Making an amazing stew is a whole lot simpler than most people figure. After you brown up your beef, all you basically have to do is throw a bunch of tasty ingredients in a pot and let it do its thing. Adding green beans at the end of cooking freshens up the stew and their snap is cool. You can make it completely in advance, as far as 2 days ahead of time. Just refrigerate it right in the pot and reheat it over low heat. You’ll have to stir in a cup or so of water because the stew will have thickened up. (Do the water thing if you’re reheating leftover stew too.) I use butter to brown the beef because it adds richness to the stew and makes for a creamier gravy. But you can substitute any type of oil for the butter if you want. Pretty much any decent red wine will do for stew; I like using Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon but the basic rule is that as long as you’d be happy drinking what you’re cooking with you’re in good shape.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | about 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 medium carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 small onions, diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmed
Instructions
- Season the beef cubes lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter starts to turn brown, add half the beef and raise the heat to high. At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. Cook, turning the beef cubes on all sides until the pieces are as evenly browned as possible, about 5 or 6 minutes after the water has boiled off. If the pan starts to get too brown at any point, just turn down the heat a little. Scoop the beef into a bowl and brown the rest of the beef the same way using the remaining butter.
- Scoop out the second batch of beef, then add the carrots and onions and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until it has been worked into the veggies and you can’t see it any more. Pour in the chicken broth, wine, and crushed tomatoes, and toss in the rosemary. Slide the beef back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Turn down the heat so the liquid is just breaking a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 50 minutes. Stir the stew several times while simmering so it cooks evenly and nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Stir the potatoes into the stew, cover the pot completely, and cook until the potatoes and beef are tender, stirring occasionally, about another 45 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes until the green beans turn bright green and are cooked through but still have a nice snap to them.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 263 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Cholesterol | 68 mg |
| Sodium | 798 mg |
Reviews
I love this recipe with some changes. II find the 50 minutes isn’t enough time for exceptionally tender meat. I’ve found 90 minutes to be perfect. I reduce the stock to 14 1/2 oz, reduced the wine to 1 cup, increase the tomatoes to 2 cups, and finish the sauce with a splash of a 25 star Modena balsamic.
This was delicious but 50 minutes in my opinion was not long enough to simmer the meat before adding the potatoes and carrots. We found the beef a bit tough. Next time I will add at least another half hour cook time before adding the veggies.
Have used this recipe for years!! It is the best!!
Theeee best stew ever
I’ve made this several times (I prefer using chicken stock) My husband loves it. I add more green beans than the recipe calls for. It does take a while but is definitely worth the wait.
I have made this recipe many times & it is delicious!!
I thought it was time consuming and bland, considering it cooked for hours
Not my first me now my last. Delicious! I add carrots instead of green beans as my husband is not fond of them. This recipe is always a sure fire way to get my son to come visit from college. Only problem is I never get any leftovers, he steals them.
I loved this stew! it was relatively easy to make, and it tasted amazing!. The green beans came out perfect, and I have a feeling the leftovers will be fantastic! I served it with a multi-grain sourdough bread which paired great. I added two grated garlic cloves to the carrots and onions about a minute before I added the broth, and I think it probably added a nice touch. I also used baby golden potatoes cut in half instead of the cut up larger potatoes. My family just likes baby potatoes. All-in-all, this is definitely one I’ll make again.
I thought his was pretty good but would give it a 4.5* as for some reason I think it lacked just a bit in flavor and maybe could of cooked longer. Maybe the mushrooms and garlic would have been a nice touch like others stated. I would make this again but would cook longer and add some more stuff to help give the flavors more depth.