🥘 Old-Fashioned Beef Stew
A classic old-fashioned beef stew is rich, hearty, and perfect for a comforting dinner. Tender beef, potatoes, and vegetables simmer slowly in a flavorful broth until everything becomes melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
📝 Ingredients
1½ lb (700 g) beef stew meat, cut into cubes
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup peas (optional)
Fresh parsley for garnish
👨🍳 Instructions
Coat the beef
Toss the beef cubes with flour, salt, and pepper.
Brown the meat
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides (about 5 minutes). Remove and set aside.
Cook the vegetables
In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
Build the stew
Add carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, and beef broth. Return the beef to the pot.
Simmer slowly
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1–1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until beef becomes tender.
Finish the stew
Add peas during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the bay leaf.
Serve
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve hot with bread or rice.
⭐ Tips for the Best Stew
The longer it simmers, the more tender and flavorful it becomes.
If you want thicker stew, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water and stir it in near the end.
It tastes even better the next day after the flavors develop.
🍞 Serving idea: Dip warm bread into the rich gravy — that’s the best part!
If you want, I can also show you a 4-ingredient super-easy beef stew that many people make when they want something quick.
