Soups & Stews

Serving

Classic Beef Stew

Name: Classic Beef Stew
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Soups & Stews
Ingredients: 2 lbs beef chuck, cubed; 3 tbsp all-purpose flour; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 4 cups beef broth; 1 cup red wine (optional); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 4 carrots, chunked; 3 potatoes, cubed; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp dried thyme; salt and black pepper, to taste; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Tender chunks of slow-braised beef with carrots and potatoes in a rich, thickened brown gravy.

140 minutes

Serves 6

Dinner

49 min prep

77 min cook

Contains common allergens

Wheat

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

8 steps

1
Toss beef cubes with flour, salt, and pepper.
2
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown beef in batches; set aside.
3
Add onion to the pot and sauté until soft, then add garlic and cook 1 minute.
4
Stir in tomato paste, then deglaze with red wine, scraping up browned bits.
5
Return beef to the pot, add beef broth, bay leaves, and thyme, and bring to a boil.
6
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1.5 hours until beef is nearly tender.
7
Add carrots and potatoes and simmer 30 minutes more until vegetables and beef are fork-tender.
8
Remove bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley before serving.

Classic Beef Stew — plated and served — Serving moment. How Classic Beef Stew looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

66/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 48

Budget-friendly 78

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 28

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

600

Calories

45 g

Protein

27 g

Carbs

30 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Beef stew sits in a long line of European and North American pot cooking, where tougher cuts became dinner through time, moisture, and a heavy covered pot. The familiar brown-gravy version is shaped by butcher-counter chuck, root vegetables, flour thickening, and the practical habit of stretching a modest amount of meat into a full family meal.

Listahan note

This version keeps the stew squarely classic: browned chuck, onion and garlic, tomato paste, broth, and the optional red wine for depth. The recipe prioritizes a thick, spoon-coating gravy and vegetables that go in late enough to stay distinct instead of dissolving.

Technique cues

Brown the beef in batches and give each piece room. Crowding the pot makes the flour coating steam instead of forming the browned layer that flavors the gravy.
Tomato paste needs a minute against the hot pot before the liquid goes in. That brief cooking takes away the raw edge and makes the stew taste deeper.
Add carrots and potatoes after the beef has already had a long head start. They need enough time to soften, but not the full braise.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Chop the onion, garlic, carrots, and potatoes while the beef browns in batches, keeping the carrots and potatoes separate for their later add-in.
Make-ahead: Cook the stew fully, chill it, then reheat gently; the gravy thickens and the beef flavor settles after a rest.
Leftover move: Spoon leftover stew over buttered egg noodles or split biscuits, adding a splash of broth if the gravy has tightened.
Cleanup rhythm: Wipe flour from the prep area before the long simmer, then soak the Dutch oven after serving so the browned gravy loosens.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Beef chuck

Braising meat

Purpose: Chuck has enough connective tissue and marbling to turn tender during a long simmer.

Handling: Cut into even cubes and pat dry before tossing with flour, salt, and pepper.

Adaptation: Beef stew meat can work if it is mostly chuck, but mixed packages may cook unevenly.

All-purpose flour

Browning coating and thickener

Purpose: A light flour coating helps the beef brown and gives the gravy body as it simmers.

Handling: Toss the beef lightly so the pieces are dusted, not caked.

Adaptation: For a flourless path, skip the coating and thicken near the end with a small cornstarch slurry.

Yellow onion

Savory base

Purpose: Onion softens into the gravy and gives the stew its rounded, cooked-all-day flavor.

Handling: Dice it small enough to melt into the sauce rather than compete with the carrots and potatoes.

Adaptation: Pearl onions give a more old-fashioned look and a sweeter bite if added later in the simmer.

Red wine (optional)

Deglazing liquid

Purpose: Wine lifts the browned bits from the pot and adds acidity that balances the rich beef broth.

Handling: Let it bubble for a minute after scraping the pot so the flavor concentrates before the broth goes in.

Adaptation: Use more beef broth if skipping wine, with a small splash of vinegar at the end if the stew tastes flat.

Tomato paste

Umami and color builder

Purpose: A small amount darkens the gravy and adds savory depth without making the stew taste like tomato soup.

Handling: Stir it into the onion and garlic until it darkens slightly and leaves a film on the pot.

Adaptation: A spoonful of crushed tomato can stand in, but the gravy will be looser and less concentrated.

Carrots and potatoes

Root vegetable body

Purpose: They make the stew feel complete and soak up the beefy gravy while holding their shape.

Handling: Cut them into sturdy chunks so they finish tender at roughly the same time.

Adaptation: Parsnips can replace some carrots for a sweeter earthiness, and turnips can replace some potatoes for a lighter bite.

Technique notes

Season in layers, but save the final salt adjustment until the broth has reduced and the beef is tender.
Keep the simmer low after the first boil. A hard boil can make the beef tighten before the collagen has time to soften.
If the gravy is too thin at the end, simmer uncovered for a few minutes after removing the bay leaves; if it is too thick, loosen it with a splash of broth.

Ingredient swaps

Flourless thickening path: Skip the flour on the beef, brown the meat well, then stir in a cornstarch slurry near the end for a glossy gravy.
No-wine direction: Use an extra cup of beef broth for deglazing and finish with a small splash of vinegar if the stew needs brightness.
Weeknight shortcut: Cut the beef into slightly smaller cubes and use a wide Dutch oven; it will still need time, but the pieces tenderize a little faster.
Vegetable variation: Replace part of the potatoes with parsnips, turnips, or mushrooms, adding mushrooms with the onion so they can brown off their moisture.

Serve alongside

Buttered egg noodles
Crusty sourdough bread
Green beans almondine
Simple cabbage slaw
Dry red wine
English brown ale
Black tea with lemon

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate the stew in sealed containers with enough gravy to cover the beef and vegetables.
Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of broth or water as needed to loosen the gravy.
Freeze in portions without extra parsley, then thaw overnight and warm slowly so the potatoes hold together as much as possible.

Equipment

Large Dutch oven with lid
Tongs for browning beef
Wooden spoon for scraping browned bits
Ladle for serving

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