How to Make Beef Stew
81
An Old Favorite Recipe
This delicious stew is a recipe that was handed down to me from my mom. You will find it very simple in its ingredients, and also simple to make. Hope you try it and enjoy. Good any time of the year, but especially great for those cool autumn nights, or definitely cold, winter nights.
I had the pleasure of spending a few days at my best friend's (Sally's Trove) house over this holiday weekend. Since I offered to make dinner, I decided I'd make this 'comfort food' stew. Needless to say, it was a big hit! Even I was impressed, as its been years since I made it myself.
I just spoke with Sally, and she said her daughter (Annemaeve) came for dinner yesterday. Her daughter (and mine as well), do not like cooked carrots. Sally shared with me that not only did her daughter love the stew, she even ate the carrots! Success! Score one for me!!
So, run out to your favorite store, buy the ingredients and prepare the stew, then invite a few friends over, and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
Cooking oil (vegetable or olive)
1 large onion, sliced, then sliced again
2-3 lbs. stew beef (chuck is best, as it has just enough fat in it, and depending on the size of the pieces, you may want to cut them a bit smaller)
1 bunch fresh carrots, (not pre-packaged) washed, unpeeled, sliced
1 lg. can tomato sauce
Salt/pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste or fresh garlic, 1 or 2 cloves peeled and chopped, OPTIONAL
6-7 potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces
DIRECTIONS
Note: This is prepared without a lid.
Cut the onion into slices, then slice those as well. In a large stew or spaghetti pot, pour a small to medium amount of oil in and heat on low. When it starts to bubble, add the onion. Cook and stir the onion occasionally, just letting it get a bit browned.
Once the onion is browned a bit, add the stew beef. Stir and let that simmer for a while. In about 5 or less minutes, check the beef and stir again. When it all becomes mostly brown, add water to cover. Let that cook for about 10 minutes. Check again and if necessary, add more water. You always need to keep it just covered.
While that is simmering, wash and slice the carrots. You can now add them to the pot, and add still more water, just enough to cover the carrots. Let that cook for about 15 minutes at a low boil. Stir occasionally.
After the 15 minutes, add the large can of tomato sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder or cloves of garlic (peeled, chopped). Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
While the meat and carrots are cooking, peel and cut into pieces the potatoes, about the size you would use for making potato salad. Add these to the stew, making sure all the liquid is just over the top of the food.
Stir occasionally. Check potatoes for doneness, once those are fully cooked, usually in about 20 or less minutes, the stew is done. Remove from heat and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then stir, and it is ready to serve.
Serve this with a nice crusty bread, and a salad or green vegetable of your choice, if desired. A nice cold beer or glass of wine would go well with this as well.
Serves 6-8
one pot meal
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Comments
Hear hear! I did eat my carrots, and my leftover stew carrots the next night for dinner, too! Trish, your stew is fantastic. Those were definitely the tastiest cooked carrots EVER. Love you!
Hi Sally,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the meal. Next time will be the stew w/dumplings :)
And hey, I seem to recall being the 'slave' myself.
Thanks for commenting,
Patty
Hi Anne,
I was blown away when your mom told me you LIKED the carrots! Now, if only I could get my own kids to like them :)
Thanks for commenting, love u too!
Patty
I'll bet the conversation was as lively and comforting as the stew. I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall to hear all of that! =) I'm going to add this recipe to my collection...I think it would go great with my "sexiest cake" recipe. I might fix a lot and save some for the kids. M I G H T.
Hi Marisue,
Hmmmm,,,,a 'hobo' stew along with a 'sexy' cake? LOL,,,nice combo! Seriously, I promise you will love the stew. IF there is leftover stew it can easily be frozen. Pull it out on a cold rainy day and enjoy :)
Now, if I could only find my recipes for carrot cake and zucchini bread!
Thanks for stopping by,
Trish
Liked the Stew, found that it was great the next day as well.
Wow! thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it.
When I get around to it, I will publish my stew w/dumplings recipe.
Thanks for the compliment, you just made my day :)
Trish
you just made me hungry, which I wouldn't hve thought possible after reading the hub on toenail clippings
LOL you're so funny! your comment makes me feel all-powerful,,maybe this stew is a cure for whatever ails you :)
Seriously, this stew is well worth the effort. A very filling, satisfying meal.
Thanks so much for your comment,
Trish
Great recipe ill try it ASAP
Great Haris! I make another version of this stew with dumplings. It's just as easy. Where this one calls for the tomato sauce, you eliminate the tomato sauce and substitute more water, just enough to cover the food at all times. While it's simmering, make the dumplings. Measure into a bowl two cups of Bisquick, 2/3 cup of milk, and stir. Then drop the dough by spoonfuls on the top of the stew. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and let it cook an additional 10 minutes. Then it's done, so it's now a stew with brown gravy. My daughter prefers this one :)
You've won me other with this one. I've got to try it. My family loves stews.
Hi RGraf!
Good! it is really delicious! And as with most meals, the leftovers (if you're inclined to eat leftovers, some folks won't), it tastes even better the next day.
I'd be curious to know how it turned out :)
Thanks so much for commenting.
You are BOOKMARKED. I've been looking for a good stew recipe, and this sounds like a great one. Except I'd also like to have some Sally on the side please?? To cut things up. ;)
Thanks for sharing this Trish. Not sure when I'm going to make it, but I WILL make it.
Hey there Pam!
LOL, you're cracking me up here. I just had to phone Sally to tell her what you said :)
Gled this tickled your fancy, and I truly hope you try it. Worst case scenario, feed it to stray cats or your dog if you have one.
thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Mmmm beef stew is the best! This recipe is identical to the one I follow but I chuck in parsnips, swede, cherry tomatoes and anything else I can find that will simmer down. Damn I'm hungry now...!
Hi Lucy!
I've never tried adding other things, but you're right, this recipe lends itself to adding all kinds of yummy things! I should get a little daring and experiment with adding new flavors. What I love about this stew is its simplicity and yes, it tastes absolutely delicious 'unadorned'.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Why don't you publish your recipe, I'd love to see it :)
How to Make Beef Stew
Writing good
Hi linjingjing,
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. I hope you try it!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)
I love beef stew and this sounds great. My wife doesn't like cooked carrots but, she loves them raw. She has some texture issues with food. I just don't get it. But, I will give this recipe a try. Thanks.
Hi Jim,
As a kid, I preferred raw carrots. It wasn't until I became an adult that I came to appreciate cooked carrots, and I credit that to my mom and grandmother. They always bought fresh carrots, washed them thoroughly, and used them in stews and chicken recipes. I have fond memories of simple carrots simmering in a soup or stew, and the 'unpeeled' look just made it seem so much more appealing to me. Both my children also hated cooked carrots but had no problems with raw ones. Just a matter of preference.
I hope you enjoy this.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Yummy Trish, boy you can cook just as amazing as you write. I have added this one to my Hub Page recipes I am collecting to try.Thanks for sharing this one. My problem is I have overly senisitive smoke alarms,half the time I cook they start going off, so it's not I am a bad cook, its my smoke alarm's fault lol
Well thank you!
LOL, we have the same problem with our smoke alarms, so I'm with you that it's definitely not the cook's fault. I'm flattered that you bookmarked this. It's been a family favorite for more years than I care to count :)
Please enjoy, and thanks for visiting and commenting.
Great stew. even my hsband who is "not a stew person" loved it. Said it was the best stew he'd ever had! Best o f all, easy as....well stew! Looking forward to more recipes!Thanks
Wow! I am thrilled! You just made my day :) One of the things I like about this stew is that the next day, assuming there are leftovers, the sauce is thicker, great for dipping nice crusty, buttered bread in.
It's funny you mention more recipes, because I've been thinking the same thing lately. I have a couple on the back burner so it's just a matter of putting them together. I have one hub that has consistently done well, but this beef stew recipe has even outshone that one. Must be a comfort thing or something :)
Thank you so much! I'm very pleased that you tried it and that even your hubby liked it too!
Like so many of these age old recipes the next day is almost always better. I really like beef stew, or for that matter any kind of stew, so yes if you have some other good old recipes by all means put them up. Thanks Trish.
Hi Mireille,
Yes, you're right. So many recipes taste more flavorful the next day once they've marinated in their sauces/seasonings. My favorite meals in the cold weather are homemade soups and stews. I've never mastered soup, so perhaps I'll be trying my hand at some of those. If I come up with a good one, I'll be sure to publish it.
Thanks for stopping by.
great recipie makes a home feel like home the smells of the browned beef the bullion and veggies its going to be a good meal I hope my girlfriend enjoys it after a hard day of work
Hi Dale,
Even if I do say so myself, I can't sing enough praises about this particular recipe. It is tasty, filling and just plain old good. You're right, there is nothing like walking in the house and smelling something yummy simmering on the stove.
I hope you try it and your girlfriend enjoys it as well. I'd love to hear how it turned out :)
Thanks for commenting.
Congrats on 10,000 views for this hub Trish. It does seem very easy to make, if I remember to watch the water level. Beef stew this time of the year is really delicious.
Hi Jen!
It is fairly simple to put together. The only thing time consuming about it is the potatoes and carrots, but once it's all in the pot, magic happens :)
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Hope you try it!
Hi Trish,
well we really enjoyed this recipie it was everything i hoped for thank you
hi Dale!
Wow, I'm so glad you tried it and liked it. I'm flattered.
Thanks so much for letting me know, I really appreciate it.
Hay Trish,
Trish here hahahaha.
Loved your recipe, all the way in Perth, Australia.
:)
Well, hi there Trish!
So glad you liked it, hope you give it a try.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Trish,
This recipe will be Friday night dinner :) Your newest "follower", Holly
sounds yummy! i think the tomato sauce would add a nice dimension of flavor!
i feel like i could just do with some beef stew
tomato sauce is the key to my recipe too...your recipe looks wonderful!
Holly,
I promise, you won't regret it :) A great one-pot meal for cold winter nights. In fact, I just heard today that the lower than average cold temps are here indefinitely starting tomorrow.
Thanks for commenting.
hi cosette,
Yes, the tomato sauce does give it a very good flavor. Actually, I haven't made this in a while, so it's definitely on my menu for the cold weather ahead.
Thanks for commenting.
hi poetlorraine,
It's definitely a feel good meal. I especially love it the second day, assuming there are leftovers. It makes a nice lunch.
Thanks for commenting.
Hi Jane,
As I mentioned, my mom passed this recipe down to me. It's the only version I grew up with. I only wish I had her recipe for chicken and dumplings. I do have a good idea of how it was made, so that will be on my list of things to try this winter.
Thanks for commenting.
This is just how I make my stew too - I have one bubbling away on the hob right now! But as my mother in law has kindly taken my daughter for the night I have added a dash of worcester sauce and half a bottle of red wine! After 6 hours of slow cooking it tastes delicious! We have ours inside a large yorkshire pudding! Just what we need on a cold snowy evening - Can't wait till tea time!
Lucy :0)
hi lulu,
It's nice to know this stew is made around the world in a similar style. I love the idea of worcester and wine, I'll have to give that a try the next time I make it. I've never had Yorkshire pudding and I have no clue what it's even made of. It does sound yummy though!
Thanks so much for commenting.
Sally's Trove says:
18 months ago
Not only is this dish delicious, it is beautiful and it is so easy to make. Especially if you have a slave in the kitchen (that would be me) to do your chopping and food prep tasks.
I love cooking in the kitchen with my friend Trish. She designs and directs, I do the labor, and then we feast.
And by the way, it was hot as Hades this weekend, but this stew is so timeless and so comforting...just turn up the air conditioning and enjoy!
Trish, what a lovely recounting of this special weekend.