Dutch Oven Beef Stew

5 from 49 votes

This Dutch oven beef stew is an easy and delicious comfort food for any night of the week. The rich flavor comes from simmering the stew low and slow to let the flavors develop while the beef gets meltingly tender.

The beauty of this dish is that you can cook it ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer. That means you can enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal any night of the week.

Prep Time20

Cook Time3

Total Time3 20

Course: Soups and Stews

Cuisine: American

Keyword: camp oven stew, dutch oven beef stew, dutch oven stew, stew in a dutch oven

Servings: to 10 servings

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon dried rosemary crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca see notes for alternatives
4 medium carrots cut in 1-inch pieces
1 pound small yellow or red potatoes
10 oz. fresh small crimini mushrooms halved
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

Place the beef chunks on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef chunks and sear, flipping to brown them on both sides. Remove from the pot and place on a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef (add extra oil if needed). Reserve the plate of seared beef until needed.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion and the garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute until the onion has softened.
Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, wine, beef broth, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and tapioca, stirring well to combine.
Return the seared beef and the accumulated juices to the pot.
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it come to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 1-½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is very tender (if you have extra tough meat, you may need to simmer it for 20 to 30 minutes longer).
Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and fresh herbs. When the liquid begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and continue to cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Serve hot with crusty bread and a side salad.

Notes

This is a versatile recipe and you can choose additional vegetables according to your taste. Some suggestions are celery, sliced leek, green beans or chopped fennel bulb.
If you do not want to add the red wine, substitute with additional beef broth.
To make this recipe with a thicker sauce, make a slurry of 2 tablespoons corn starch and 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir the mixture into the stew just before serving and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Alternatives to Thicken Stew

If you don't have tapioca, you can use one of the following as a thickener.

Using all-purpose flour: Sprinkle ¼ cup flour over the softened onions in step 3 and cook for 1 minute before adding the wine and beef broth.
Using cornstarch: When the stew is finished cooking, combine ¼ cup cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes until thick.

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