Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes

Beef stew with carrots and potatoes is the perfect fall meal. It’s super comforting filled with tender fall-apart pieces of beef, flavorful broth, potatoes, carrots, and fresh herbs, served with some warm bread and butter.

Info and tips for beef stew with carrots & potatoes

To start the beef stew with carrots and potatoes, you want to make sure to buy a good piece of beef. I recommend buying chuck beef. Chuck beef is usually cut from the shoulder and has a good amount of marbling on it. Don’t buy generic “stew meat” as this is too lean, and you’ll be left with tough overcooked beef.

When trimming the beef, cut off any large obvious fat chunks, but don’t go overboard as the fat helps the beef get tender. Cook the beef in a hot Dutch oven with enough oil to cover the bottom. It’s important not to touch the beef or stir it. You want to develop a nice golden crust. This takes a couple minutes on medium/high heat so refrain from checking until then. Fry in batches without overcrowding.

Don’t worry about the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. This is from the beef and adds so much flavor. When deglazing with wine, they will loosen and be absorbed into the broth. For the wine I used Merlot, but any dry red that is inexpensive but still good to drink will work fine. If you don’t want to use wine, just replace with another cup of beef broth and a splash of balsamic vinegar!

Equipment

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I recently invested in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven and I love it so much. Totally worth it in my opinion! They last forever and are so easy to clean.

Ingredients for beef stew with carrots & potatoes

• 2.5 lb chuck beef
• 3 tbsp flour
• tsp salt
• tsp pepper
• tsp garlic powder
• tsp onion powder
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 celery sticks
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp beef base
• 1 cup red wine (Merlot)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire
• 2 bay leaves
• few sprigs of thyme
• 2-3 cups chopped potatoes
• 3-4 medium carrots
• fresh parsley (for topping)
• baguette (for serving)

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting the chuck beef into roughly 1 inch cubes. Trim off any obvious fat but leave most.
2. Add the chuck beef to a bowl and season with flour, salt & pepper, garlic & onion powder. Mix until each piece is coated evenly.
3. Complete your prep buy dicing the onion and celery, and mincing the garlic.
4. Preheat oven to 320 Fahrenheit.
5. Heat a Dutch oven on medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. Once hot, add the chuck beef in batches, careful not to overcrowd. It’s very important not to touch or stir the beef, let it develop a golden crust before flipping.
6. Once both sides are seared, remove and set aside. Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes until softened.
7. Next add tomato paste and beef base. Cook both of these for a couple minutes before adding the red wine. This will deglaze the pot. Bring to a simmer to cook off the alcohol and mix well.
8. Add in the beef broth, beef chuck back in, Worcestershire, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir well and place pot in the oven for one and a half hours on the lower rack of the oven.
9. After an hour and a half, add in chopped potatoes and carrots. I chopped my potatoes into 1 inch pieces, and cut the carrots on an angle about half an inch. How many you add is up to you, and whether you like it to be more beef or vegetable heavy. Mix well and add back in the oven for another hour.
10. After the last hour remove from the oven and taste test. Add any more seasonings here. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and some warm bread.

See below for a video tutorial!

Check out my Creamy Lemon Dill Salmon or my Pork Katsu Curry for more comforting meals!

Print Recipe

Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes

(251 votes, average: 3.66 out of 5)

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Comforting

By Kenna's Cooks – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes – Total Time: 3 hours

Beef stew with carrots and potatoes is filled with tender fall-apart pieces of beef, stewed in a rich wine sauce, topped with fresh herbs.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb chuck beef
• 3 tbsp flour
• tsp salt
• tsp pepper
• tsp garlic powder
• tsp onion powder
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 celery sticks
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp beef base
• 1 cup red wine (Merlot)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire
• 2 bay leaves
• few sprigs of thyme
• 2-3 cups chopped potatoes
• 3-4 medium carrots
• fresh parsley (for topping)
• baguette (for serving)

Instructions

1

Begin by cutting the chuck beef into roughly 1 inch cubes. Trim off any obvious fat but leave most.

2

Add the chuck beef to a bowl and season with flour, salt & pepper, garlic & onion powder. Mix until each piece is coated evenly.

3

Complete your prep buy dicing the onion and celery, and mincing the garlic.

4

Preheat oven to 320 Fahrenheit.

5

Heat a Dutch oven on medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. Once hot, add the chuck beef in batches, careful not to overcrowd. It's very important not to touch or stir the beef, let it develop a golden crust before flipping.

6

Once both sides are seared, remove and set aside. Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes until softened.

7

Next add tomato paste and beef base. Cook both of these for a couple minutes before adding the red wine. This will deglaze the pot. Bring to a simmer to cook off the alcohol and mix well.

8

Add in the beef broth, beef chuck back in, Worcestershire, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir well and place pot in the oven for one and a half hours on the lower rack of the oven.

9

After an hour and a half, add in chopped potatoes and carrots. I chopped my potatoes into 1 inch pieces, and cut the carrots on an angle about half an inch. How many you add is up to you, and whether you like it to be more beef or vegetable heavy. Mix well and add back in the oven for another hour.

10

After the last hour remove from the oven and taste test. Add any more seasonings here. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and some warm bread.

Notes

Additions: peas, mushrooms... can also be served with rice, noodles, cheesy bread... you decide!