When the weather starts to get cold, the first recipe I love to make is my 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 because of the beef stew seasoning, it is so easy to make. This hearty beef stew is one of those great comfort food recipes that just warms you up on a cold winter's day.
This beef stew is one that I have been cooking for my family for years and it is always loved. It is one of my absolute favorite Dutch oven recipes and a family tradition.
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 (my favorite beef stew seasoning that was given to my family many years ago!). The beef stew is then slow-cooked in a Dutch oven (which is made of cast iron) which gives it a much richer and deeper flavor than you would get with a slow cooker.
I even like to entertain at the holidays with this \recipe because who doesn't love a hearty and delicious beef stew when the weather starts to cool.
An oven-roasted stew may seem like a lot but most of the cooking time is the beef stew slowly cooking in the oven. Once you try out this recipe, you will see that it is worth every bit of effort and why it has been a loved family recipe of ours for so long.
Why Cook Beef Stew in the Oven
I really believe the best beef stews are slow-cooked in the oven to really develop that amazing flavor in the beef. The heat in the oven that surrounds a Dutch oven pot is a gentle and even heat that cooks the meat evenly. This is because Dutch ovens are made with cast iron which retains heat really well.
You cannot get this same type of flavor on the stovetop where the heat is concentrated on the bottom. Cooking stew in the oven really produces the best results! I even cook my French beef stew in a Dutch oven for this same reason.
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 , cheesy polenta, or cheddar scones.
Ingredients
This beef stew Dutch oven recipe has all the classic ingredients you want to find in a delicious beef stew. Here they are (full recipe below):
- Stew meat or chuck roast cut into cubes: This Dutch oven stew is great because it uses a less expensive cut of beef and serves lots of people.
- Carrots: No classic beef stew is complete without carrots.
- Potatoes: Potatoes add to the hearty nature of this stew and soak up all of those delicious flavors.
- Red wine: Adds wonderful depth of flavor. Red wine beef stew is always the way to go when making a beef stew.
- Beef stock: This is the base of this beef stew.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic for this hearty stew.
- Paprika: Sweet paprika is what you want here.
- Olive oil: Any olive oil works.
- Salt and pepper: I prefer kosher salt.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste helps thicken this Dutch oven beef stew and adds flavor.
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 beef stew 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 mashed potatoes which taste so good served alongside this stew.
How to make this all day beef stew in the Dutch oven
- Prepare your spices and mince your garlic.
- Cube beef into about 1-inch pieces.
- Add your meat to the beef stew seasoning and mix well to make sure all the beef is covered in those delicious flavors.
- Sear the meat which will caramelize the seasoning onto the meat and give it lots of flavor.
- Add your beef stock to the meat.
- Place a lid on your dutch oven then place in the oven for a couple hours.
- After a couple hours, add your tomato paste and red wine to 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.
Best Red Wine For Beef Stew
If you ask me, I will tell you every time that beef stew with red wine is hands down the best beef stew you can make. It is also how my family has always made it.
If you are unsure of the best types of red wine to use when making beef stew, I have a list of some of my favorites!
- Cabernet
- Pinot Noir
- Rioja
- Bordeaux
All of these red wines are strong and fully bodied and can stand up to the heat of the oven and the flavor of the beef.
Storing and Reheating
If you have leftover beef stew, you are a lucky person! Beef stew makes the most delicious leftovers and reheats beautifully.
To store leftover beef stew, let it come to room temperature then place it in an a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To reheat the beef stew, you can either microwave individual portions on high heat for about 2 minutes or you can place the stew in a pan with a lid and heat on low covered with a little water added until hot.
Tips
Dutch ovens are one of the best ways to cook stew because they are heavy bottom pots with lids that allow the stew to cook in the oven without losing moisture.
It is really easy to make tender beef stew if you follow two principles. First, make sure that you cook the stew on 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 a 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.
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
If you are looking for more ideas like this Dutch oven beef stew, here are some of our favorites:
- Cuban Ropa Vieja
- Amazing Pulled Pork and Sides
- Beef Bourguignon in the Slow Cooker
- Italian Baked Meatballs
- Pasta Carbonara
- Pasta Genovese (slow-cooked Italian Beef and Onion Ragu)
- Italian Gravy
- Vegetable Cassoulet
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Quick Classic Chili Recipe
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
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
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 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.
- 2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste
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, 2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 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.Â
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Denise says
I was looking for a good old fashioned beef stew recipe that cooks in the oven so I tried this and I’m so glad I did. This beef stew was so good! It’s just like my grandma’s recipe I grew up with (actually better!)
Melissa says
Love hearing that 🙂
Ruth Bugg Robinson says
The best beef stew recipe I still tweaked by adding bouillon to my water and much more liquid..I like sauces / gravies.. also added a inch of harissa chili paste.. a chopped onion But loved you cooked the meat first with onion for the first 2 hours great recipe and thank you.
Melissa says
so glad you enjoyed it Ruth 🙂
Mandy says
This Dutch oven beef stew was beyond amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and it made such a delicious meal. A keeper recipe!
Melissa says
So glad to hear that!
Ben says
Was very tasty!
Melissa says
Hi Ben. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Anna b says
Love your recipes! This beef stew was pure comfort food deliciousness 😊
Melissa says
I so glad to hear that!
JR says
This was delicious!
Melissa says
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Annie says
It came out amazing! Everyone loved it
Melissa says
So glad to hear that 🙂
Julie says
First time making beef stew and it turned out fantastic. I will be making this again!
Melissa says
Hi Julie. I am so happy to hear your first beef stew was a success!
Lee says
This dutch oven beef stew was amazing. So much flavor!
Melissa says
Thanks Lee! I am so glad you enjoyed it
eve says
This beef stew was so good. Followed it exactly and it was raved about by the whole family.
Melissa says
So happy to hear that 🙂
Lidia says
This was exactly what I was looking for- an old fashioned cook in the oven beef stew recipe. Thank you!
Melissa says
I love an all day stew too! I am so glad you enjoyed it
Andy says
This beef stew was really delicious!
Melissa says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
Ed says
I love oven roasted stews and this one was easy to follow and really good.