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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can i use beef stock instead of beef broth. thanks.
Sure – enjoy!
Made this today. My husband said it is the best beef stew he has ever had! Only changes I made were to use Beef Stock instead of Broth and put in extra carrots and potatoes. I live at 9600 elevation so had to let it cook in oven a little longer. So good and well worth the time to make. Will definitely make this again!
Hi jenn! Would this work in a slow cooker?
Yes, this should work in a slow cooker. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Enjoy!
If I could give a 10 Star Review that’s what I would give on this recipe. I have never tasted such deliciousness in my life! Absolutely amazing and completely worth the effort!!! I will make this again and again!!!
Sad to say but this recipe was quite disappointing. I personally thought the wine was too overpowering and could be reduced to 1c. Of course this is personal taste but just be aware if you don’t love wine you won’t love this stew. I felt the beefy flavors could’ve been more and less wine. I also would recommend putting in the carrots sooner as I like them quite soft. I also like wouishchestire sauce in mine as well
What a bummer! We loved it. Perhaps you didn’t see “in a rich wine sauce” in the description!
This is the first beef stew recipe I made and it was delicious. The house smelled fantastic all day! I added extra potatoes.
The best beef was stew I’ve ever made! I’ve made a family recipe for almost 40 years, which we’ve always enjoyed. Only one of our 4 children joined us for dinner tonight, but he agreed Jenn’s recipe is way better than mine! I also made the biscuits she suggested and my husband said they were the best I ever made. So, thanks Jenn!
My son keeps asking me to make it again! A family favorite now.
Amazing rich flavor. I have made this recipe several times and each time comes out the same; delicious! Thank you for publishing.
Stew was a bit too watery, but tastes great! Will keep trying and adjusting 🙂
I made this. It is bloody amazing.
However I take much of the credit because it’s all in the feeling and your connection with the ingredients. LOL.
Yes!! I packed so much love into making this no wonder it’s so good! (Lol!! Might have something to do with the recipe!!) At the end of the cooking, I added some white pepper. I will make this again and again!! Thanks for a great dinner Jenn ♥ We had store-made southern biscuits to go with.
This is very good! Highly recommend adding the peas and mushrooms. Goes great with homemade Dutch oven bread. Used my Staub Cocotte Dutch oven. took the lid off for the last 20 minutes to aid in evaporation and thickening of the juices. Next cook, I will add a little more salt to the meat when browning.
This is a wonderful recipe and very easy to prepare. The stew is really good and makes a great one pot meal. I will make it again often!
Hi! I didn’t have beef broth so I used equal parts wine and water. Is that a reason why the liquid isn’t thickening? Thank you!
Hi Christina, no, the lack of beef broth shouldn’t have an impact on the thickness of the stew. If you’d like it thicker, near the very end of cooking time, you can make a paste with 1 T soft butter and 1 T flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer and it should thicken up. Another option — after removing it from the oven, you can put it on the stove at a gentle boil and simmer, uncovered, until the broth is thickened to your liking. Hope that helps!
I started with a large cast-iron frying pan, homemade blackberry wine which is a bit rough to drink, a dollop of catsup with a bit of Worcestershire because halfway through I realized I was out of tomato paste, then used the slow cooker with the potatoes and carrots on top. Between being stuck at home and the weather, my cooking has had to become a creative interpretation of a lot of recipes depending on what I have on hand and what is available in the store. This recipe is a favourite.
Hi Jenn, I’ve made this recipe tons of times and love it as written. I’ve got some white mushrooms I’d like to use up though, at what point would you suggest I add them?
So glad you like this, Emily! I’d saute the mushrooms first and then add them right at the end just to warm them up.
I make this all the time with one slight change. I never add water to it, instead I will add a little extra wine and beef broth. Everyone in my family as well as several neighbors request this stew if we have get togethers.
Made this today and it is hands down, the best stew I’ve ever made! The only thing I changed was that I added two stalks of celery and fresh green beans in the last half hour of cooking. Fabulous! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
I made this stew last winter and although it is a bit labor intensive, it was, by far the best stew I’ve ever eaten! You won’t regret the time and effort it takes to make it.
Hey Jenn, I never add a review but I must say this is the best beef stew I have ever made!!! You are definitely my go to for so many of my recipes! Thanks so much!
Hi Jenn, I plan to try this recipe this weekend and wondered about the reviews that mention a thin gravy. I’m omitting the potatoes and plan to use egg noodles cooked separately of course. Can I omit the extra 2 cups of water? Since the pot will be covered in the oven I don’t think any moisture will escape, but would the wine then overpower the gravy? Thanks for your guidance and your wonderful recipes.
Hi Diana, I wouldn’t recommend omitting the water as it will impact the taste of the stew. If you’d like it thicker, near the very end of cooking time, you can make a paste with 1 T soft butter and 1 T flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer and it should thicken up. Another option — after removing it from the oven, you can put it on the stove at a gentle boil and simmer, uncovered, until the broth is thickened to your liking. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve made this twice now, and it’s a definite family favorite. My husband just finished his third day of leftovers (I made a double recipe), and said, “I love this stew!”
The first time I made it, I did end up with a very thin gravy, so I didn’t double the water when I made it the second time, and it came out perfect.
Very good all in one pot. That is what I like. Minimal washing up. Taste good too
This is one of the best recipes I have ever made.
I added sauteed mushrooms and used twisty egg noodles instead of the potatoes.
It was divine. I didn’t really understand the idea of marbled meat but I see that otherwise
the meat would be way too dry.
This is a homey cozy or very fancy–ish festive occasion dish.
Can this be made on the stovetop in a soup pot?
Sure – just give it a stir periodically so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Enjoy!
Made this stew this past week when my niece and her husband came for a visit. Thought with all this cold weather something warming was just the thing to have ready for them. It was a big hit. I didn’t have any wine on hand (shame on me), so I added two cups more of bone beef broth (it was still delicious). My niece took home a large container so she wouldn’t have to cook after their long drive. I also shared your webpage address with her so she can now make it at her home.
This is a family favourite! When I make it, my kids come home from school asking when dinner will be ready.
Just made this today! I didn’t have as much meat so I did half the recipe. I did find I needed to add cornstarch to thicken it up more. But other than that the flavours came together nicely and the meat was really tender. I topped it on some egg noodles and it was delicious!
Made this tonight, and just changed the recipe slightly by not adding the cup of water. It turned out amazing! Hands down the best beef stew we have ever had. Thankyou for sharing!
Fantastic!
I have a 5.6 lb roast. Can I simply double the recipe, or can suggest a better adjustment?
Hi Beth, It’s fine to double it – just make sure you use a pot that’s large enough to hold everything. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use beef gravy granules instead of beef broth. Or I’ve got chicken broth… would that work?
Either one will work. Hope you enjoy!
I made your lovely recipe today and it came out great. My husband smelled it and started eating it out of the container I put it in before he went to work. I knew he couldn’t resist it. I made a few changes, adding bacon and instead of large onions sliced, I added small cippolini onions. I also made it in my slow cooker. Can you make a slow cooker version of this recipe?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Madeleine
So glad you enjoyed it! I don’t have a slow cooker so I don’t think I’ll be creating a slow cooker version of this, but it sounds like you already had success making this in one?
I made no changes to this recipe and it was absolutely delicious. I will be making this again!
So I planned this for a nice Valentine meal for my hubby, but the start to oven time took a lot longer than I thought it would. So now it will be dinner for tomorrow. How long should I plan on needing to reheat? Stove top or oven? Looks, tastes and smells amazing.
Hi Sue Ann, Sorry it didn’t work out for your Valentine’s meal! I’d suggest reheating it on the stove; that way it will be easier to check to see if it’s heated through (and I’d give it an hour). Enjoy!
Excellent!!! I skipped the potatoes and added canned mushrooms and frozen peas. Amazing favor!
Hello–I’ve made this dish twice now following the recipe, with some collard greens added, and it was perfect each time. I would like to try a variation with mushrooms and using rye berries instead of potatoes– any thoughts as to how adding grains could work? Would you increase the broth amount, and cook the berries in the broth, or just do them separately and add at the end? Obviously, the second option would be simpler, but I’m thinking the first method might yield a better flavor. I’m open to suggestions if anyone has ideas!
Glad you’ve enjoyed the stew! I’ve never used rye berries but I think you could add them to the stew following the cook time on the package of grains. Just keep in mind that they are likely to soak up a lot of the broth as the stew sits so you may need to add more broth or water if you’re not eating the entire stew right after preparing. Hope that helps!
This was so good! I added in a TB of Worcestershire, 2 tsp Herbs de Provence in lieu of thyme and frozen peas at the end.
I just made this tonight. My daughter RAVED about it….as do I. It takes time but so very easy to do. Absolutely delish. Thank you OUAC!
This was a great recipe thank you! Everyone loved it! The balsamic was brilliant for richness and capturing the “bits”
Ruth
I made this tonight. It was perfection. I added almost triple the garlic though (sounds nuts but I like a very garlicky broth) and I heavily seasoned the meat before searing. This makes the final product absolutely perfect. Meat was perfect. Oh also I had the oven at 350 the entire time and it worked out fine (this was actually not on purpose but still worked)
It tasted pretty bland (the sauce/soup), the mean was indeed tender and very good. Carrots and potatoes to be avoided, not that good of a combo imo
Love this beef stew recipe! Amazing! The only change I made was cooking pototoes and carrots longer.
Absolutely amazing. I haven’t made a beef stew this good before. This recipe is a keeper! Followed this recipe almost to the letter with minor modification. I sadly didn’t have garlic so used about 3/4 – 1 tbsp of granulated garlic. We like spice, so I cut up 2 Serrano peppers and added when I added the onion. Added 1 chopped celery stalk when added the potato and carrots. The flavors were bold and rich. The braised beef was so tender. The consistency of the stew was perfect. The vegetables were perfectly cooked adding in for the last hour. I will be making this again and also want to make this using the egg noodles instead of potatoes. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
I just made it today and it’s absolutely deliciousooo. Thank you for sharing!
I made this for the first time this past Sunday. In the end, it is absolutely delicious but I had to work with it to get it there. Mine was also very loose and I needed to add roux twice to thicken it up. The big problem for me was that the red wine didn’t burn off. I had to take it out of the oven and cook on the stovetop for another 40 minutes to get burn off the wine. But, two days later, its absolutely delicious. It still has a bit more red wine flavor than I would like but I will adjust that ratio when I make it again.
The recipe calls for a 3# beef chuck roast. Is it okay to use a beef rump roast in place of the chuck roast? (Or perhaps a sirloin tip roast?) I have both of those cuts of meat on hand. I love all of the recipes I have tried so far. Thanks so much for providing me with some great recipes for the family.
Hi Tricia, So glad you like the recipes! I think you could get away with using rump roast here. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Just made this for dinner, Perfect for the cold weather today.. I ended up doing it in the ninja foodi and slow cooked and pressure cooked it to speed it up, turned out great.
This stew is DELICIOUS! Wonderful, wonderful. If you’re not sure about making it, this is your confirmation: make it!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! The flavors in this stew are wonderful and the tenderness of the meat is remarkable! Thanks for a recipe that is easy to follow and turned out perfectly!
Loved this! I even added a medium rutabaga from the garden. I will definitely be making this again!
The meat was delicious and tender. I thought the broth was a little bland. Added some French 4 Spice (cinnamon, allspice, cloves and ginger) that made it brought it over the top!
Is there any way to cut down on the time? I literally just put the pot in the oven and am wondering if I can put the potatoes and carrots in after an hour instead of two?
Hi Michelle, While the beef may be cooked through if you have it in the oven for a shorter period, it really needs that time to get tender, so I wouldn’t recommend it. Sorry!
I followed directions exactly and this was a big flop for me. It was watery and had little flavor. I Tried adding more salt and made a roux to thicken but still no flavor. I used the well marbled chuck and other quality ingredients. The potatoes and carrots were not cooked through so maybe better if I sautéed them first? I think I could have dropped the 2 cups of water and used the whole bottle of wine? I am not sure. I usually love your recipes but this was an expensive mistake and went into the garbage.
Hi Jill, I’m sorry this was such a fail for you! This recipe is pretty predictable, but clearly, it didn’t work out for you. Sorry that it was a waste of time and ingredients!
This was so good!!! I only had to make one adjustment, since I didn’t have a dry red wine. If using a sweet red wine just omit the sugar. Came out perfect!
Very tasty and satisfying. Will add mushroom next time as recommended.
Hi again Jenn! Sorry if this has already been asked but how long does this keep in the fridge? I made it tonight (Saturday). Will it still be good to have on Wednesday night? I have made the recipe many, many times but we always either eat it all or freeze some. Thanks so much!
Tory
Hi Tory, I think you could get away with eating it on Wednesday, but I wouldn’t push it any longer than that. Hope you enjoy!
Used beef ribs and a nice fatty ribeye, cut into pieces. Followed this recipe to the letter. It seems like the person who wrote this is afraid of flavor, because this was basically water. Needed so much more tomato paste, bay leaf, WAY LESS WINE, more broth (why not just sub the water for more broth, which is already mostly water.) Everything is so watered down, the only thing you taste is wine.
Would not follow this recipe again, i like strong, rich, thick stews, not…whatever this is. Chow hall served better stew than this.
My tastes after a few hours tends to reflect your review – WAY LESS WINE. I should have drank more and used less. Watery is not an issue since I’m in the mountains; I have to keep adding more. Added salt an other things but not sure this recipe can be saved.
Definitely won’t be making again.