25+ Hearty Beef Stew Recipes

January 06, 2020
Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Claire Spollen  
There's no better antidote to low temperatures than a pot of ultra-comforting beef stew. These hearty, stick-to-your-ribs beef stew recipes are sure to fill you up and keep you warm on chilly evenings.
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Hungarian Beef Stew

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Hungarian Beef Stew Recipe
This hearty stew makes enough to go around, but if you find yourself with leftovers, this stew freezes really well. Simply freeze serving-size portions of stew in zip-top freezer bags.
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Beef Burgundy Stew

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Karin Olsen
Beef Burgundy Stew Recipe
A trip to France and Voila! This meaty, French-inspired stew takes the award for hearty with simmering sliced carrots, chopped onions, and wine-marinated beef.

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Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Cindy Barr
Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
A nutty dark beer adds richness and depth to the stew. Be careful not to choose a beer that's super-hoppy; it will taste too bitter. To get 2 pounds of trimmed meat, you'll probably need to purchase a 2 1/2-pound roast.
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Mushroom, Beef, and Bacon Stew

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon
Mushroom, Beef, and Bacon Stew Recipe
You can use just about any mushroom you like for this stew (or a mix of varieties), as long as you add the more delicate ones during the last hour of cooking.

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Flemish Beef and Beer Stew

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Flemish Beef and Beer Stew Recipe
This hearty beef stew features thick-cut bacon and cider vinegar for a delicious and flavorful experience.

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Beef Marsala Stew

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Beef Marsala Stew Recipe
This is an ideal recipe for the slow cooker, where gentle, prolonged cooking turns tough beef into tender bites. Serve the stew over a mound of Fluffy Mashed Potatoes.
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Red Wine Beef Stew

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey
Red Wine Beef Stew Recipe
Red wine makes just as delicious a companion to beef on the stove as it does in the wine glass. This traditional beef stew takes just 20 minutes to prepare, plus an additional three hours to simmer. Fresh vegetables like mushrooms, baby carrots, and turnips add bulk to this simple stew.

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Beef and Guinness Stew

Photo: Victor Prostasio
Beef and Guinness Stew Recipe
Heavy Guinness Draught may not be for most American beer drinkers, but it pairs wonderfully with boneless chuck roast in this hearty stew. Raisins and sliced carrots add a hint of sweetness, while winter root vegetables like turnips and parsnips keep this stew humble.

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Classic Beef Stew

Photo: Susie Cushner
Classic Beef Stew Recipe
One of the great things about stews is that the low-and-slow cooking makes even the toughest cuts of meat fork-tender. This stew calls for bottom round, a lean but tough cut of beef. Tomato paste, dry red wine, beef broth, dried thyme, a bay leaf, and an assortment of vegetables round out the dish. Since this recipe makes 8 to 10 servings, it's perfect for casual entertaining or freezing extra portions for a later date.
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West African Beef, Plantain, and Okra Stew

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford 
West African Beef, Plantain, and Okra Stew Recipe
While not nearly as sweet as bananas, plantains do have a sweet flavor. In this soup we keep that sweetness at bay by using firm plantains with green skins rather than riper brown-skinned ones--the sugars will have not yet developed, so the fruit will add starchy body to the soup without too much sweetness.

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Beef Stew in Spicy Berbere Sauce

Dan Goldberg
Beef Stew in Spicy Berbere Sauce Recipe
This Ethiopian-inspired beef stew features make-your-own berbere, a classic Ethiopian spice mixture that calls for a number of pungent spices, including paprika, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and allspice. Typical beef stew ingredients, such as onions, tomatoes, and red wine keep the rest of this recipe simple. Plus, it takes a little less time than other beef stews, at just 2 hours and 20 minutes prep and cook time.

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Chinese-Style Beef, Sweet Potato, and Bok Choy Stew

Photo: Leigh Beisch; Styling: Dan Becker
Chinese-Style Beef, Sweet Potato, and Bok Choy Stew Recipe
While most beef stews require several hours to cook, this 35-minute Asian-inspired stew is perfect for busy weeknights. Traditional Chinese ingredients like fresh ginger, five-spice powder, soy sauce, and baby bok choy add great flavor and make this stew a wonderful alternative to the classic American vesions.
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Beef Daube Provençal

Photo: Raymond Hom; Styling: Pamela Duncan Silver
Beef Daube Provençal Recipe
Like many beef stews, this recipe calls for red wine, carrots, chopped onion, beef broth, and tomatoes, but fresh rosemary and fresh thyme really punch up the flavor. Serve over cooked egg noodles and pair with a whole-grain baguette and simple green salad for a truly satisfying - yet simple - meal.

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Paprika Short-rib Beef Stew

Leo Gong
Paprika Short-rib Beef Stew Recipe
Looking for a beef stew that stands out from the crowd? Try this spicy recipe featuring bone-in beef short ribs instead of traditional beef stew meat. Thick-cut bacon, beer, and chopped potatoes make this stew a real crowd-pleaser. Serve with buttered, crusty bread and a green salad.

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Hearty Beef and Potato Stew

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Hearty Beef and Potato Stew Recipe
This one-dish meal is a simple, make-ahead family favorite. Make the beef stew the night before, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate; reheat single servings in the microwave or a slow cooker set on HIGH the next day. To save prep time, use bottled peeled fresh garlic.
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Crock Pot Beef Stew

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro
Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe
Let the crock pot do the work for you with this delicious and hearty beef stew.

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Hearty Beef and Stout Stew

Photo: Jason Wallis; Styling: Cindy Barr 
Hearty Beef and Stout Stew Recipe
A bowl of Hearty Beef and Stout Stew is a comforting choice for a cozy, winter supper. We use a slightly bitter, dark beer to cut through the richness of the stew. After simmering, the beer loses its edge and adds deep, roasted flavors that typically come from a slow braise.

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Classic Beef Stew

Photo: Romulo Yanes
Classic Beef Stew Recipe
At just around 300 calories per serving, this beef stew is low on calories while still being hearty and satisfying.
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Italian Beef Stew

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Italian Beef Stew Recipe
Make a hearty Italian-inspired stew recipe for dinner tonight. This one-dish meal is sure to satisfy.

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Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits Recipe

This skillet beef stew is made even better when topped with homemade cheddar biscuits. You can easily swap out the beef for ground turkey if you prefer. When buying cheddar, color isn’t an indicator of flavor—white, orange, and yellow taste the same. Instead, pay attention to the sharpness. Mild cheddar contains the most moisture and melts the best, making it a good choice for baked goods, grilled cheese, or mac and cheese. Sharp cheddar is aged longer for a tangier punch, but it has less moisture, so it’s not ideal for melting.

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French-Style Beef Stew

Jennifer Causey
French-Style Beef Stew Recipe

Classic technique layers flavors for rich, robust broth, and a late veggie add-in preserves texture.

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Peppery Beef Stew With Root Vegetables

Ryan Liebe
Peppery Beef Stew With Root Vegetables Recipe

This is how all pot roasts should be: tender meat, lots of flavorful vegetables, and a velvety sauce.

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Irish Beef Stew

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Julia Levy
Irish Beef Stew Recipe

Slow simmered with Guinness and finished with a bit of Dijon mustard for depth, this rich and hearty beef stew is comfort food at its finest. Although we’re all for breaking out the Dutch oven for a Sunday supper, if you’re looking to whip this recipe up in a hurry, we’ve included instructions for achieving the same intensely savory Irish beef stew in the Instant Pot. Either way, you’re guaranteed tender beef and the perfect reason to pick up a loaf of fresh, crusty bread. 

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Instant Pot Beef Stew

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Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light's wildly popular Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew to create a simple, speedy version of a comfort food favorite. As the original recipe notes, a nutty dark beer adds richness and depth to the stew, but be careful not to choose a beer that's super-hoppy; it will taste too bitter.

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Beef Stew with Buttery Garlic Bread

Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Beef Stew with Buttery Garlic Bread Recipe

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Bacon and Beef Stew 

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Cat Steele
Bacon and Beef Stew  Recipe

 Savory, rich bacon and beef pair perfectly with beer, mustard, and red wine vinegar creating a well-rounded, complex flavor profile. The recipe comes together quickly and makes 16 cups--enough for 12 generous servings. Make sure to use low sodium beef broth to keep a balanced salt level. Serve with crusty bread, cornbread, or butter rolls. 

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Slow Cooker Beef-and-Barley Stew

Jennifer Causey
Slow Cooker Beef-and-Barley Stew Recipe

Something wonderful happens over the long simmer in the slow cooker: The barley cooks to tender-chewy perfection, the beef becomes meltingly tender, and the liquid thickens to a beautiful gravy. Go with hulled, whole-grain barley here, and skip quick-cooking pearl barley; the latter isn't whole grain, and it will cook to mush over the long simmering time. If you can't find hulled barley, you can try wheat berries, whole-grain farro, rye berries, or Kamut instead. This soup is great for freezing, as it thaws and reheats beautifully.

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One-Pot Beef Stew

Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Claire Spollen  
One-Pot Beef Stew Recipe

This dish gets zip from whole mustard and richness from red wine. And that leftover wine pairs beautifully with the stew.

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