Dutch Oven Beef Stew

Hearty comfort food is a small pleasure in life. Whether it’s a bowl of homemade molasses baked beans, creamy pesto gnocchi, or Dutch oven beef stew, there’s just something so perfect about hot homemade food when it’s cold outside.

This is my mother’s recipe for beef stew. I’m thankful to have this recipe because she died suddenly in 2019. Eating this stew reminds me of her, and tastes like home.

The recipe itself a fairly traditional take on beef stew. It’s made from scratch with potatoes, carrots, and lots of onions in one pot on the stove top. I like to make a batch on Sunday afternoons. Our house smells amazing as it simmers through the afternoon.

Dried summer savory is the only herb seasoning in Mum’s recipe. If you can’t find it, dried oregano and/or dried thyme also work nicely. I hope you take as much comfort in this dish as I do.

💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

✔️ It’s a thick, chunky dish that will warm and nourish you from the inside out.
✔️ This beef stew freezes beautifully!
✔️ Though it does take time to cook, it’s actually very easy to make.

📋 Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Vegetable Oil—vegetable or canola oil work best for cooking at higher temperatures. Do not use butter as it will burn.
• Beef Stewing Cubes—I usually buy pre-cubed beef at the grocery store, often labeled as “stewing beef”.
• Flour—I use regular all-purpose flour.
• Dried Summer Savory—I don’t know if it’s an East Coast thing, but we add dried summer savory to many supper dishes here, especially soups and stews. Most Maritimers have a bottle or package of Farmer John’s Summer Savory tucked away in their spice cupboards.
• Beef Stock—I buy cartons of stock at the grocery store, however, use homemade beef stock if you want.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Beef Stock—try substituting the beef stock with the same amount of onion soup mix mixed with water. Consider cutting back on the amount of onions a bit if you do.
• Potatoes—if you want to make beef stew without potatoes, parsnips and turnip are great substitutes.
• Carrots—use baby carrots if you prefer.
• Flour—substitute the flour with cornstarch to make gluten-free beef stew.
• Summer Savory—dried or fresh thyme or oregano, alone or together, are terrific substitutes for summer savory.

Ingredient Additions

• Add Wine Or Beer—For extra flavor, substitute a rich, robust red wine, or your favorite beer for ½ and up to 1 cup (125 ml to 250 ml) of the beef stock.
• Other Vegetables—mushrooms, frozen green peas, celery, cabbage, any root vegetables, and greens such as spinach or kale are wonderful additions to Dutch oven beef stew. I just eyeball the amounts and add them in with the dried herbs.
• Add Heat—a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes will add a touch of heat tif you like that.
• Herbs & Spices—bay leaves, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary are all tasty option to throw into the pot.
• Tomatoes—if you like more of a tomato stew, add a 28-ounce (830ml) can of diced tomatoes when you add the summer savory.

👩‍🍳 Step-By-Step Instructions

STEP 1—preheat the oil in a 4 to 6-quart (4 to 6 liter) cast iron Dutch oven. Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

STEP 2—add the beef stewing cubes to the bowl and stir well to coat.

STEP 3—add the beef cubes to the pre-heated pot and cook until they are evenly browned.

STEP 4—pour the beef stock into the pot. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently scrape and loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

STEP 5—add the onions to the pot. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 90 minutes.

STEP 6—the onions will have cooked soft and brown, and look almost like French onion soup when done.

STEP 7—add the carrots and potatoes and stir. Raise the heat back to a light boil, then reduce and simmer the stew for another 45 minutes.

STEP 8—add the summer savory and stir. Shake the cornstarch in a small jar with cold water. Add it to the pot and continue to cook until the gravy thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot with buttered bread, rolls, or biscuits.

🗣 Expert Tips

1. Some of the flour won’t stick to the beef cubes. This is totally ok, just make sure to add all of the flour to the hot pot when browning the beef.
2. For maximum flavor, scrape as much of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot as you can.
3. You must shake the cornstarch with cold water. If you use warm or hot water, the cornstarch won’t mix properly and will clump.

📝 Recipe Notes

• You can either buy pre-cut beef stewing cubes or a small roast (chuck, round, rump, or pot roasts are all good options). Simply trim away any fat and gristle from the roast then cut it into (approximately) 1-inch (2 ½-cm) cubes.
• Dried summer savory isn’t as hard to find as it once was. Check the spice aisle of any well stocked grocery store or order it here from Amazon.
• Store leftover stew in the refrigerator directly in the pot with the lid, or, transfer it to airtight containers with lids. The stew will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Dutch oven beef stew freezes beautifully! Cool the stew completely then transfer it to freezer-safe containers with tight fitting lids for up to two months. Remove from the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight before heating and serving.

🙋‍♀️ Recipe FAQ

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