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This easy beef stew recipe cooked in a Dutch oven with red wine, carrots and potatoes is a comforting one pot meal and a family favorite. A delicious way to warm up on a chilly night!
This easy Dutch oven beef stew recipe is one of my family’s favorite cold weather dinners and a reader favorite, as well. I even included it in my cookbook! This hearty meal is loaded with tender chunks of meat and root vegetables in a thick, rich gravy, and it’s absolutely delicious.
I have made a lot of beef stew recipes over the years, but this is seriously the best! I combined my grandma’s old fashioned beef stew with Julia Child’s classic beef Burgundy or Boeuf Bourguignon recipe. When your kids say it’s the best beef stew they ever had, you know it has to be good! boeuf
Even though I love making quick beef stew in my Instant Pot, the Dutch oven really brings out the flavor — same with my Roast Chicken Dinner and beef short ribs. I use my Le Creuset enameled cast iron Dutch oven for this easy stew recipe, but any brand works. Dutch oven recipes rock! While this oven baked beef stew takes a couple of hours to cook, you can relax or get stuff done while it’s in the oven!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a quick list of the simple ingredients needed for this beef stew dutch oven recipe. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Beef chuck — This is the best cut of beef for stew meat. Have it cut by the butcher, or you can cut up a chuck roast.
- Flour — all purpose flour to coat the meat and thicken stew
- Olive oil or avocado oil or vegetable oil for browning the meat
- Onion — yellow or white onion
- Garlic — I use both garlic cloves and garlic powder (adds great flavor)
- Red wine — Pinot noir works well here or any dry red wine
- Beef broth — use low sodium beef broth if you can
- Tomato paste — adds richness and flavor and helps thicken the stew
- Worcestershire sauce — for that umami flavor
- Baby potatoes — or Yukon gold potatoes
- Carrots — chopped carrots are perfect, but baby carrots work in a pinch
- Celery — adds flavor and texture
- Seasonings — salt, black pepper, garlic powder and herbes de Provence seasoning. I love this seasoning blend, but you can sub Italian seasoning.
- Peas and parsley — optional but adds color and flavor
How to Make Beef Stew in the Dutch Oven
First, pat the beef dry with a paper towel. This removes moisture and helps the meat brown faster. Then, season it all over with salt and pepper, and heat oil in a large Dutch oven.
Coat the beef in flour. Then, add a few pieces of meat at a time in a single layer to the Dutch oven. Cook on medium heat to medium-high heat until brown.
Use kitchen tongs to turn the meat over. When it releases easily, it’s time to turn it over.
Brown the meat in batches, and keep covered on a plate until you’re done.
Next, add the chopped onion and garlic to pot. Stir and cook until tender and fragrant.
Pour the wine into the Dutch oven, and deglaze by using a wooden spoon to gently stir and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
You can add the rest of the ingredients, and bring the stew to a simmer. Then, add the lid, and place the stew into your oven.
You can go put your feet up and relax for a couple of hours!
This stew needs to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. After 3 hours, your stew will be thick, rich, tender and perfect!
And, your home will smell amazing!
When you can easily pierce the tender beef with a fork, and the veggies are soft, it’s done. You can throw in some frozen peas near the end if you want. A little bit of chopped fresh parsley adds an extra pop of color and freshness.
What to Serve with Dutch Oven Stew
Stew is perfect and filling on its own as a complete meal. But, we love to make some Rosemary Beer Bread to dunk in the thick rich gravy. If you don’t want to cook anything else, any crusty bread works well with this delicious dinner.
If you aren’t using potatoes in the stew, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or rice or buttery pasta are all great choices.
Best Wine for Beef Stew
So, what’s the best wine for beef stew? Don’t cook with any wine you wouldn’t drink.
It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it shouldn’t be labeled cooking wine.
Pinot noir or other Burgundy wines work best here, as do merlot or cabernet. A Bordeaux might overpower the stew.
Variations
If you’re looking for a beef stew recipe without red wine, here are some substitutes for red wine: cranberry juice, grape juice, beer, or all beef broth.
Feel free to use your favorite hearty vegetables– a couple of turnips, whole chopped potatoes, green beans, or baby carrots, for example– instead of the listed ingredients.
You can also add fresh thyme or bay leaves for extra flavor.
If you don’t want to use the oven, you can let the beef stew simmer on the stove top. Just make sure to stir frequently so that it doesn’t burn.
How to Store
To preserve its great flavor, keep your leftover stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator–it will be good for 3 to 4 days after your initial serving date. Wondering how to freeze beef stew? It’s simple. Just store in a freezer bag or freezer safe containers. Beef stew reheats easily in the microwave or on the stove.
Recipe Tips
Have all ingredients prepped and ready to go. This is huge timesaver and makes the cooking process go smoothly.
Don’t skip browning the meat.
Make sure to deglaze the Dutch oven after browning the meat. A wooden spoon is best, but a silicone spatula works too.
Allow plenty of time for the vegetable beef stew to cook low and slow. This will give you tender meat and vegetables and an incredibly flavorful stew.
If you want more liquid in your stew, you can add some during the cooking process.
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 medium onion chopped, yellow or white
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 cups red wine pinot noir
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound baby potatoes sliced in half
- 5 large carrots peeled, cut into large chunks
- 3 medium celery stalks cut into large pieces, with leaf for extra flavor, if desired
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence seasoning
- 1 cup frozen peas
- parsley optional
Instructions
- Pat the meat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper
- Coat the meat all over with flour, heat a Dutch oven to medium heat, and add olive oil
- Brown the meat in batches, remove to clean plate, and cover to keep warm
- Preheat oven to 300°
- Add the onion and garlic, and cook until just soft and fragrant, stirring frequently
- Pour in wine, use a wooden spoon to gently scrape up brown bits from bottom of pot
- Stir in the beef broth, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce
- Add the meat back to the Dutch oven, then add the potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic powder and herbes de Provence
- Cover with lid, place in oven, and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Add frozen peas or thawed peas about 15 minutes before removing from oven. Meat and vegetables should be fork tender
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired before serving
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Easy Recipes with Chuck Roast
- Instant Pot Italian Beef
- Mom’s Best Pot Roast
- Crock-Pot Chuck Roast
- Crock-Pot Mississippi Chuck Roast
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I have tried this recipe 2 times and this week I am making it again . It’s simple and delicious. Thank you for the re.vioe.I usually buy the frozen yeast rolls,pop them in the oven for a bit. Oh I forgot to say….I cooked this recipe in my trusty crockpot.
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I’m so glad you like the stew, Bonnie. Thank you for the wonderful review!
Does the red wine turn the potatoes to red/pink, especially since these are to be cut in half??
I use a pinot noir and the potatoes don’t turn pink.
Outstanding! This was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect! I will definitely make this again!
Do you cook all the way through before going in the oven?
No, just brown the meat, add the veggies, and bring the pot to a simmer. Once it starts to simmer, transfer to the oven.
What great flavors! Some prep but then you can leave it for hours! Left overs are great if there are any!
A perfect stew! I’ve made this recipe so many times this year since the weather has cooled.
Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Molly. Glad you like it!
As the Fall’s first snow fell, my six year old daughter and I enjoyed cooking this here in Denver, Colorado.
We used a grass fed roast that was pretty lean but after near three hours in the oven it was super tender.
It was absolutely delicious and the house smells awesome ! A+ !
Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I am so glad both of you enjoyed the stew!
Just made this yesterday. It was delicious. I used only homemade beef broth (no wine) and was still excellent. The aroma while in the oven was so enticing. I will definitely make this again, this is a keeper recipe!! Thanks.
Thank you for the wonderful review. Glad you liked the stew!