Dutch Oven Beef Stew

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Our Dutch oven beef stew features hearty beef and potatoes, tender veggies, and fresh herbs cooked in a rich red-wine sauce. Warm and flavorful, it’s a comforting one-pot meal for cold winter days! Enjoy this old-fashioned beef stew with rustic bread and a glass of red wine.

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🛒 Ingredients

• Bacon: Adds a salty, smoking flavor to the stew and enhances the earthy, meaty flavor of the chuck roast.
• All-Purpose Flour: Coats the beef and helps build a nice crust while browning. It also helps to thicken the stew.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Cracked Black Pepper: Adds a rustic peppery taste and aroma.
• Cayenne Pepper: Adds a hint of heat and depth to the stew, providing a subtle warmth without overpowering the other flavors.
• Chuck Roast: This cut of meat has great flavor when braised, and becomes tender and juicy. For the best flavor, select a well-marbled roast. (But London broil or bone-in short ribs are also delicious.) While it might be tempting to use a package of “stew meat” from the grocery store, it’s important to know that those pieces are the butcher’s leftover scraps from cutting different types of meat. So these random pieces will not cook up consistently, or even finish cooking at the same time.
• Butter: Helps brown the beef and provides a bit of extra richness.
• Tomato Paste: Adds a rich velvety tomato flavor to the stew.
• Garlic Cloves: Brings an earthy, almost spicy flavor to the stew. It enhances the savory notes, while adding a robust, aromatic flavor.
• Fresh Thyme: Adds a fresh, herbaceous flavor to the stew, and it pairs perfectly with mushrooms and beef.
• Fresh Rosemary: Provides aromatic and earthy notes that balance the richness of the meat, and prevents the dish from becoming overly heavy.
• Dry Red Wine: I recommend Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec. It helps to remove the delicious flavor bits off the bottom of the Dutch oven while contributing complexity, depth and richness. The alcohol evaporates during cooking, leaving behind its essence.
• Beef Broth: Serves as the rich and savory liquid base for the stew. The beef is braised in its delicious moisture.
• Bay Leaves: Infuse the stew with a subtle, aromatic flavor that complements the other herbs and spices.
• Baby Bella Mushrooms: Add an earthy and meaty quality to the stew, providing additional texture.
• Russet Potato: Provides a hearty and starchy component to the stew, adding texture and bulk. As it cooks, it helps to thicken the broth.
• Carrots: Contribute to the stew’s flavor profile while adding sweetness, earthiness, color, nutritional value, and visual appeal.
• Frozen Pearl Onions: These add great flavor to the stew. I’m using pearl onions for 2 reasons. First, because they’re a great shortcut – they’re already peeled. And second, because of nostalgia. My grandmother used them for her Dutch oven beef stew.
• Celery: It contains natural salts which enhance the savory flavors of the stew. It’s greenness adds a pop of color to the dish. It also provides a crisp crunchy texture, adding interest to every bite.
• Fresh Parsley: For garnishing. It adds a pop of color and freshness to the finished dish.

📖 Recipe Steps

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook it for 5 to 7 minutes, or until crisp and browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave the bacon grease in the pot.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel. Then coat each piece evenly in the flour mixture.
3. Return the Dutch oven with the bacon grease to medium-high heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Then add the beef. Sear it for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot or the beef won’t brown properly. If needed, brown it in batches. Once the beef has browned, remove it to a plate and set it aside.
4. Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme and rosemary to the pot. Cook for 1 minute. Next add the red wine and gently scrap any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula.

1. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, browned beef, bacon, and remaining salt, pepper and cayenne to the Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium low and cover the pot. Allow the beef to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, a fork should easily slide in and out of the beef. If it doesn’t, cook for an additional 30 minutes.
2. Next, add the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery, frozen pearl onions, and mushrooms) to the pot.
3. Cook the stew for another 30 minutes, or until the veggies are fork tender. Then remove the pot from heat, and remove and discard the bay leaves.
4. Ladle the stew into bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers rated this the BEST old-fashioned, Dutch oven beef stew. They loved the fork-tender beef, the combination of veggies and herbs, and the use of red wine. They said the flavor and aroma was amazing. It’s comforting, satisfying and filled with nostalgia.

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