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    Classic Beef Stew

    Nothing is better on a cold day then a warm bowl of stew in your hands. The beauty of beef stew is that it is a stand alone dish—one pot and you're good to go.

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    traditional beef stew in a bowl with a spoon with carrots and potatoes and green beans

    A Flavor-Packed, Updated, Classic Beef Stew.

    There are very few recipes our kids ask for on a regular basis. At the top of their list? THIS beef stew. We love this, because in our homes growing up, beef stew was frequently on the menu. We knew we wanted to have this be a meal our kids grew up loving, but we wanted (obviously) to create a version of beef stew that was more flavorful than the one-note meaty stew we grew up on. The spices in our version will make house smell like heaven and offer a subtle depth of flavor that even your kids can get behind.

    When Simply Organic asked us how we “cook for joy,” this recipe for beef stew immediately came to mind. It’s a dish that reminds us of our childhoods, and we get such comfort out of eating it!

    pieces of beef browned in a pan
    carrots, onions, celery, thyme cinnamon sticks sautéed in a pot
    classic beef stew in a soup pot
    classic beef stew with potatoes, carrots and green beans in a soup pot

    What Makes Our Beef Stew Recipe Special?

    Our beef stew starts with classic ingredients! Here’s what you will need to make our delicious beef stew:

    • Chuck roast
    • Onion
    • Celery
    • Garlic
    • Carrots
    • Beef stock
    • Tomato paste
    • Potatoes

    Here’s where things get interesting. In the name of reinventing this traditional dish, to make it a little more special, we’ve also added Simply Organic cinnamon sticks and cloves. These warm spices offer a layer of depth to the broth, making it all the more slurpable. By using whole ingredients instead of ground, the flavors are much more subtle, and oh-so-delicious.

    ingredients laid out for classic beef stew. cinnamon, cloves, carrots, onion, parsley, garlic
    classic beef stew with carrots green beans and potatoes

    How Do You Make Homemade Beef Stew?

    There’s a reason that beef stew is a classic recipe—probably made by your mom, and her mom, and maybe even her mom before her! It’s hearty, and easy to make as it is to love.

    1. Season the beef, then brown it!
    2. Time for the onions, celery, carrots and then garlic.
    3. Now for even more umami (tomato paste!) and spice—bay leaves, thyme, cinnamon and cloves.
    4. Add the beef and stock, and simmer! About an hour and a half.
    5. Veggie time! We keep is super classic—just carrots and potatoes. Simmer until those veggies are tender.
    6. Serve! We like to top the finished beef stew with parsley and good crusty bread.
    classic beef stew in a bowl with potatoes green beans and carrots
    classic beef stew in a bowl with potatoes, carrots and green beans

    How Do You Thicken Beef Stew?

    For a slightly thicker stew we like to add a slurry, but this is absolutely optional. A ‘slurry’ is simply a combination of cornstarch and water. You blend the two in a bowl until a murky liquid is made. Then, add this mixture to your stew (or any soup) and you’ll quickly see your broth get nice and thick.

    What Kind of Beef is Used in Beef Stew?

    When shopping for meat you’ll want to look for a good chuck roast instead of your standard pre-cut stew meat. Yes, stew meat is just fine, but using a chuck roast is less expensive and has way more flavor. The reason being is that the fat is not yet trimmed and fat is always where the flavor is at.

    classic beef stew with carrots, green beans, potatoes in a bowl with crusty bread and salt and pepper

    How Do You Make Beef Stew Meat Tender?

    The short answer is time. No matter what method you use to cook your stew, time is something you can’t escape. Beef stew is made with—as we mentioned above—chuck roast! A classically tough roast that needs time and moisture to break down. We like to cook the beef in a small amount of liquid in a dutch oven or braiser in the oven (similar to our braised beef with mushrooms), but for this recipe you can achieve similar results by keeping it on the stove top for 1 ½ hours covered with our key spices (cinnamon and cloves). Towards the end, you’ll want to add the potatoes and vegetables. This allows the fat to break down, which helps to tenderize the meat and allows it to absorb all that delicious flavor.

    traditional beef stew with carrots, potatoes and green beans with cinnamon and cloves in a bowl with bread

    Three More Stew Recipes You’ll Love

    The beauty of stew is that it is a stand-alone dish. That’s being said, we all know just how good it is to serve it alongside a thick slice of well buttered bread to help you soak up all those juices. If you are looking for even MORE stew inspiration, here are a few of our favorites.

    Tools You will Need:

    traditional beef stew in a bowl with crusty bread

    Have We Inspired You to Make a Pot of Stew?

    We hope this recipe inspires you to find joy in your cooking while keeping things simple. If this dinner was a success for you, snap a photo and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

    This sponsored post is written by TMP on behalf of Simply Organics in partnership with TheFeedFeed The opinions and text are all ours. Thank you for supporting the brands we love

    Related Recipes

    Classic Beef Stew

    Originally published: October 23, 2018

    • Serves: 12
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  2 hrs 25 min
    • Calories: 382
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    Ingredients

    • 3-4 lbs chuck roast cut into 2" pieces (we prefer this over pre-cut stew meat)
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 5 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 4 large carrots, diced
    • 4 celery ribs, diced
    • 2 tbsp tomato paste
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 2 Simply Organic Cinnamon Sticks
    • 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
    • 8 cups beef stock, divided
    • 2 tsp beef bouillon
    • 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
    • 4 Small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered or 2 russet potatoes peeled and cut in 2" pieces
    • 2 cups green beans, cut into 2" pieces
    • 1/4 cup corn starch
    • 1/2 cup warm water

    Method

    1. Generously season meat with salt and pepper.
    2. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Working in small batches brown all sides of meat until edges are just brown, but not cooked through. Set meat aside and continue with remaining meat.
    3. In the pot used for the meat add the diced onions, diced celery and diced carrots. If necessary add another tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
    4. Add in tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, cinnamon sticks and cloves, stirring to combine.
    5. Add meat and 4 cups of the beef stock to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 1 ½ hours or until beef is falling apart.
    6. Remove lid and add in beef bouillon along with remaining beef stock and the (2-inch) prepared carrots, potatoes and green beans. Cook until potatoes and carrots are fork tender, about 20 more minutes. Adjust salt as needed.
    7. For a thicker stew, mix cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until mixture is a murky liquid. Add to the prepared stew and stir over low heat until stew has thickened, about 10 minutes.
    8. Serve stew topped with parsley and good crusty bread.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories382
    • Protein32 g
    • Carbohydrates18 g
    • Total Fat21 g
    • Dietary Fiber3 g
    • Cholesterol76 mg
    • sodium593 mg
    • Total Sugars4 g

    Classic Beef Stew

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Jill

      Looks delicious. I am making this for dinner tonight but a little confused on the veggies.

      In step 3 we add veggies and cook until tender. Next comes seasonings and meat and it cooks for 1.5 hours.

      Step 6 says to add the veggies to the pot??
      Do we take them out and then add back in?

      Step 6 is referring to the carrots and potatoes that have not come into play yet. We will re-word it to make it more clear. Thanks for pointing this out. Hope you enjoy Jill!

    • Lauren

      Excited to try this! I can only see a place in the directions where you add 4 cups beef broth. But the ingredients say 8 cups.

      The remaining beef stock is listed in step 6. Hope you enjoy Lauren!

    • Amanda Eakin

      Hey Natalie! I am going to do this on the stove today but would love to try it in the crockpot in the future. How would you go about that?

      I would follow step 1. and 2. then throw it all in to the slow cooker to actually cook through! Let us know how it turns out!

    • Liz

      This recipe was just chopping for prep. And oh my. Great flavor and the beef was tender beyond belief

      Thanks Liz, so happy you loved it!

    • Mia Clermont

      Absolutely delicious!!!!

      Thanks Mia! So glad you loved it!

    • Abby Thompson

      A classic and easy beef stew! Really loved it.

      Thanks Abby, so glad!

    • Cassia

      Just made this, no green beans, used sherry, port and a splash of Worcestershire as I did not have bouillon, added a small red chili I had from my local market. Smaller amazing, tasted wonderful, warm, cozy, perfect. Ill be saving for future use.

      Thanks Cassia, so happy you loved it!

    • Abby Thompson

      10/10! Absolutely loved this beef stew recipe. I left out the beans and added mushrooms and it was amazing.

      Thanks Abby, so happy you loved it!