chuck, and it was great to have exactly the kind of pieces I wanted that was nice and marbled.
Make It Your Own with These Variations
- Supplement for night #2. Depending on how many people you're feeding, you may want or need to supplement for the next mea by adding some mashed potatoes, butternut squash mash, cauliflower mash, or egg noodles. Sometimes I'm not the biggest leftovers fan, but this helps my brain get excited for the new variation.
- Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Add turnips, celery, eggplant, whatever vegetables you have in your fridge that need to be used up.
Other Make Ahead Meals
Hope you don't have Sunday scaries!
xox,
kathryn
Sunday Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck well-marbled, cut into 1-½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 package mushrooms quartered
- 7 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 large carrots peeled and cut into one-inch chunks on a diagonal
- 1 pound baby yukon potatoes cut in half
- Fresh chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rack in the lower middle position.
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 6-8 minutes Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve the stew warm -- or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, over medium heat or in a 350°F oven. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Francois Mitko
I have been looking forward to making a beef stew with mushrooms (2portabello and .5 oz Melissa's Dried Morel mushrooms), carrots, Yukon potatoes, but no alcohol. I started following your beef stew with mushrooms, but had no flour so I used Red Mill Buckwheat. I also threw in a turnip and a red pepper of some kind cut lengthwise with seeds and all. The stew is cooking now. I will share how it tastes tomorrow.
Kathryn
Hope it tasted delicious!
laurenkabonk
Tried this recipe and it was delicious! Although I usually customize recipes I followed this one as closely as possible. Though I did add chanterelle mushrooms as well as crimini though, oh and I also doubled the recipe for leftovers, hehe, it was goooood. Anyhow, two questions: you mention removing the onions, but you don’t mention putting them back into the pot? Well, I did, when the meat goes back in, and it was fine. Also you mention adding sugar in one step, but the measurement of sugar isn’t listed in the ingredients? I used 1/3 cup of sugar for my doubled recipe and it was nice. Thank you for a terrific recipe!
Kathryn
Oh no! I'll get that fixed ASAP, Lauren! This was one of my first few recipes when I didn't know what I was doing. Face palm!
<3,
Kathryn