Dutch Oven Beef Stew Recipe
This Dutch Oven Beef Stew recipe is hearty and delicious. It’s a one-pot meal full of tender chunks of beef, potatoes, and carrots in a rich, savory stew. This is perfect comfort food and is so simple to prepare.
For more comforting Soup and Stew Recipes, be sure to check out my Green Chile Stew, Shrimp and Corn Chowder, and Brunswick Stew Recipe.
Beef Stew – Perfect Comfort Food
Even though the temperatures haven’t dipped much below the 90s here in Texas, I’m dreaming of fall weather and cozy evenings spent tucking into a big bowl of comfort food, like this Dutch Oven Beef Stew. It’s truly the epitome of comfort food and is something every member of my family enjoys.
This is a super easy recipe, y’all, and it’s full of rich flavor from the tender beef, root vegetables, and spices cooked together in a savory, French onion soup broth.
I love to make it in my enameled cast iron dutch oven, which is the perfect vessel for cooking a hearty, classic beef stew recipe like this at a low and slow temperature for a few hours.
You really only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy dutch oven beef stew, and much of the work that goes into making it is hands-off. The real magic happens when the stew cooks at a low simmer for a few hours, filling your house with that amazing cozy, aroma.
This recipe easily adapts to the slow cooker or Instant Pot, too, in case cooking it on the stove top doesn’t work for you and your schedule.
Ingredients for Dutch Oven Beef Stew
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
- beef stew meat, cut into 2 inch chunks
- all purpose flour
- olive oil
- carrots
- French onion soup
- tomato paste
- Spices: garlic salt, black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, bay leaves
- russet potatoes
How to Make Beef Stew in a Dutch Oven – Step by Step
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
- In a large bowl, coat the beef stew meat with the flour, garlic salt, and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven, and then brown the meat over medium-high heat on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot.
- Add the carrots to the pot and cook for a few minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add a little water to deglaze the pan if necessary.
- Add the browned meat, tomato paste, soup, spices, bay leaves, and then potatoes to the pot and stir.
- Cook the stew over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 2-3 hours.
Tips and Notes
- Choose the right cut of meat: For tender beef in your stew, use cuts like chuck roast, round, or sirloin cut into chunks. These cuts have enough marbling and connective tissue to become tender when cooked slowly. I love grabbing a package of beef stew meat already cut into chunks from the grocery store.
- Coat the meat in flour: Coating the beef in flour before browning helps thicken the stew as it cooks and adds a nice texture to the meat.
- Brown the beef well: Take your time to brown the meat properly. It adds depth of flavor to the stew. Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning, and work in batches if you need to. You want to make sure that all sides of your beef pieces are able to brown nicely.
- Use low and slow heat: Simmer your stew on low heat. This allows the meat to become fork tender and the flavors to meld together. Rushing it on high heat might result in tough meat, and no one wants that!
- What kind of soup to use: I like to use an 18 oz can of Progresso French Onion soup for my stew, but you can also use a can of condensed French Onion soup mixed with 1 can (10 oz) of water. The condensed French Onion soup is usually easier to find. I’ve tried and liked both options!
- Other additions: feel free to add or change the veggies in this; frozen peas would be a great addition. Baby potatoes or red potatoes could also be substituted for the russets. Also feel free to use herbs like fresh thyme and rosemary in place of the Italian seasoning, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley over each bowl is a nice finishing touch.
- Store any leftover beef stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
What to Serve with Beef Stew
Theres are lots of delicious beef stew sides that you can choose from to complete your meal. Here are some ideas:
- Crusty bread: A warm loaf of crusty bread or slices of Air Fryer Garlic Bread are perfect for soaking up the flavorful stew broth.
- Biscuits: Flaky, buttery biscuits are can be served on the side or used to top the stew for a rustic pot pie effect!
- Green Salad: A simple green salad or a Strawberry Spinach Salad can provide a refreshing contrast to the hearty stew.
- Steamed or Roasted Veggies: I love to serve Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli or Green Beans with almost any meal, and they would be perfect with Dutch Oven Beef Stew!
FAQs
Yes, beef stew is the perfect meal to prepare and freeze for later!
Allow your stew to cool completely then store in a freezer safe container or freezer ziploc bag. Freeze for up to four months, and allow the stew to thaw in the fridge overnight before heating and serving. I love to pull beef stew out of the freezer to serve when we have a snap of cold weather!
Pot roast and beef stew are similar in that they both use the same type of meat, which is typically chuck roast. They are different, however, in their preparation and finished product. Pot roast is made from braising the meat with vegetables and spices for a long time over low heat, and using a whole cut of chuck roast. My favorite pot roast and the most popular recipe on my site is Mississippi Pot Roast. You should try it if you haven’t already!
Beef Stew is more of a soup consistency and is made with smaller, cut up pieces of chuck roast. It also cooks for a long period of time, but not usually as long as pot roast.
If you’re looking for a gluten free alternative, then you will need to replace the all purpose flour with a gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour. If you use the Progresso French Onion soup I mentioned in the notes section, it is already gluten free!
To make this beef stew in the crock pot, follow all of the instructions through step 3, then transfer all of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 5-6 hours.
If you want to make this beef stew in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, start by following all of the recipe instructions through step 3, using your Instant Pot’s sauté function. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over manual high pressure for 20 minutes and then allow the pressure to release naturally.
More Amazing Beef Recipes You Should Try!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, + more to taste
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 (18.5 oz) can French onion soup, *see notes
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes (about 1 pound once peeled and chopped)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour with the garlic salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Toss the beef chunks in the flour mixture to coat them evenly.
- In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the coated beef chunks and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the beef to a plate and set it aside.
- Add the carrots to the pot and cook for a few minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add a little water (up to 1/4 cup) to deglaze the pan if necessary.
- Return the browned beef to the Dutch oven and add the French onion soup. Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, additional pepper to taste, and bay leaves. Add the potatoes.
- Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let the stew simmer for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender and the potatoes are cooked through.
- Once the stew is ready, remove the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Notes
- Choose the right cut of meat: For tender beef in your stew, use cuts like chuck roast, round, or sirloin cut into chunks. These cuts have enough marbling and connective tissue to become tender when cooked slowly. I love grabbing a package of beef stew meat already cut into chunks from the grocery store.
- Coat the meat in flour: Coating the beef in flour before browning helps thicken the stew as it cooks and adds a nice texture to the meat.
- Brown the beef well: Take your time to brown the meat properly. It adds depth of flavor to the stew. Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning, and work in batches if you need to. You want to make sure that all sides of your beef pieces are able to brown nicely.
- Use low and slow heat: Simmer your stew on low heat. This allows the meat to become fork tender and the flavors to meld together. Rushing it on high heat might result in tough meat, and no one wants that!
- What kind of soup to use: I like to use an 18 oz can of Progresso French Onion soup for my stew, but you can also use a can of condensed French Onion soup mixed with 1 can (10 oz) of water. The condensed French Onion soup is usually easier to find. I’ve tried and liked both options!
- Other additions: feel free to add or change the veggies in this; frozen peas would be a great addition. Baby potatoes or red potatoes could also be substituted for the russets. Also feel free to use herbs like fresh thyme and rosemary in place of the Italian seasoning, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley over each bowl is a nice finishing touch.
- Store any leftover beef stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Everyone at my house loved how flavorful this is! I will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
My favorite comfort food for the cold season! This beef stew is exactly how I like it!
Looks incredibly delicious! Adding on our must make list!
I love this!! It was so hearty and delicious!
There really is nothing like beef stew made on the stovetop. It just has a different feel to it than any other method. I love this one.