The Best Cozy Beef Stew

What could be better than a cozy beef stew on a chilly day? Enjoy this warming recipe with your favorite crusty bread for a comforting meal!

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My mind always jumps to warming dishes and hearty recipes like stews and soups as we enter these chilly months. It’s like a sweater in a bowl…only, less fuzzy.

I came up with this stew on a whim one afternoon while making dinner and have been making it ever since. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do!

Questions & Notes

What kind of meat should I use for cozy beef stew?

While I call for “stew meat” in this recipe, bear in mind not all stew meat is of the same quality. I feel like my local grocery store carries very decent stew meat and when it is cooked for 1.5-2 hours it comes out very tender and tasty. I’ve had stew meat from other places that was like eating rubber no matter how long or gently it was cooked! Yuck! If you’re unsure that you can find decent quality stew meat and you don’t mind investing a little more, consider using beef chuck, short ribs, beef round, or something similar.

Do I have to use wine in this stew? What else can I use?

No, but it adds a nice flavor! If you’re worried about the alcohol, remember that the alcohol should mostly evaporate during the cooking process. Studies show that after 2.5 hours of cooking only about 5% of alcohol remains. The longer the cooking time and the higher the heat the more quickly alcohol will evaporate from a dish. Whether or not it ever completely evaporates is a debated topic. To help speed the process of evaporation I call for bringing the wine to a rapid simmer and stirring frequently for several minutes. Both these actions speed up the process.

If you want to ensure you are evaporating as much of the alcohol as possible, let the stew boil for a few minutes on the stovetop, stirring frequently, before covering it and transferring it to the oven. You can also opt to leave your stew in the oven for a bit longer – closer to 3 hours total. Just be sure to wait to add the peas until close to the end so they don’t get mushy. Adding frozen peas will also temporarily lower the temperature of the stew, so bear that in mind.

If you have a medical condition, religious conviction, or other reason for skipping the alcohol, go ahead and skip it – just be sure to make up for the missing liquid with extra beef bone broth which is the best substitute for wine.

What is the difference between beef bone broth and beef stock? Can I use either?

While both are made with similar ingredients, bone broth is usually cooked for a significantly longer period of time which gives it a deeper flavor and releases more of the nutritious components found in the bones. If you don’t have bone broth, you can certainly use beef stock, but the bone broth will give you a richer flavor.

I don’t have fresh rosemary – can I use dried?

Sure, you can use dried, but definitely use fresh if you can. The flavor of fresh rosemary is a little milder and much fresher (of course) than dried. I also feel like it stays softer than all those little hard bits of dried rosemary. Some of the leaves will fall off the rosemary stems while cooking which is totally fine. Be sure to remove the woody stems before serving. If substituting dried (which is more potent), use only about two teaspoons.

What should I serve with cozy beef stew?

I’m glad you asked! Even though the stew is great by itself, a loaf of fresh bread is always a welcome addition! I recently shared a recipe on Instagram for the easiest non-sourdough artisan loaf shaped like a pumpkin. (While it’s fun to shape it like a pumpkin you certainly don’t have to.) Here’s how you can make this delicious bread to go with your stew (I recommend making the bread ahead of time so your Dutch oven will be free for the stew):

Easy Non-Sourdough Artisan Bread

Combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp active dry yeast, and 1.5 cups warm water in a bowl.
Cover loosely and set aside to rise for 2 hours.
Place your Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 425F.
Dump out your risen dough onto a floured surface and kneed a few times, adding flour as needed, shaping into a ball. No scoring is necessary.
Place on parchment paper and [carefully!] place it into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until nicely browned.
Cool and serve! That’s it!

To shape into a pumpkin:
To shape it into a pumpkin, lay out 4 lengths of cotton kitchen twine in a starburst shaped pattern on your parchment paper. Place the dough ball on top and loosely tie opposing strings; trim off excess. Bake as directed. Cut off strings after baking. Place a cinnamon stick in the center for the stem.

How to Make the Best Cozy Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1½ pound stew meat (or other “Chuck” cut of beef) cut into bite-sized pieces (Be sure to read the note on the blog about stew meat!)
• 3-4 TBSP oil for searing, divided (I prefer avocado oil or olive oil.)
• 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 2 TBSP all purpose flour (I prefer using einkorn flour)
• ½ cup red wine (If omitting, substitute with extra bone broth. Please reference footnote.)
• ½ pound baby carrots, or large carrots chopped
• 1-2 cups beef bone broth
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pound baby potatoes, halved or quartered to bite size (Golden or multi-colored potatoes are best.)
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary (2 tsp dried may be substituted)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. In a heavy bottomed oven-safe Dutch oven, heat 2-3 TBSP oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the stew meat generously with salt and pepper, then sear in the hot oil on all sides until well browned. Remove meat to a bowl and set aside.
3. To the now empty pot add the remaining oil. Cook the onions and garlic until slightly softened, 3-4 minutes.
4. Once the onions and garlic are softened, add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and flour. Stir vigorously and cook for about a minute, being sure it doesn’t burn.
5. Immediately add the wine to the pot, scraping the bottom to get up any stuck bits. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
6. Add the carrots, bone broth, vegetable stock, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, and the cooked stew meat (along with any accumulated juices from the bowl) into the pot. Increase heat and bring to a boil. The liquid should just cover the meat and vegetables. If it doesn’t, add more bone broth or vegetable stock.
7. Once boiling, cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ hours.
8. Add the frozen peas and stir to combine. Return to the oven, covered. Continue to cook until the meat is fork-tender and the peas are heated through, about 30 minutes more.
9. Remove any woody rosemary stems. Season stew with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this cozy beef stew as much as my family and I do!

Blessings,
Melissa

Get the recipe here!