Easy stovetop beef stew is a classic meal that's filling, comforting, and perfect for a chilly day. Beef, potatoes, carrots and onions are coated in a flavorful sauce. The entire dish comes together on the stovetop in a single stock pot.
Just made this recipe, smells amazing from beginning to end. Will make this recipe again. Thanks ★★★★★ - Frank
Why you'll love this recipe
Simple ingredients. This stew is made with basics like beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, broth, and seasoning.
Flavorful. Additions like tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic add a mild, complex savory flavor you'll love.
One pan. All you need is one pan on the stovetop!
Perfect for winter. Beef stew is hearty, filling, and warming on a cold fall or winter day.
Serve with: Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits or Cheesy Garlic Bread
Similar to: Braised Beef and Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Stew meat - Can be substituted with cubed chuck roast. The ideal meat for a beef stew should be marbled with fat. Lean cuts of meat will dry out during the longer cooking time of a stew.
- Salt & pepper - Enhances the flavor of your stew. Keep in mind that the beef broth and worcestershire sauce also add salty flavor, so it's best to taste first, then add more salt as needed.
- Oil - Olive oil can be substituted with any neutral cooking oil you have on hand.
- Onion and garlic - Add depth of flavor to your stew. Two cloves of garlic can be substituted with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if needed. I do not recommend using jarred garlic, it often has a strong, harsh flavor. Fresh minced garlic is best.
- Tomato paste - Adds a savory, umami flavor to your stew. I don't recommend skipping it, but if you need a substitute, tomato sauce will add the same flavor. Substitute tomato paste with tomato sauce at a 1:3 ratio (1 part tomato paste to 3 parts tomato sauce). Ketchup is an ingredient that most have on hand in their refrigerators. While not an ideal substitution, it adds a milder, slightly sweeter flavor.
- Beef broth - Enhances the flavor of your beef stew and adds enough liquid for your ingredients to simmer on the stovetop. If using a low-sodium broth for health reasons, consider adding a bit of your favorite savory herbs for extra flavor (like ¼ teaspoon of thyme, oregano, or sage).
- Potatoes - I suggest yukon gold potatoes, especially if you'd like your potatoes to hold their shape after cooking. Russet potatoes can work in a stew, but do tend to fall apart slightly when cooked.
- Carrots - Can be substituted with baby carrots to reduce your prep time slightly.
How to make beef stew
- Sear beef on all sides before removing from the pan for a later step.
- Add onions and garlic and cook until browned around the edges.
- Add tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and seared beef to the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until beef is tender.
- Add potatoes and carrots to the pot and simmer until cooked through.
Tips and tricks
Sear the meat - Searing creates a caramelized crust that adds extra flavor and depth to your stew. Make sure not to crowd the pan with too much beef or it won't sear properly. Brown half at a time if needed.
Low and slow is best - It's best to cook fatty cuts of meat low and slow. Doing so breaks down the tough connective tissue and the collagen between the muscle fibers. This results in a juicy, fall-apart tender meat.
Time is not important - While I offer cooking times in the recipe card below, what's most important is whether your beef is tender and vegetables cooked through. Keep an eye on your food and focus on texture rather than time alone.
Storage
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator and reheat well on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave.
Frequently asked questions
"Stew meat" is pre-cubed beef that's packaged by the grocery store, intended for stewing. The downside to stew meat is that you don't know exactly what cuts of meat are in there. It could be a combination of different cuts that each have different 'ideal' preparations. The upside is it's inexpensive and easy to grab for a weeknight meal.
If you'd like to cube your own beef for stew, I'd suggest using a boneless chuck roast. Simply slice into bite size cubes and you're ready to go.
As written, this beef stew has a thin broth. If you'd like to thicken your sauce, you can make a slurry to stir in toward the end of cooking. To make a slurry, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Whisk until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Slowly stir your slurry into the beef stew and stir until incorporated. Your broth should thicken after a minute or two of cooking.
Yes! If desired, omit the potatoes from the recipe and serve your beef and carrots over mashed potatoes or egg noodles instead.
Tomato paste may not be a common ingredient in your pantry. It adds a savory, umami flavor to the beef stew and I don't recommend omitting it. However, if you're in need of a substitute, tomato sauce can be substituted at a 1:3 ratio (1 part tomato paste to 3 parts tomato sauce). Readers have had success using ketchup as well, which adds a milder, sweeter flavor.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Easy Stovetop Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound stew meat, or cubed boneless chuck roast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, cubed
- 3 carrots, sliced into discs
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper. In a stock pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once heated, add cubed stew meat. Sear on all sides. If needed, sear meat in two batches - do not overcrowd the pan. Remove beef and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to stock pot. Add diced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Add tomato paste and stir to coat onions and garlic. Then, add beef broth and worcestershire sauce. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze and incorporate any browned bits into the broth.
- Add beef back to pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 60 minutes (or until beef is tender).
- Add cubed potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots can easily be pierced with a fork.
- Uncover and remove from heat. If you'd like a thinner stew, add more beef broth as desired. Top with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Cooking times: Beef can be cooked for longer than 60 minutes if using a tough cut of beef. Beef will continue to get tender the longer it cooks.
- Mashed potatoes: Potatoes can be omitted from recipe and beef stew can be served over mashed potatoes instead.
- Vegetable variations: Sliced carrots can be substituted with baby carrots, mushrooms, celery, or parsnips if desired.
- Leftovers: Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
It turned out perfect
Mine came out more like a soup but I thickened it with 1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed into 1/4 cup cold water.
My husband is diabetic. Can I lower the sugar content by eliminating the Worcester and tomato paste?
Hi Lisa. These two ingredients add significant flavor to the stew, so keep this in mind if you're looking to omit them entirely. Here's a recipe for a diabetic-friendly beef stew that may work better for you: https://diabetesstrong.com/secret-ingredient-beef-stew/
Just made this recipe, smells amazing from beginning to end. Will make this recipe again. Thanks
This was very tasty! I used a lot more broth than called for. It took longer for my beef to get tender than 1 hour and so I needed to supplement the liquid that evaporated. I ended up using at least 2-3 cups more. I also added a couple of fresh springs of thyme and a bay leaf. I also seasoned the meat with salt and Ms. Dash steak seasoning for a little spice. I thought the tomato paste would be too much but it was all good. Would make again.
I am 51...never made homemade beef stew...I know ridiculous, but followed recipe exactly for my first time and it was delicious. Even my 17 yr old son approved, mamas know that's hard to do...lol
I had a pound of cubed meat left over from a previous meal and this recipe came in handy! Thank you!
Thank you for making this recipe so easy. I've looked everywhere for an easier method for Beef Stew and there isn't one. I've made it twice to absolute success. I had to adjust the recipe for my diet so no worcestershire sauce and didn't have beef broth so I used chicken stock instead. Still came out amazing. The 20 min was too long for the potatoes and carrots. It's more like 16-18 minutes. I wanted the gravy thicker so I used a teaspoon or two of flour at the end. Loved this recipe.
I had some extra veggies that needed to be used before they went bad so I substituted white potatoes for sweet potatoes, added celery, mushrooms, a bag of spinach and cilantro. It is amazing! I really think you could add any vegetable to this and it would be great!
It takes a much longer time to cook the veggies
Hi, could I make this in the crock pot?
I haven't tried this recipe in the slow cooker, so I couldn't say how it would turn out. You'd be missing out on the added flavor from searing the beef and browning the onions and garlic by preparing it in a slow cooker.
I do have a slow cooker beef roast recipe that uses several similar ingredients:
https://thetoastykitchen.com/slow-cooker-beef-roast-with-potatoes-and-carrots/
Yum! My stew didn't thicken for some unknown reason and it was too late to bother with an extra step, but it's tasty, as is!
Used stewing beef from local cow we had butchered this summer. A 900 ml box of Campbell's beef broth with wine. Potatoes and peas from my garden. Snuck in 2 stalks of celery that needed using up. Added 2 bay leaves and a dash of Spike seasoning.
Served with bread and butter because: childhood. 😊
We LOVE this recipe in our family!! I double it for our family of seven and then we have a little for leftovers 😍 Have you ever tried freezing this recipe?
Hi Brittany, potatoes don't freeze and thaw particularly well, they end up with a bit of a grainy texture. However, the rest of the beef stew would freeze well and keep for up to about 3 months.
Can I use tomato sauce instead of paste? Wanna try this out today!
Tomato sauce should work if you don't have tomato paste on hand. let us know how it turns out!
Couldn't find the stew recipe I've used before so I tried this one. No tomato paste, so I used some ketchup; no worcestershire sauce (I never use it, so just don't have any around), so I substituted with a couple of shots of Dale's Steak Seasoning. added some SPIKE (my favorite multi-spice seasoning for everything), and we had a rich tasting, hearty stew. The only thing I'll change next time is to do one more cup of broth (or just add a cup of water), as I wanted more broth than there was with the additional veggie (possibly).
How many people will this recipe feed?
This recipe makes four servings. If you scroll up to the recipe card and look at the serving size, you can hover over it and adjust it to make as many servings as you'd like!
If I don't have tomato paste what else could I use or do I really need it?
The tomato paste will thicken your sauce slightly, but it's mostly there for savory flavor. If you don't have any on hand it can be omitted (but your stew will have less flavor).
I just used some ketchup. Worked fine.
Super easy & delicious! Used half sweet & half white potatoes. Added mini button mushrooms in the last 15 mins of cooking. Next time I'll do a slurry to thicken - there def will be a next time! Thank you!
Mushrooms sound like a great addition - glad you enjoyed it!
Add a pinch of sage and if using a fatty cut of meat add a splash of red wine vinegar. Perfecto!
trying this today
Hope you enjoy it, Beverly!