A tasty and savory Dutch oven beef stew, combining seasoned browned beef stew with onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes in a rich beef gravy, slow-cooked to perfection.
This is comfort food at its best. You will love every juicy, tender bite of stew, buttery potatoes, and sweet carrots. Serve with French baguettes, no-knead Dutch oven bread, or angel biscuits.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Beef stew: You can use prepackaged beef stew or trim and cut a chuck roast.
- Beef broth: Use low-sodium so you can control the amount of salt.
- Bay leaves: They add delicate eucalyptus-like flavors and complexity, but remember to fish them out of the pot.
- Potatoes: I like to use baby Dutch yellow potatoes, but you can use cut-up Yukon gold potatoes.
How to Make Dutch Oven Beef Stew
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Whisk the flour, paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, dried marjoram, crushed rosemary, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
- Dredge the beef stew pieces through the flour mixture.
- Use a large Dutch oven to brown the beef in vegetable oil over medium heat. Work in small batches and plate the beef when browned.
- Sauté the onion and celery in the pot until they are soft. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, and browned beef. Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove the brown bits. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for an hour.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add carrots and potatoes. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for an hour. Fish out the bay leaves and serve.
Preparation Tips
- A Dutch Oven is one of my favorite cooking vessels, and I especially love beef stew cooked in it. I sear and brown the beef in the pot and then deglaze the pot to include all those tasty brown bits (also known as fond).
- Don’t wash the pot after browning the beef. Those brown bits add so much flavor to the stew. Try to scrape up the brown bits after adding the beef broth. If they do not all come up, try again when adding the carrots and potatoes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Serving Suggestions
There are many possibilities, but I like crusty French bread, corn muffins, easy sweet potato cornbread, and homemade dinner rolls. Healthier choices include rocket salad, pear salad, and Brussels Sprouts salad.
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
A tasty and savory Dutch oven beef stew, combining seasoned browned beef stew with onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in a rich beef gravy, slow-cooked to perfection.
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 490kcal
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs beef stew
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon crushed rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1¼ lbs baby yellow potatoes
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, dried marjoram, crushed rosemary, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
- Dredge the beef stew pieces through the flour mixture. Heat 1½ tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the beef, working in small batches and plating them when browned. Add more oil when needed.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the onion and celery to the pot and sauté them until they are soft. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, and browned beef. Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove the brown bits. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add carrots and potatoes. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 1 hour. Fish out the bay leaves and serve.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 664mg | Potassium: 1695mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 8041IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 6mg
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Melanie E
I love the sound of this stew. I want to try making this and surprising my hubby.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Melanie!
Barbie R
I love beef stew and pot roast! They’re basically the same comfort food to me. Sounds delicious and perfect for the fall weather! YUMMY!!!
Allison C
Oh, you’re reminding me on this gray, rainy, chilly day how much I love beef stew. The stew beef is on sale at WF and this recipe looks wonderful. I am planning on making it soon!! Thank you!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Allison!
Claudia
This is the best beef stew I’ve ever made. I love how chunky it is. It’s almost like a pot roast, it’s so chunky. AMAZING.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Claudia!
Emmanuel Damian
I love Beef Stew. This is actually in my menu for next week. I love putting a lot of carrots and potatoes on it. So yummy!
Beth Pierce
I agree, Emmanuel!
Paula
I have been craving beef stew, and this recipe hit the spot! It was absolutely delicious, I’ll be making it again as soon as I can.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it.
Amy
This looks like the kind of stew that makes the whole kitchen smell like comfort. Love the layering of herbs and the tip about scraping up the fond. This is such a flavor booster!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Amy! Enjoy!
Janie
Making this beef stew made my kitchen smell good! The seasonings were on point which made this super delicious.
Beth Pierce
Glad that you liked the stew, Janie!
Kristin
We loved this. I added mushrooms and left out the red pepper, and it was a big hit. I would have loved to use red pepper, but the kids won’t eat it.
Beth Pierce
Gotcha! I am so glad that you liked it!
Maria
This is so perfect for the fall! I love all that hearty flavor. I have a HUGE Dutch oven that’s perfect for this!