The Best Dutch Oven Beef Stew

Name: Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 4 lbs chuck roast (or chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes); 1.5 lbs fingerling potatoes or mini baby potatoes (halved lengthwise); 7 large carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (make sure they are all the same size and thickness); 2 cups of water (plus more if needed); 1/4 cup good red wine; 6 cloves of garlic diced; 4 tbsp tomato paste; 3 tbsp of olive oil; 2 tbsp kosher salt (plus more to taste); 2 tbsp sweet paprika; 2 tbsp cornstarch

When the weather starts to get cold, the first recipe I love to make is dutch oven beef stew. This old fashioned beef stew is cooked in a dutch oven until tender then carrots and potatoes are added to the stew at the end to round it off. This all day beef stew recipe (almost all day) not only tastes amazing, it is so easy to make. This is one of those great comfort food recipes that just warms you up on a cold winters day.

finished dutch oven beef stew with spoon

About this dutch oven beef stew

This easy oven cooked beef stew is so full of flavor because the meat is browned on the stove first with some really amazing spices. The beef stew is then slow cooked in a dutch oven which gives it a much richer and deeper flavor than you would get with a slow cooker.

I really believe the best beef stews are slow cooked in the oven to really develop that amazing flavor in the beef. To keep it traditional, this dutch oven stew has carrots and potatoes for that classic comfort food taste.

We love serving this oven roasted beef stew with a side of fluffy yogurt biscuits, yukon gold mashed potatoes or cheddar cheese scones.

The ingredients you will need

Stew meat or chuck roast cut into cubes
Carrots
Potatoes
Red wine
Beef stock
Garlic
Paprika
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tomato paste

old fashioned beef stew in pot with spoon in a closeup view

The beef stew seasoning

My favorite beef stew seasoning to use for this oven roasted beef stew, is a mix of garlic, paprika and salt. It actually comes from a Jewish brisket recipe given to my mom many years ago to make brisket and the flavors are out of this world.

This seasoning is so good we also use it on our turkey patties and hamburger patties.

This dish is perfect for those days that you know you will be in the house all day either from snow or just to relax.

When making this stew, it is very little hands on time and most of the time is the stew roasting in the oven doing its own thing. I usually have time to make a batch of homemade biscuits or Yukon gold mashed potatoes which taste so good served along side this stew.

How to make all day beef stew

Prepare your spices and mince your garlic.
Cube beef into about 1 inch pieces.

Add your meat to the spices and mix well to make sure all the beef is covered in those delicious flavors.
Sear the meat which will caramelize the spices on to the meat and give it lots of flavor.

lid on beef stew before it goes in the oven

Add your beef stock to the meat.
Place a lid on your dutch oven then place in the oven for a couple hours.

dutch oven beef stew just out of thee oven

After a couple hours, add your tomato paste and wine to the the stew.
Also add your veggies and cook a little longer.
After cooking for another hour, taste for seasonings and tenderness of beef.
Enjoy!

You won't want any other beef stew after trying this easy dutch oven beef stew. I promise, everyone will love it.

Tips for making the best beef stew

Are dutch ovens good for beef stew?

Dutch ovens are the one of the best ways to cook stew because they are heavy bottom pots with lids that allow the stew to slow cook in the oven without loosing moisture.

How do you cook beef stew so it is tender?

It is really easy to make tender beef stew if you follow two principles. First, make sure that you cook the stew on a low heat for a long period of time, this is called the low and slow method of cooking.
The second thing that you want to make sure of is that you know the type of meat you are cooking. Some cuts of meat take longer to cook than others. I prefer chuck roast for all of my beef stews. I always know about how long it should take to cook if I cut the chuck roast into 1 inch pieces.

Is stew better in the oven or on the stovetop.

Beef stew (or any stew) can be cooked on the stovetop or in the oven. I prefer stew cooked in the oven because you can create a gentle even heat that surrounds the entire pot of stew allowing it to cook slowly and evenly.

For more delicious comfort food recipes, you may like

Cuban Ropa Vieja
Beef Brisket
Amazing Pulled Pork and Sides
Beef Bourguignon in the Slow Cooker
Italian Meatballs
Pasta Carbonara
Pasta Genovese (slow cooked Italian Beef and Onion Ragu)
Sicilian Sunday Gravy
Provencal Beef Stew
Vegetable Cassoulet

Print Recipe

5 from 17 votes

Dutch Oven Beef Stew

A delicious beef stew slow roasted in the oven for maximum flavor.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 15 mins

Servings: servings

Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

Author: Melissa

Equipment

large dutch oven or similar heavy bottom deep baking dish with a tight fitting lid.

Ingredients

4 lbs chuck roast or chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes
1.5 lbs fingerling potatoes or mini baby potatoes halved lengthwise
7 large carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces make sure they are all the same size and thickness
2 cups of water plus more if needed
¼ cup good red wine
6 cloves of garlic diced
4 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoon cornstarch mix cornstarch with a little water until smooth. This is the cornstarch slurry to thicken the stew. See note below if you do not have corn starch.

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Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, add your meat, garlic, paprika, 2 tablespoon olive oil and salt and toss your meat around and make sure all of the seasonings are coating the meat.
4 lbs chuck roast, 3 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoon sweet paprika, 6 cloves of garlic diced
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed pan. Make sure your pan has a tight-fitting lid which you will need later).
Add your meat to the pan and sear it on all sides. Make sure to get all of that yummy spice mixture out of the bowl and into your pan.
Once your meat has seared and turned a nice golden brown color, water and mix it into the dish. Place a tight-fitting lid on it and place in the oven for about 2 hours.
2 cups of water
After 2 hours, check to make sure there is still some liquid (just a little is fine). If it is dry, add ½ cup of water.
After it has cooked for about 2 hours, remove from the oven and place back on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until the liquid is fully combined and smooth.
2 tablespoon cornstarch
Now add your tomato paste, wine, corn starch slurry and mix it in well and bring to a simmer.
¼ cup good red wine, 4 tablespoon tomato paste
Simmer for about 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol. After 5 minutes, add your carrots and potatoes.
7 large carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, 1.5 lbs fingerling potatoes or mini baby potatoes
Now place the lid back on the pot and place in the oven for 1 more hour.
After an hour check the tenderness of the meat and vegetables. The meat should easily cut with a fork and the vegetables should be easily pierced with a fork as well. If vegetables need more time to cook, cook for an additional 15 minutes at a time until done.
Once done, remove from the oven and taste for seasonings. At this stage, add more salt to taste.
To serve: Ladle into bowls and serve with warm crusty bread and butter on the side. Also, serve with a nice red wine.
Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If you do not have cornstarch to thicken the stew at the end, you can use this beurre manie (flour and butter soup thickener).

Nutrition

Nutrition Values are estimates only.

See full nutrition disclaimer here

Course :Main Course