This Best Ever One Pot Beef Stew recipe is a deliciously easy classic beef stew recipe that slow cooks to perfection on the stove top and in the oven. It’s comfort food at its finest and it’s incredibly flavourful – perfect for a cold day!
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I don’t know about you, but for me there’s almost no meal more warm and comforting than a heaping bowl of this Best Ever One Pot Beef Stew and a slice of crust bread on a cold, wintery day. It’s truly comfort food at its finest – simple, basic ingredients coming together with lots of love to create a super flavourful dish. Is there anything better?
It just doesn’t get any more basic than this Best Ever One Pot Beef Stew – juicy pieces of fresh beef browned to perfection, and delicious aromatic vegetables in the best gravy-like sauce known to humankind. I know, I’m being a little dramatic here, but there’s just something about a slow cooked meal that can’t be beat.
And no, I’m not talking about an actual slow cooker (Crock Pot-style) – I’m talking that style of cooking where you take the time to execute those extra steps like browning the beef until it caramelizes and deglazing the pan with the best red wine you can get your hands on, just so you can experience the flavour payoff. And I’m here to tell you, it’s SO worth it.
Now because this recipe takes just a bit more effort than your typical “slow cooker” recipe, it’s turned into a weekend meal for our family, or one that I make when I know I have the afternoon at home and can babysit this stew just a little bit. Don’t get me wrong – this is absolutely NOT a complicated dish at all, it’s just that given the tiniest bit of attention, it can go from just your typical old beef stew to one that will knock your socks off. I promise.
Looking for more delicious winter soup recipes? You’ll LOVE this Crock Pot Creamy Potato Bacon Leek Soup or my super popular Crock Pot White Bean French Onion Soup.
If you’re one of those people who loves making homemade soup in the fall and winter seasons (like me!), then one of the best investments you can ever make for your kitchen is a high-quality cast iron Dutch Oven pot. Mine is a total beauty from Le Creuset (affiliate link) and I use it at least weekly throughout the year for soups, stews, sauces, curries, and even for baking bread (if you want my Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe, find it HERE!). A pot like this one is definitely a financial investment, but considering how much I use mine and considering its high quality, it’s definitely a worthy investment. I’ve also used similar cast iron pots from other brands, like THIS ONE from KitchenAid and THIS ONE from Lodge Cast Iron (both affiliate links) if you’re looking for something a little less expensive but still high quality. I don’t own a ton of kitchen products (we try to live as minimally as possible), but the ones I do own I love and use. A lot. Just ask my husband (insert winking emoji here) – if our house was on fire you’d better believe I’d be grabbing my Le Creuset Dutch Oven pot on the way out!!
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I hope you love this Best Ever One Pot Beef Stew as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s YOUR favourite kitchen tool that you own? I’d love to know!!
Looking for even more delicious fall and winter recipes? Check out these amazing recipes!
Easy Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
Easy One Pot Roasted Chicken Dinner
3-Ingredient Broccoli Soup
Easy Korean Beef Rice Bowls
Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup
Paprika Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Kitchen Products I Recommend:
Looking for more delicious winter soup recipes? You’ll LOVE this Crock Pot Creamy Potato Bacon Leek Soup or my super popular Crock Pot White Bean French Onion Soup.
Best Ever One Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds stewing beef
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 3 cups low sodium beef stock
- 5 medium white potatoes, quartered
- 1 cup frozen green beans (optional)
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place a large Dutch Oven pot over medium-high heat and warm the olive oil in it.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to the hot pot, just so the beef covers the bottom of the pot (Don't overcrowd as this will prevent the browning process. Brown the beef in batches if necessary.).
- Brown the beef pieces on each side just until they're beautifully caramelized, sprinkling the flour over the beef as it browns, about 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Remove the beef from the pot to a plate after it has browned (don't worry about cooking it through at this point!) and add the thyme, smoked paprika, onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the pot.
- Stir the vegetables around to catch all the drippings left in the pot from the meat and add the beef back into the pot after the onions are almost translucent.
- Add the red wine, the Worcestershire Sauce, and the tomato paste. Give everything a good stir and let the liquid cook down (it's important to let the wine cook off for a good 4-5 minutes before adding the other liquid).
- Once the wine liquid has reduced for several minutes and it has thickened, add the tomato sauce, the beef stock and the potatoes.
- Give everything a good stir, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Make sure the potatoes are nicely nestled into the liquid and add the lid to the pot. Place the pot in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3 to 3 and a half hours.
- Every hour or so, lift the lid of the pot and give everything a quick stir.
- If you'd like to add the frozen green beans (they're totally optional and I only add them about 50% of the times I make this dish), stir them in during the last 30 minutes of cooking so they don't get soggy.
- You'll know the stew is done after the allotted time has passed and the beef pieces fall apart when you touch them with a fork.
- Serve in deep bowls with a piece of crusty bread for dipping, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley for garnish (if desired).
JANICE says
Can I cook this in my crock pot?
Chrissie says
You definitely can (I do sometimes too!), although you may not get the same caramelized flavour as you would cooking it in the oven. Be sure to follow the recipe steps on the stovetop until it’s time to put it into the oven, and then instead of the oven just transfer to your slow cooker. Browning the meat and sweating the veggies on the stovetop is an essential step!
Kayla says
How long do you cook this for in the slow cooker? On high or low? Thanks!
Chrissie says
I go for 8-10 hours on low and about 6 hours on high 🙂
Heather says
I made this it was awesome
krysta says
yum! I enjoy stew and it seems like it would be an easy thing to throw together, but I always get stuck on the liquids/spices part lol so i’m gonna give this a try!
Chrissie says
You’ll love this one. The oven version is SO flavourful!
Susan says
I wana make this but i dnt have any pot that is oven proof how to i cook it on the stove top?
Chrissie says
Yes, you can simmer it on the stove for several hours instead of putting it in the oven. If you have a slow cooker I’d recommend following the slow cooker directions for this recipe!
Kar says
Wonderful – used top round steak roast and used more tomato paste – didn’t have tomato sauce.
Thanks
Chrissie says
Glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Sue Ann Berry says
This is, by far, the best beef stew I have ever made. I followed recipe to a tee (I agree–the LeCreaset dutch oven pot was the way to go) and it was delicious. Served it will Red Lobster biscuits—YUM! It is a keeper, for sure.
Chrissie says
I’m SO glad you enjoyed this recipe so much! And what a great idea to serve it with Red Lobster Biscuits! Delish!! 🙂
Randie says
I’m excited to try this! I do have one question, can you substitute something else for the red wine? Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Chrissie says
Yes, absolutely! Feel free to add a little bit of balsamic vinegar (about 3 tablespoons), or just leave out the wine and add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup beef stock.
Kathye says
One quick questiom, in your ingredients you listed 3 garlic cloves but in the instructions there was never any mention as to when to put them in. I just popped them in there before I put them in the oven because I had no idea when I should add them.
Chrissie says
Thanks for your comment! The garlic goes in with the carrots, onions and celery. But any time you add it will be just fine! I hope you enjoy the stew!
Dragana says
This recipe is very very good! It was my first time making beef stew and it turned out amazing…I subbed a few spices to what I had on hand but pretty much kept the rest the same…my picky husband also loved it…and I made it in the evening (on a weekday) for the next day…just made sure to go and check on it every hour and stir! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Vidabel says
First time making beef stew and the family loved it (even my super picky “new” foods eater enjoyed it) with some Italian bread yum!!! I will definitely be making it again but what should I add a bit more of to make more of the gravy?? when almost done cooking most of it was gone.
Thanks again for the recipe
Chrissie says
Did you have the stew covered while cooking? This should help the stew retain lots of moisture. In any case, add a touch more broth to the recipe and you should be fine. Thanks!
Marsha says
Does this freeze well?
Chrissie says
Yes! It freezes beautifully! 🙂
Viviane says
Just put this together and I already know it will be delicious…I added fresh garden beans and cooking it on stove top on lo… in my great Heritage Rock pot.
Love making stews and this will be my recipe from now on. I also use green pepper sometimes and may use Herbes de Provence instead of just Thyme…thank you for this great recipe which I know I’ll love!
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you love it!! Enjoy! 🙂
Julie says
Yup, pretty good. I added another tablespoon of flour and let it boil the last 15 minutes to thicken a little more. Served it with fresh breadsticks I made with a CrazyBread dough I had thawed from the freezer. I wonder if it would also be good with bay leaves (like Jamie Oliver’s recipe) instead of the Paprika.
Chrissie says
Thanks for the comment! Feel free to substitute bay leaves…our family prefers the paprika flavour, but it’s up to you!
Shirley says
Absolutely fabulous!!! Used baby potatoes cut in half. Wish I could post a photo
Chrissie says
So glad you liked the recipe! Feel free to post a photo on Instagram and tag me @busybakerblog! 🙂
Margot says
Just made this tonight, and it was a wonderful stew. I just added to it rosemary as well. Everyone enjoyed the stew and thank goodness there is some left over. Will most definitely make this one again. Thank you for a lovely recipe.
Chrissie says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Angela says
I haven’t tried it yet, but it smells so great as it cooks in the slow cooker! I also don’t have a Dutch oven, so I improvised to speed up the slow cooking process. Before I started anything, I put the potatoes, broth, and tomato sauce in the slow cooker on high. By the time everything else was ready, I poured it all on top into the slow cooker, already nice and hot! Plus, the potatoes were conveniently on the bottom. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
Chrissie says
So glad you like the recipe! Thanks!! 🙂
Valerie Vorster says
Hi, Could I add dumplings to this stew? If so do you have a dumpling recipe?
Thank you.
Chrissie says
You definitely could, although you might need a little more liquid for dumplings. Unfortunately I don’t have a dumpling recipe 🙂
Melinda Roberts says
Wow oh wow! This stew was the best I have ever made and tried! I am so happy I found this recipe. Thank you so much!
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!! 🙂
Jaime says
For some reason mine is very spicy??
Chrissie says
Hmm, is there a chance the spices you used were spicy? Sometimes paprika is sold spicy instead of sweet or smoky. That’s the only thing I can think of!
Whitney says
What kind of red wine?
Chrissie says
Any kind you like! 🙂
Laurie says
This was so delicious! I did find it only made about 6 servings. Could I just multiply everything x 1.5 to make it a bit larger next time? Thanks!
Chrissie says
Yes, absolutely!
Vicky says
A very cold snowy day here yesterday in Ontario, Canada.The house smelled fantastic while the stew was cooking. I used ground tomatoes in place of tomamto sauce. I was excited to eat and it was worth waiting for! The sauce was the exact consistency i was looking for and i just served it crusty French bread. It wasnt too winey l, or too tomatoey (is that a word?) it was just perfect. Im going to go out after my dh has blown the drive to get lemons to make the raspberry lemon cake which i have just realised also one of your recipes. Thank you!
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂
Vicky says
It was a minus 20c snowy, wind blowing kind of day in Southern Ontario and i wanted a good stew. I’ve been cooking for 30 years but this stew was fantastic. I salted the meat 24 hours before, having been researching whether it makes a difference ( i definitely think it did). I usually cook my stews at 350 for 2 hoirs so this was longer and lower but it made exactly the conistency of gravy/ sauce that i was hoping for. I didnt have any tomato sauce so i used crushed tomatoes. It wasnt too winey or too tomatoey (isthat even a word?). The house smelled amazing and i served it in bowls with crusty bread. It was just perfect. Thank you
Chrissie says
I’m SO glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Laurie Allan says
This stew was fantastic! For a larger group, would it be okay to just multiply all the ingredients by 1.5? And keep the same cooking times?
Chrissie says
Yes! You may have to adjust the browning times accordingly, but the total cook time should be similar.
Michelle says
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s amazing each time! Tonight I’m making it for my mother in law who is gluten intolerant…. can I substitute cornstarch for flour??
Thanks!
Chrissie says
I’ve never done this, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. But add far less cornstarch than flour, and add the cornstarch as a slurry (in a little water) to prevent it from becoming lumpy.
Paul Petty says
Have not tried this recipe, but it seems to incorporate all the ingredients I truly Love.. Can it be cut down for One? I live in a small apartment, and can freeze very small amounts. I have a problem reducing large recipes like this, to something that works for me. Any help you can provide will be appreciated. -pp
Marcia says
Does it matter what kind of red wine you use? Wondering if it makes much difference in the flavor.
Chrissie says
I have used several varieties. My favourite is a Cabernet Sauvignon, but any red wine will do just fine! 🙂
Nancy Grenier says
I tried this recipe today and unfortunately it turned ou7 too runny and the beef was tough. I cooked in a crock pot but browned the meat and vegetables first in a frying pan with flour as per the recipe. I added wine, tomato paste, beef broth and canned tomatoes instead of the sauce, but this was the only difference. Very disappointed after so much preparation,
Chrissie says
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Perhaps the canned tomatoes added too much liquid.
Heather Scott says
Regarding the Dutch oven, I am planning on buying one after finding this recipe.
I found three different sizes of Dutch ovens…which one do you have?
I plan on doubling your recipe when I make it.
Thanks for any advice,
Heather Scott
Chrissie says
Mine is a 7.25 quart 🙂
Susan says
I tried the recipe on a whim today and it was AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing!
Chrissie says
So glad you loved it! 🙂
Gail kreyche says
If I could have the amount of salt and pepper. Would be great full 😋
Chrissie says
I’d recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon each and then add more to taste.
Kareena says
Using a slow cooker do I use less liquid
Chrissie says
No, I’d recommend using the same or almost the same amount of liquid.
Debbie says
Could you add fresh green beans, and if so do you add them in the beginning or near the end?
Chrissie says
Yes, fresh green beans are great in this stew – just add them with about 20 minutes to make sure they’re tender before serving.
Colleen Sydorko says
This stew was sooo amazing! I used malt vinegar in place of the red wine and used venison in place of the beef. But I get stuck in the same spice combos, etc, so I loved that this tasted different from my usual stew. I picked potatoes, celery, onions, tomatoes, carrots and parsnips from the garden this morning, and used a cast iron skillet. I’ll definitely return to this recipe, and will check out more of your recipes as well! Cheers!
Colleen
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment! 🙂
BONNIE KIRKPATRICK says
OK.. I just found this after putting the meat/(floured & browned), 1C. wine, 2 C broth in the oven.. Plan on adding carrots & potatoes later.. Should I add at least the carrots now? I was afraid the carrots & potatoes would get too Done..Plan on at least 5 hours oven time..
I didn’t have garlic on hand.. Sounds Yummy…
Sarah Perry says
I’m going to start your recipe soon and wanted to ask you is there a substitute for the Worcestershire sauce? I don’t have that on hand. Thanks- This is going to be fun!
Chrissie says
Feel free to leave it out 🙂
Megan says
Hands down the BEST stew I’ve ever had. It was still good after substituting the red wine with white grape juice. Lol it’s all I had on hand! Thank you for making the recipe so easy to follow.
The Busy Baker says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the positive feedback!
Sharon Sweeney says
My husband of 48 years said that this was the best beef stew I’ve ever made. I didn’t add the green beans or Worcestershire sauce (didn’t have). Instead of tomato sauce, I added 1 can of unsalted, diced-tomatoes with the juice because I personally expect tomato pieces in my stew. Oh, and I also added one bay leaf. Thank you for this wonderful recipe that I “tweaked” just a little.
The Busy Baker says
You’re welcome! So glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!
Melissa says
I totally messed up – forgot to season the beef and then forgot to add the beef with the vegetables. Added it before putting in the oven and then did some salt and pepper 🙄 is it going to be ruined?
Chrissie says
No! I’m sure it will taste great. Just be sure you add the seasoning before putting it in the oven, or it’ll need some salt before serving (likely!).
Marybeth Martens says
This was an excellent stew. I, however, found it a bit acidic, so I added 2 tablespoons of sugar. Other than that, bravo. My kids loved it too.
The Busy Baker says
So glad you and the kinds enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂
Alisha Ross says
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natasha says
what kind of red wine did you use? cooking wine or drinking. I have never used wine for cooking before and am just curious
Chrissie says
I use cooking wine 🙂
Rose Martine says
I so enjoy your site and your recipes. Would you please consider adding a print option so we can enjoy your recipes a little more easily. Thank you.
Chrissie says
Every recipe should has print option in the recipe card (the big yellow box with the recipe in it). 🙂
Phindi says
BEST STEW I EVER HAD! This is simply delicious. I changed a few things though:
1. Added 3 times the required amount of red wine
2. 1/4 ketchup and 3/4 chutney (like Mrs Balls)
3. Before adding potatoes I left it to sit for 24 hours
I can’t wait to try this recipe with oxtail
The Busy Baker says
Thanks for the feedback Phindi! Glad it turned out so delicious!
Lindsey says
Aloha!
This was my first time making a stew, and I couldn’t have chosen a better recipe! It reminded me of many great beef stews I have had before. And, I got to put my new Le Creuset to use! thanks for sharing your recipe, I look forward to diving into your micro site a bit more!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks Lindsey! We also love this stew ❤️. Glad you like it too!!
Hannah Flack says
What an awesome idea. I buy ground beef and chicken in 5lb bulk bags and have always divided it up ready to cook and stored in the freezer, but pre-cooking would save so much more time. Have you found that the cooked/reheated meat does or doesn’t absorb your spices as well? That would be my only concern, although I think you could avoid the bland meat scenario by putting some garlic, salt, pepper and some other “general” seasonings (parsley, minced onion) in there when you cook in the crock pot. I would think these are common enough to most things you do with the finished meat that you wouldn’t endanger the final dinner product.
The Busy Baker says
Thank you for your feedback Hannah! Yes, that’s a great idea!