Old Fashioned Beef Stew, slow roasted comfort food perfection. The ideal Sunday Dinner coming straight from our family kitchen to yours. This is my Gran’s recipe and let me tell you it’s super simple and seriously the best stew ever! Plus, you can easily double or triple it too.
The beautiful thing is you toss all of the ingredients into the Dutch Oven, wrap it in foil, place the lid on top and roast in the oven for 6 hours. This is one of those recipes I urge you not to brown your stew meat or soften your vegetables. I know, I know I’m always preaching that color equals flavor (and it does), but there’s something magical about this stew and I swear it’s perfect the way it was written.
Yes, BUT a slow cooker doesn’t reduce the liquid the same resulting in a stew or braise that may be thinner than desired. You can always reduce the stew further on the stove top to thicken the gravy more. But I do suggest roasting in the oven as stated in the recipe to achieve the perfect gravy reduction.
What's the best cut of meat for making stew?
The same cut we recommend for making Red Wine Pot Roast. Chuck Roast wins hands down every time and it can easily be trimmed down for making stew in 5-10 minutes. Butchers will offer stew meat that’s already been cut to size, but it costs more per pound and is not always Chuck Roast.
Chef’s Tips:
- Most connective tissue is too subtle to see, but the silvery sheath that surrounds and separates individual muscles is a visible illustration of connective tissue.
- Fat also tends to encircle muscles and can be distinguished from connective tissue by its opaque appearance and waxy like texture when cold.
- Ample fat is considered marbled and makes for a flavorsome cut, however, too much fat surrounding a cut of meat will just create unpleasant gristle in the final dish. We advise trimming away any excessive amounts of surrounding fat.
- Muscle grain: Look for coarse meat grain, with bundles of fibers you can clearly see. This coarse grain is a sign that the meat was once a strong and hard-working muscle, so when cooked in the IP or traditionally over a low-and-slow fire, it will reward you with a succulent and tender braised texture.
- Trim and cut your roast into bite-sized pieces immediately after you take it out of the fridge. Then season with kosher sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, set aside and allow it to come to room temperature while you add the rest of the ingredients to the Dutch Oven.
Is it easy to make Old Fashioned Beef Stew? Yes, it's super easy!
What should I serve with Old Fashioned Beef Stew?
It’s a meal in itself but fluffy biscuits or crusty bread are always a great addition for mopping up the extra gravy! It makes it’s own gravy as it cooks so no need for thickening once you pull it from the oven.
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How to Make Old Fashioned Beef Stew
Old Fashioned Beef Stew, slow roasted to comfort food perfection. The perfect Sunday Dinner coming straight from our family kitchen to yours. This is my Gran's recipe and let me tell you it's super simple and seriously the best stew ever!
- 3 ribs celery stalks, washed + 1-inch dice
- 16 oz (1 pound) baby carrots, washed
- 4 large Idaho Potatoes, scrubbed + 1-inch dice
- 1 large onion, topped + peeled + 1-inch dice
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs, seasoned
- 1 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes,
- 2½ pound chuck roast, boneless
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher sea salt, coarse ground
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 3 Tablespoons minute tapioca, sub all purpose flour
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
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Preheat the oven to: 250°F/120°C
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Add all of the ingredients, celery, carrots, Idaho potatoes, onion, Panko, San Marzano tomatoes, chuck roast, Kosher sea salt, black pepper, sugar, minute tapioca, and Worcestershire sauce to a large Dutch Oven.....
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Stir with a large flat bottomed wooden spoon to incorporate ingredients thoroughly.....
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Tightly wrap the top of the Dutch Oven with heavy-duty foil....
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Cover with the lid and roast in the oven for 6 hours, don't remove the pot to stir at any time just allow it to roast low and slow....
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Remove from the oven after 6 hours and allow to stand for 15 minutes, remove the lid and foil and stir...
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Dish into bowls and serve with biscuits or crusty bread if desired.
- Prep time is approximate but it's very quick to toss everything into the Dutch Oven.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container 4-6 months.
Looking for more beef recipe inspiration? Then you may want to check out our Guinness Braised Corned Beef….
or Instant Pot Red Wine Pot Roast for a delicious Sunday get together that’s super fast and super good!
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64 comments
This looks great. What does the panko add to the dish? To keep it gluten-free I am thinking of omitting it, but wondering what to replace it with if it is needed for texture? or maybe for coating the ingredients with the gravy. I love tapioca as a thickener for stews, maybe I add more of that?
Angela, you could easily omit the Panko and up the tapioca by a Tablespoon. We’ve added breadcrumbs and panko forever it adds to the “body” of the stew. Tapioca will get you there or damn close.
This beef stew looks incredibly flavorful. Yum!
Thanks so much, Erika! 🙂
I was going to ask the same question about the panko. I’m happy to hear about the tapioca, which I’d seen somewhere else but have forgotten about. I have some beautiful Australian lamb loin chops (thanks Costco) I’d like to try this with, any suggestions welcome.
Hi, Beth! You can easily omit the Panko and add an extra Tablespoon of Tapioca. Are you asking if lamb loin chops can be used in this recipe? Sorry not sure, but if so. I would probably use my lamb loin chops on their own in a pan saute with thyme, EVVO, lots of garlic, red pepper flakes and some freshly squeezed lemon for finishing. Lamb would go great in this stew but I would suggest a boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder trimmed. Hope that helps 🙂
This looks delicious. This would be perfect for Sunday family dinner. It looks fairly easy to double.
Super easy to double or triple, just need a large enough Dutch Oven. Thanks, Pauline! 🙂
Looks delicious. I love anything with meat and potatoes! The Panko threw me too, I will need to try it!
Thanks, Joanne! Don’t forget the tapioca too, trust me it’s worth adding 🙂
Looks like an amazing beef stew recipe! Thank you for always having amazing recipes with some great variations!
Thank you, Holly, so glad that you like the variations! Recipes are typically great guidelines that have plenty of leeway with ingredients (not baking of course) but recipes allow us to get creative! 🙂
This looks amazing!!!I can see myself sitting under a blanket with a big bowl of this, yum!!
Thanks, Jennifer! 🙂 It is a perfect sitting under a blanket bowl of food 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever tried using a Dutch Oven before. I’ve always made it in a slow cooker, but that would explain why it never seemed like I could get the measurement right to keep it from being soupy! 😅
You will get a much different (better imo) consistency in a Dutch Oven, Kyndall! Defiantly makes for a thick rich gravy when made this way 🙂
Looks delicious! It would be great in the fall.
Thanks, Laura! 🙂
We love all kinds of winter recipes! Winter gets long here so these are great!
We don’t even have winter here, Haley! But the rain makes these types of dishes possible so we take what we can get 🙂
ALL THE BEEF ALL THE TIME! Beef stew is one of my absolute fave things to eat. Way better then the eggplant and salad i ate this evening… sigh….
Lol we do love eggplant and salad too, Jen! Rainy days tend to bring out the comfort dishes here 🙂
I love a rich , thick gravy, so I’ll bet this is so good!
I’m a thick rich gravy lover too, Leigh Ann and this recipe delivers with minimal effort! 🙂
Wow! Your pictures amaze me! If I make this … my food better look like this!! 🙂
I promise, your stew will look this good, Kymberly! lol 🙂
This looks so much better than my beef stew! Your sauce looks so rich and thick!
Thank you, Tricia! It’s pretty amazing what the tapioca and panko do to create such a perfect consistency 🙂
Another GF option would be to grind up pork rinds in a blender. We sub that for panko in many recipes. It looks amazing!
Excellent tip, Adrienne, thanks so much for sharing and for stopping by to check out our recipe! 🙂
This looks wonderful! I need a good stew recipe and I’m sure this is it! I’m pinning this for later. Thanks for your outstanding recipes!
Thanks so much, Shirley! I really appreciate the kind words and I hope you love our stew as much as we do 🙂
I have been looking for a beef stew recipe. I have wanted a thick stew not runny and this looks like that might fit my criteria. 🙂
Hey, Karie! Trust me this makes the most perfect consistency for stew, give it a go and I know you’ll agree! 🙂
YUM! I make beef stew during the winter months quite often. Never thought to use breadcrumbs (Panko)/tapioca. I always thicken by making a roux. Food for thought 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Suzan! Roux is a great thickener too with a different consistency 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious! My family would love me forever for making this! I pinned it for the near future.
Lol, when then I guess you’ll have to make it Cynthia! Thanks ever so much for the Pin and of course for being a part of ur kitchen 🙂
I love great comfort food! I’ll have to give this one a try.
Comfort is one of our faves too, Magan! Thanks for stopping by to check out our recipe 🙂
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you, Chris! 🙂
It looks delicious!
Thanks, Maria! 🙂
Your pictures are so inviting! This stew recipe looks fantastic! Love the rosemary!
Thanks so much for the compliments on my photography, Kendra! Rosemary really adds an excellent flavor element! 🙂
Great recipe! thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Alexandra! 🙂
I’ve never been much of a stew eater, but this looks really good!
Thanks, Laura Lee, it’s top-notch as far as we’re concerned!
I pinned this one. Thank you again!
Thanks so much for the Pin, Karla! 🙂
Your cooking always leaves me in amazement, not to mention hungry! Another one saved for John!
Awww, thanks so much, Michele and John! So glad that you’re a part of our kitchen 🙂
This looks delicious and easy to make! I love a good beef stew.
Thanks, Lina! It’s super easy to make and full of flavor too 🙂
This Stew looks so rich and hearty! I love all the layers of flavor that you infuse in your foods. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks so much for checking it out, Jennifer! We can’t wait to hear about your results, please be sure to snap a pic and share with us @meangreenchef on Facebook or Insta! 🙂
This looks and sounds like a recipe I can handle. The stew looks very sumptuous so I am definitely giving this a try! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Jennifer, this is a super easy recipe I promise! If you do have any questions please just give me a shout and I’ll be glad to help out 🙂
I love a good hearty stew once the cooler weather hits. With snow in the forecast this week, I will be adding it to this week’s menu! I will be doubling it so I can throw some in the freezer for a future busy night!
The perfect meal to double and freeze, Tamara! Please be sure to share your results with us and enjoy the first snow 🙂
Is this kind of like Bo Kho chef? 🙂 My dad’s favorite!
Hi, Sarah! I LOVE Bo Kho too our stew here has a little thicker consistency than Bo Kho. I am def going to get that added to our menu here though, thanks so much for stopping by with some inspiration 😀