Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
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This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
With over 4,000 5-star reviews, this classic French beef stew is the all-time most popular recipe on my website. It is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Chunks of well-marbled beef are seared in a hot pan, then gently braised with garlic and onions in a rich wine-based broth. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a deeply flavorful sauce. It takes a few hours to make, but the recipe is mostly hands-off. Go ahead and make it a day or two ahead of time; the flavor improves the longer it sits.
This stew is part of my classic French recipe collection, which includes similar slow-cooking comfort food recipes, like coq au vin and braised short ribs, and impressive main courses, like steak au poivre or roast beef tenderloin with red wine sauce.
what you’ll need to make beef stew with carrots & potatoes
The most important thing is to start with the right cut of meat. You want to buy chuck roast that is well-marbled—that means it should have a good amount of white veins of fat running through it. Stay away from meat generically packaged as “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean (I can guarantee you it will not get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
For the wine, use any dry red (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
How To Make Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
Begin by removing any large chunks of fat that are easy to get to (like the one my knife is pointing to below), but don’t overdo it with the trimming, as the fat helps make the beef tender.
Next, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a bit of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and brown the meat in batches.
This step is a bit time-consuming but browning the meat adds depth and dimension to the stew. (Note: it’s important not to crowd the pan — if you try to brown all the meat at once, it will steam instead of sear and you won’t get all that lovely color and flavor.)
Remove the meat and add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. The vinegar will loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add flavor.
Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more.
Add the beef back into the pan and sprinkle with the flour.
Stir until the flour is dissolved.
Add the wine, broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes.
Return to the oven and continue cooking for one hour, or until the meat is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Feel free to adapt the recipe to your liking. You can leave out the potatoes and serve it over buttered egg noodles, or toss in some frozen peas or sautéed mushrooms at the very end. Either way, it’s soul-satisfying comfort food for a cold night.
You may also like
- Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
- Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Guinness Lamb Stew with Vegetables
- Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
- Coq Au Vin
- Meatloaf
Video Tutorial
Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck (well-marbled), cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on a diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rack in the lower middle position.
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve the stew warm -- or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, over medium heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
- Note: If you don’t have a Dutch oven or covered pot that is appropriate for the oven, the stew can be cooked on the stove. The timing will be the same and it should be cooked over the lowest setting.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 539
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 54g
- Sodium: 1189mg
- Cholesterol: 143mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this stew last night for dinner tonight. You say to reheat in a 350* oven, but not for how long? Any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks for the recipe. It smelled wonderful cooking yesterday!
Actually, I think reheating it on the stove is best; just reheat it gently in a pan on over medium-low heat.
Best beef stew ever! My family loves beef stew but they are very picky. This is hands down everyone’s favorite. Thanks for sharing it!
We all LOVED this recipe, children as much as adults, in our family. The flavor is amazing & the wine adds so much!
I’d like to know more about how you cut a chuck roast when it’s very marbled. I did my best to cut off large pieces of fat but any tips from a pro would be greatly appreciated. I don’t buy chuck roast very often but it did work well and stayed tender. Thank you!
Hi Susan, so glad you enjoyed the stew! I wouldn’t worry about the fat as it cooks off for the most part. If you feel strongly about having it removed, I suggest asking your butcher. They will remove excess fat and cut it into pieces. It’s a great time saver!
Removing the fat is easier when the marble is frozen or not fully thawed. Just chop of the frozen fat using a butcher knife.
I’ve made this recipe several times. I love t! I’ve followed it exactly except I use only about 1-1.5 lb of meat. The 3 suggested I think is far too much, personally. Probably because I enjoy it as more of a hearty stew rather than it topped on mashed potatoes. Additionally I’ve used the tomatoe paste as suggested in the past and omitted it as well. Didn’t notice a difference so stopped using it when I continued to make it. Put lots of carrots and celery, minimal potatoes. It’s a wonderful, flavorful, delicious dish. I’m always satisfied. I will continue to cook it!
Been making Jenn’s beef stew for about a year, couple of times a month sometimes. We never get tired of it. One thing I do is make my own beef stock and use it rather than store bought in cans or boxes. Home made stock pushes this dish over the top! I also use good wine, $20 cabernet or something similar. It makes a difference.
Awesome dish. Was a total success.
I added a few parsnips which went over quite well.
This is the best recipe for beef stew that I have ever prepared. Freezes very well with the small Yukon potatoes and carrots. No changes necessary.
Do I need to change cooking time and should I double up on all ingredients for 12. Also will it be ok to freeze and thaw? Recipe looks great thanks.
Hi Terry, Yes, I would double the recipe and the cooking time can remain the same. The recipe freezes very nicely. Hope you enjoy!
Followed to recipe exactly. The flavor was good, but the potatoes and carrots were not cooked in 60 min…. In fact it took another 45 minutes. If I made this again, I would add them after 1 hour, not 2. Used Yukon gold potatoes and baby carrots
I rarely, if ever, cook with recipes. Today, however, I wanted to experiment with making a stew in the oven and not in the crock pot or on the stove top. I needed some guidelines as to time in oven, temperature, etc., and chanced upon this recipe during my search. Since I had all the ingredients available, and since the reviews were so favorable, I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did because it turned out fabulously. The meat was tender, the flavor, very well formed, and the gravy, thicker than any crock pot version I have attempted. Thank you! I will be using it again 🙂
I made this stew today and we ENJOYED it with crusty bread for tonight’s dinner. It is, hands down, the best beef stew I’ve ever tasted. I made it exactly as the recipe reads this time; next time I may try adding a few parsnips. Thank you for a fantastic recipe.
Can lab be substituted for the beef and cooked in the same manner? Thanks!
Hi Erin, I’m sure not what lab is- can you give me a little more detail? Thanks!
Sorry for the typo! I meant lamb.
I am cooking this recipe and I have to say it’s smelling Gooooooood! I minus the wine cause I did not have it. Next time I will add the add the wine. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
The stew was delicious! I am so glad I found this recipe. Thanx
Delicious and a good basic recipe to jump off with additions or other changes to suit your personal taste. FWIW, you should use something other than olive oil for browning the meat – corn oil or grapeseed oil works better. We find this makes 6 very generous portions, so we get 8 or more from the recipe.
you din’t give the temp for the oven.
Annabella, the oven should be set to 325 degrees. Hope you enjoy!
In my many years of cooking, I have never posted a review for any recipe I found online but after trying out this beef stew I was compelled to. The flavor profile of stew was absolutely amazing and hands down the best I’ve had thus far. It was the umami of umamis, such a wonderful explosion of flavor in my mouth. Thank you for such a great recipe. ?
I was very excited to read all the good reviews of this “stew”, and decided to make it. Well, after all of that wait and work, I’m disappointed to say that my entire family left theirs on the dining table. The taste of the wine is overwhelming and since we are not wine drinkers, that was a huge turn-off! Will not make this again.
If you don’t like wine, why would you cook something that calls for so much red wine? Sorry, that doesn’t make sense to me.
Excellent recipe! For our taste I added 6 slices of bacon cut up when browning the meat and used a half a jar of small onions in balsamic vinegar for extra flavour.
Just made this except I didn’t have any wine in the house so used a can of lager (just regular beer) instead. It’s used in a 1970s dish I found in a cookbook for Carbonnade de Beouf Flamande – Belgian Beef Stew – which looked pretty similar in terms of ingredients. And it tastes amazing! So my tip is, if you haven’t got wine, try using beer and it’s still great. Thanks for the recipe!
The best beef stew ever. My husband likes the potatoes and carrots to be a bit softer so next time I might throw them in earlier but they were perfect on day 2. The smell was fantastic as well. Really enjoyed this recipe. Quite a winner!
I have made this now 6 times. This is the BEST beefstew recipe ever!!! I have tried many looking for the perfect one . And I have found it. Hate when people say great recipe then have to read how they tweek it.. If anybody adds or changes this recipe they are nuts??? Yum Yum Yum!!
This is hands down the best Beef Stew I have ever made or tasted! I think the key is the balsamic vinegar. My husband raved about it the first time I made it. I, too added mushrooms and peas.
We also love your Pasta Fagioli recipe as well!
Looking forward to your new cookbook!
Your Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes is soooo delicious! I know this will become my very favorite, GoTo recipe whenever I get the hankering for stew from now on!! I added a rutabaga and a turnip too for fun! Thank you so much for such a fabulous recipe!
i assumed i had flour but evidently my daughter went on a baking rampage,, and seeing as the stores are closed and im cooking it overnight,, do your think using buttermilk pancake mix as a thickener could work?
Hmmm… I think you could probably get away with using the pancake mix as a thickener, but I’ve definitely never tried it. Because you’re only using a small amount, I think it should be fine.
HI Jenn,
Can you substitute the wine with anything else? more broth? really would like to try this. Thanks in advance!
sure, more broth, or maybe beer as someone else suggested, or just omit the wine but you will have less liquid so maybe a little less flour would be needed.
Absolutely delicious, best stew/beef bourguignon I have ever made. Ate it right out of the oven – can’t wait to have the leftovers today ! Added some celery to the potatoes and carrots and used red onions (all I had available) …. but it was scrumptious !
This is an outstanding recipe! We loved it and plan to make it again in the very near future. This is the 2nd recipe I downloaded and made and I plan to try many more. Thanks for posting such outstanding recipes!
Jenn- this recipe was so amazing that I had to highlight it on my little blog 🙂 Thank you so much for creating and sharing with the rest of us. It even impressed my in-laws (not easy) 🙂
http://www.heyfogg.com/2016/02/24/best-beef-stew/
Dear Jenn, Made your recipe last night and my husband said what a fantastic stew. The taste surpassed any preconceived notions of what it might taste like. Just to let you know, all the recipes that I have made from your collection have received more than 5 stars in our house. Cannot wait for your cookbook to come out. Congratulations
How do I adjust the recipe for 40
How to adjust receipe to serve 10? Do I cook it the same if I double it?
Bernadette, I would recommend doubling the recipe. The cooking times would remain the same. You’re likely to have some leftovers– it’s delicious the next day!
This was exceptional. Left in the slow cooker all night and had incredible depth of flavour. Just the right sweetness and tanginess.
Made this two days ago. Really good! It smell so good while cooking.
Would definitely make it again.
Thanks!
This is absolutely a five star recipe
I have always made my beef stew this way in a cast iron dutch oven. The only change I do is to fry up strips of salt pork and then sear the beef covered in flour in it. Then I add all of the veggies and broth. I crunch up the salt pork strips and sprinkle a little over each bowl as a crunch and salty treat. (lower the salt added to recipe doing this)
And always use chuck beef..watch for sales on chuck steaks and cut them up and freeze for this recipe!! YUM
This is perhaps one of the best winter meals I’ve ever made. It’s stunningly good. I made a few changes to the recipe based on my personal preferences and it worked just fine. I cut back a bit on the wine and replaced it with more broth. I added more vegetables and tons of baby bella mushrooms. It’s worth every minute of prep time – absolutely delicious.
I really appreciated the tip about the cut of meat. I don’t think I would have used chuck for this without Jenn’s recommendation and it was perfect.
Yum yum! My first attempt at making a beef stew! I used a 32 oz. carton of the Pacific Beef Broth – so 4 cups instead of 2; only 1 c of red wine and the balance of the liquid as water. Worked out well. I will try it with peas and mushrooms next time. Thank you thank you!
My son and I made your recipe today añd it was spectacular!!!!. I cooked the beef 3 hours and noticed it was kind of disappearing. The potatoes took 2-1/2 hours. Any ideas why that happened? I will eagerly take your suggestions. Thanks
Ive made this three times now following the recipe to a tee and all three times my family had loved it and this includes my 2 and3 yr olds.
So good and so easy. Even my wife was impressed with my cooking. Best beef stew ive ever had.
I wanted to thank you for the fabulous beef stew recipe. I added two handfuls of crimini mushrooms and one handful of shelled peas. Delicious!
Hi Jenn — I love your recipes. Thank you! I’ve been making this stew and the house smells amazing. I’ve finished the third hour of cooking and the potatoes and carrots are not done so I put them in for another 20 minutes. However, the stew has a pretty significant layer of grease on the top. Is this normal? Should I try to remove it before refrigerating? The plan is to eat it tomorrow night. Thank you!
This is my second time making your stew. Didn’t wait till the second day the first time but it was still delicious. My daughter walked in and asked what smells so good! She mad she has till wait till tomorrow to have it with our company. Thank u for a wonderful recipe.
Absolutely delish!! Will make this again – it puts all other Beef Bourguignon recipes that I’ve tried to shame!! Thank you!
I have an All Clad slow cooker that I would like to use with this recipe. Can you make this in a slow cooker? If so, do I need to modify anything in the recipe besides the cooking time? How long do you recommend I cook the beef stew?
Which red wine do you use in your recipe(s)? I don’t drink wine and I’m not sure which one to cook with.
Hi Sherry, You can use any red wine that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. will all work). And I suggest buying those mini bottles sold in packs of 4 — that way, you won’t have as much waste.
My question is: what kind red wine? (the cheaper the better), I don’t usually cook with wine. Also could you just substitute beef broth for the wine? I am a single person so can this recipe be cut in half? How does this recipe freeze?
Thanks
Elaine
How do I get my stew meat fork tender should I add vinegar or cola? It’s already been simmering.
What type of wine would you recommend using? Thanks! Can’t wait to make this tonight!
I’ve made Beef Bourguignon a number of times, even Julia Child’s version. This recipe is simple and absolutely delicious! Excellent step by step instructions – even a novice will feel proud of the results. Thank you!