Is the Best Recipe
Beef and Vegetable Stew served in a styled dish.

Beef and Vegetable Stew

Yield
6 servings

Floured beef chuck browns in a heavy pot, then simmers with onions, mushrooms and broth until tender before carrots, potatoes and green beans go in. A little cornstarch thickens it at the end.

Ingredients
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Ingredients

Servings
Units
Batches and reset

6 servings · US measures · 1 batch

Batching

Cook each batch in its own 5-quart pot; simmering times follow the tenderness cues, not the number of batches.

Original recipe: 6 servings.

Salt is an optional to-taste addition (the source lists none) and is excluded from the base nutrition scenario. Water added to cover the beef is not counted.

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Before you start

  • Read through the recipe before heating the pot. Cut the beef and vegetables and measure everything first.

Directions

Beef cubes, sliced vegetables and measured stew ingredients ready for cooking.
1

Read and gather

For the whole recipe

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything. Everything is cut and measured.

Raw one-inch beef cubes lightly coated with flour in the mixing bowl.
2

Toss the beef with flour

For each batch

Toss the beef cubes with the flour in the mixing bowl until every piece is lightly coated. The beef is lightly coated.

Uncrowded beef cubes browned on several sides and lifted to a plate.
3

Heat the oil and brown the beef

For each batch

Heat the oil in the 5-quart heavy pot or Dutch oven with a lid over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the beef in batches, without crowding, until browned on several sides, then lift it onto the plate.

Softened onions and sliced mushrooms with their liquid cooked away as the fond is scraped up.
4

Lower the heat and soften the onions

For each batch

Lower the burner to medium heat and add the onions and mushrooms. Cook, scraping up the browned bits, until the onions soften and the mushroom liquid has cooked away, about 6 minutes.

Minced garlic stirred into the softened onions and mushrooms.
5

Stir in the garlic

For each batch

Stir in the garlic over medium heat until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Simmered beef yielding to a fork in broth with onions and mushrooms.
6

Return the beef and simmer

For each batch

Return the beef and its juices to the pot with the tomato paste and broth, adding just enough water to cover the beef. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer gently until the beef is tender when pierced with a fork, about 75 minutes.

A knife checks tender potato slices in the stew with carrots and green beans.
7

Add the vegetables

For each batch

Add the carrots, potatoes and green beans and keep simmering over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Cornstarch slurry incorporated into the stew until the liquid is glossy and thickened.
8

Stir in the cornstarch slurry

For each batch

Stir the cornstarch into the cold water in the small cup until smooth. Stir it into the bubbling stew over medium-low heat until the liquid thickens and turns glossy, about 1 minute.

A spoonful of the thickened beef stew ready for a seasoning check.
9

Taste the stew

For each batch

Taste the stew. Aim for savory and beefy, with sweet carrots and enough salt to taste full. If it tastes flat, add salt to taste, if using. The stew tastes savory and well seasoned.

Six bowls of thick beef and vegetable stew with chopped parsley stirred through.
10

Stir in the parsley and serve

For the whole recipe

Stir in the parsley and ladle the stew into bowls as 6 servings. The stew is thick, hot and portioned.

About this recipe

Why it works

Flouring and browning the beef builds flavor and starts the gravy, a long gentle simmer makes the chuck tender, and the vegetables go in late so they keep their shape. A little cornstarch gives the gravy its gloss.

Associated with

American home cooking, from the British and European beef-stew tradition

Stews of tougher cuts simmered in liquid are ancient; beef stew was already an English staple in the Middle Ages. This is a weeknight American version.

Taste

  • Sweet
  • Sour
  • Salty
  • Bitter
  • Savory
  • Heat

Savory, beefy gravy with sweet carrots, earthy mushrooms and fresh parsley. · tender beef cubes and soft vegetables in a lightly thickened brown gravy · hot

Skill level

Easy

One pot and simple steps; browning without crowding and judging tenderness take a little attention.

You'll practice: Dredge and brown meat in batches, Simmer until fork-tender, Thicken with a cornstarch slurry

Allergens

Contains: wheat

Beef broth is a packaged product: check its label for celery, wheat and other allergens. Tomato paste is packaged too.

Diets

Vegetarian: Doesn't fit as writtenVegan: Doesn't fit as writtenPescatarian: Doesn't fit as writtenDairy: See the allergen linesEgg: See the allergen linesGluten: See the allergen lines

Occasions

Course: main-dish · Technique: saute, simmer, boil · Time: 2-to-4-hours, make-ahead, freezer-friendly, long-unattended-wait

Serving and keeping

Best served: Once the gravy thickens Stir in the parsley and ladle into bowls.

Make ahead: Cool it quickly in shallow containers before refrigerating.

Storage: Cool in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. For longer keeping, freeze; stews keep best quality for 2 to 3 months frozen, though the potatoes may turn grainy.

Leftovers: Refrigerate within 2 hours, use within 3 to 4 days, and reheat to a boil.

Food safety

  • Wash the dredging bowl, board and hands after handling the raw beef.
  • Cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
  • Bring leftover stew back to a boil when reheating.

We make no cross-contact statement for home kitchens. Check packaged ingredient labels, especially the broth.

Nutrition notes

The carrots, potatoes and green beans bring fiber and potassium; carrots bring vitamin A.

Most of the sodium comes from the beef broth; a low-sodium or no-salt-added broth keeps it lower.

The beef brings most of the protein.

Swap notes

  • all-purpose flour · passover.ashkenazi

    Works with changes

    Use: kosher-for-Passover potato starch

    What changes: Use potato starch for both the dredge and the thickener, leave out the green beans, and use Passover-certified beef and broth.

    Not a swap: Cornstarch or green beans, which are kitniyot in Ashkenazi custom.

  • beef broth

    Works with changes

    Use: low-sodium or no-salt-added beef broth

    What changes: Less salty.

    Not a swap: Bouillon cubes or regular broth.

  • lean beef chuck · halal.general

    Works with changes

    Use: beef chuck from halal slaughter

    What changes: Use a halal-certified beef broth too.

    Not a swap: A broth of unstated slaughter.

  • lean beef chuck · vegetarian

    Not recommended

    What changes: Beef is the dish; no tested substitution was found.

    Not a swap: Vegetable broth alone, which leaves the beef in place.

These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.

For your food tracker

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Recipe url
https://isthebestrecipe.com/beef/beef-and-vegetable-stew
Name
Beef and Vegetable Stew
Servings
6
Recipe yield
6 servings
Recipe ingredient
1 lb lean beef chuck trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 tsp canola oil, 2 whole onions medium, thinly sliced, about 2 cups white mushrooms sliced, 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 tsp tomato paste, about 2 cups beef broth, about 4 cups carrots sliced, 2 whole russet potatoes medium, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch slices, about 1 cup fresh green beans chopped, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp cold water, about 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Nutrition information
Nutrient 1008
246.75
Nutrient 1003
20.72
Nutrient 1004
5.66
Nutrient 1005
30.29
Nutrient 1079
4.77
Nutrient 2000
7.27
Nutrient 1093
333.92
Nutrient 1258
1.74
Nutrient 1253
47.63
Nutrient 1087
70.79
Nutrient 1089
3.17
Nutrient 1092
1044.73
Nutrient 1114
0.12
Nutrient 1051
337.50
Nutrient 1057
0.00
Nutrient 1058
0.00
Nutrient 1095
4.79
Nutrient 1103
22.06
Nutrient 1109
1.13
Nutrient 1110
4.66
Nutrient 1123
459.55
Nutrient 1167
6.52
Nutrient 1170
1.40
Nutrient 1175
0.90
Nutrient 1180
79.80
Nutrient 1186
4.01
Nutrient 1190
55.72
Nutrient 1259
0.00
Nutrient 1260
0.00
Nutrient 1262
<0.01
Nutrient 1270
0.16
Nutrient 1276
0.00
Nutrient 1277
0.02
Nutrient 1279
0.00
Nutrient 1007
3.62
Nutrient 1062
1034.14
Nutrient 1090
56.38
Nutrient 1091
278.44
Nutrient 1098
0.30
Nutrient 1101
0.38
Nutrient 1104
13946.33
Nutrient 1105
1.51
Nutrient 1106
698.35
Nutrient 1107
6944.42
Nutrient 1108
2839.98
Nutrient 1120
0.00
Nutrient 1122
512.17
Nutrient 1162
18.11
Nutrient 1165
0.25
Nutrient 1166
0.34
Nutrient 1177
52.90
Nutrient 1178
1.73
Nutrient 1185
62.76
Nutrient 1187
48.89
Nutrient 1261
0.00
Nutrient 1263
<0.01
Nutrient 1272
0.00
Nutrient 1278
<0.01
Nutrient 1280
0.00
Nutrient 1271
0.04
Nutrient 1268
2.68
Nutrient 1269
0.65
Nutrient 1265
0.98
Nutrient 1266
0.59
Nutrient 1292
2.90
Nutrient 1293
0.85
Nutrient 1275
0.14
Nutrient 1264
0.10
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Nutrition Values

Estimated nutrition

Beef and Vegetable Stew

6 servingsOne serving is one equal share of the selected recipe yield.

Amount per servingCalories250
Protein
21 g
Carbohydrates
30 g
Fiber
5 g
Total sugars
7 g
Total fat
6 g
Saturated fat
1.5 g
Sodium
330 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Calcium
71 mg
Iron
3.2 mg
Potassium
1,045 mg
Estimated from USDA data for the listed ingredients. Brands and portions vary. Not medical advice.Source: USDA FoodData Central

Estimated · Per serving · 250 kcal

Some ingredients don’t have nutrition data yet.

Estimated macro energy share
MacroGramsShare
Carbohydrate30.29 g47.51%
Fat5.66 g19.99%
Protein20.72 g32.50%

Beef and vegetable stew with beef broth from bouillon; medium onions and potatoes assumed (directional); optional salt excluded

Nutrition details

Beef and vegetable stew with beef broth from bouillon; medium onions and potatoes assumed (directional); optional salt excluded

  • salt: not included

Main nutrients

Per serving

Calories
246.75 kcal
Protein
20.72 g
Carbohydrates
30.29 g
Fiber
4.77 g
Total sugars
7.27 g
Total fat
5.66 g
Saturated fat
1.74 g
Sodium
333.92 mg
Vitamins and minerals

Per serving

Calcium, Ca
70.79 mg
Iron, Fe
3.17 mg
Potassium, K
1044.73 mg
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)
0.12 µg
Zinc, Zn
4.79 mg
Selenium, Se
22.06 µg
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
1.13 mg
Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units
4.66 IU
Lutein + zeaxanthin
459.55 µg
Niacin
6.52 mg
Pantothenic acid
1.40 mg
Vitamin B-6
0.90 mg
Choline, total
79.80 mg
Folic acid
4.01 µg
Folate, DFE
55.72 µg
Magnesium, Mg
56.38 mg
Phosphorus, P
278.44 mg
Copper, Cu
0.30 mg
Vitamin A, IU
13946.33 IU
Retinol
1.51 µg
Vitamin A, RAE
698.35 µg
Carotene, beta
6944.42 µg
Carotene, alpha
2839.98 µg
Cryptoxanthin, beta
0.00 µg
Lycopene
512.17 µg
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid
18.11 mg
Thiamin
0.25 mg
Riboflavin
0.34 mg
Folate, total
52.90 µg
Vitamin B-12
1.73 µg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
62.76 µg
Folate, food
48.89 µg
Other nutrients

Per serving

Cholesterol
47.63 mg
Water
337.50 g
Caffeine
0.00 mg
Theobromine
0.00 mg
SFA 4:0
0.00 g
SFA 6:0
0.00 g
SFA 10:0
<0.01 g
PUFA 18:3
0.16 g
PUFA 18:4
0.00 g
MUFA 20:1
0.02 g
MUFA 22:1
0.00 g
Ash
3.62 g
Energy
1034.14 kJ
Manganese, Mn
0.38 mg
SFA 8:0
0.00 g
SFA 12:0
<0.01 g
PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA)
0.00 g
PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA)
<0.01 g
PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA)
0.00 g
PUFA 20:4
0.04 g
MUFA 18:1
2.68 g
PUFA 18:2
0.65 g
SFA 16:0
0.98 g
SFA 18:0
0.59 g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated
2.90 g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated
0.85 g
MUFA 16:1
0.14 g
SFA 14:0
0.10 g
Incomplete data

Unknown source coverage is not zero.

Calculation details

An estimate, not a laboratory analysis or regulatory nutrition label.

Estimated from protein and carbohydrate at 4 kcal/g and fat at 9 kcal/g. This is not a breakdown of reported Calories; food-specific factors and carbohydrate composition can differ. Rounded percentages may not total exactly 100%; segments use exact shares.

Per serving: calculated macro energy 255.01 kcal; reported Calories 246.75 kcal. Difference: 8.26 kcal.

USDA FoodData Central

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Beef and Vegetable Stew