Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Easy and hearty homemade beef stew made with fork tender grass fed chuck roast and Italian gnocchi dumplings, in a smoky paprika gravy with subtle hints of clove.

Jump to Recipe

Homemade Beef Stew from Scratch

I’ve been dusting off the recipe files here at the Love Shack and came across this simple rustic and most tender 5 Star beef stew. I really like to make something hearty and seasonal for the holidays and comfort food is always a crowd pleaser on a chili day.

The perfect make ahead meal, it’s lovely served with bruschetta, biscuits, Italian bread, over a bed of olive oil mashed potatoes or these to die for baked sweet potatoes.

Ingredient Notes + Tips

  • The meat – only use the best organic grass fed chuck roast beef you can find, it’s extremely flavorful, more nutritious and a healthier choice. Cook it low and slow for the most tender bowl of stew.
  • Veggies – green peas, carrots and potatoes are classic ingredients but dumplings, or ricotta Italian gnocchi along with parsnips make a really lovely substitute.
  • Smoked paprika – make sure to use the sweet not bitter kind. It adds nice depth of flavor and richness to the stew together with the cloves, thyme and bay. It can be swapped for regular or hot sweet paprika if desired.
  • The Gravy – I use plain old water here but of course veggie stock or a dry red wine could be used instead. There really is no need in my honest opinion.
  • Patience – as with any kind of slow cooked stew you will need patience. This is not a meal you can rush as we are using tougher cuts of meat that need to simmer slowly until they tenderize and fall apart. It will taste even better 2 days later.
  • Browning – although the recipe calls for browning the chuck roast, you are free to skip this step and go for the healthier option. I’ve experimented both ways and couldn’t really tell a change in flavor. Ultimately your call!
  • Storage – this is not the kind of meal that can be left out overnight. Once it has completely cooled off it can be refrigerated or frozen in lidded freezer proof containers. Remember to fully thaw it out in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove top or microwave.

Stove top, oven + slow cooker methods included!

P.S. This recipe can me made 100% cruelty-free and better for you by using meaty jackfruit instead of meat. Please consider making this popular Italian vegan stew instead.

Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (3)

5 from 5 votes

Homemade Beef Stew

Easy and hearty homemade beef stew from scratch made with fork tender grass fed chuck roast and potato gnocchi dumplings, in a smoky paprika gravy with subtle hints of clove.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:3 hours hrs

Total Time:3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 3 lb chuck roast cut into 1″ cubes (organic grass fed)
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup fresh italian parsley chopped
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 3 leaves bay
  • 4 whole cloves
  • sea salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp smoked or sweet paprika
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1.25 qt water, filtered
  • 3/5 cup frozen green peas (thawed under some cold water)
  • 1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes diced
  • 3/4 lb gnocchi (or golden potatoes) diced
  • 2 carrots (or parsnips) sliced into rounds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat up a large cast iron dutch oven over medium flame.Season the beef cubes with sea salt and black pepper and toss to coat well with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, brown the beef in the hot pot. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

  • Add the 2 tbs butter and a lug of olive oil to the pot and sautee the chopped onions until translucent (about 5 min). Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook one more minute until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the flour and paprika and cook for another minute or so making sure not to burn it.

  • Deglaze the pot with the warm water whisking as you add it to break up any lumps that might form. Bring to a simmer.

    Add the beef cubes back to the pot, the bay leaf, whole cloves and thyme. Cover with a tight lid and allow it to simmer together for 2 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.

  • Add the potatoes and carrots to the stew, turn the flame up to med-low and simmer partially covered for another 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat.

    NOTE: If using potato gnocchi wait to add them in the last 5 minutes of cooking or boil separately then add them to the stew.

  • Add the diced tomatoes and green peas and give the stew a good stir. Cover with the lid for a few minutes until the tomatoes release their juices and the peas are just heated through.

  • Adjust seasonings to your taste and serve the homemade beef stew with crusty bruschetta and sprinkled with the fresh parsley.

  • OVEN METHOD

    Preheat your oven to 375"F

    Follow the above steps and after you added the beef cubes back into the stew cover with a tight lid and transfer the pot to the hot oven. Cook for 2 hours then add the carrots and potatoes or dumplings/gnocchi. Cook an additional 20 minutes or so until cooked through and the beef is fork tender.

  • SLOW COOKER/CROCK POT METHOD

    Add the beef, onion, garlic, sea salt, potatoes, carrots, cloves, thyme and bay leaf to the slow cooker. In a bowl whisk together the water with the flour and paprika. Pour over the ingredients and drizzle with the olive oil. Cook on hight for 5-6 hours or on low for 11 -12 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 1243mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4716IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 7mg

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Beef stew, Italian

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 614kcal

Author: Florentina

You’ll Also Love:

Similar Posts

Mexican Shrimp Tacos Recipe

Italian Focaccia Bread Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup Recipe

Italian Bread Crumbs Recipe

Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Can this be made in an instant pot?

    Reply

  2. This looks so good! i love the idea of using gnocchi instead of potatoes!

    Reply

  3. Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (13)
    This was deee-licious!!! The only thing I did different was sub a can of beef broth for some of the water and used a can of stewed tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Two thumbs up

    Reply

  4. Curious about the amount of peas. Is it 3/5 of a cup or 3 to 5 cups? 3/5ths seemed like a really odd measurement is why I’m asking. Thanks

    Reply

    1. About one cup of peas.

      Reply

    2. Hi about to make your wonder looking stew!! Do you brown before? Or just throw everything in except gnocchi and peas?
      Many thanks can’t wait to see results

      Reply

  5. Sorry, also forgot to ask, can I use ground cloves? How much would you suggest?

    Reply

    1. Yes, just a pinch 1/4 tsp and work up from there if desired, it could be overwhelming if too much is added.

      Reply

  6. I made this using smoked paprika and gnocchi and the family loved it. So easy in the slow cooker.

    Reply

  7. What gives this such a deep red color if there is just water and cherry tomatoes? You don’t use any tomato paste? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Paprika!

      Reply

  8. This sounds delicious! I’m going to make it this week. Have a couple of questions though… do you remove thyme leaves or just use whole sprigs? And I haven’t cooked much with whole cloves, do you remove them from stew before eating like bay leaves or are they edible?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. I just use whole sprigs of thyme, the leaves will fall into the stew and you can discard the woody part easily. same with the cloves, I would just gently move them to the side as they can be quite pungent if you bite into them. However they do mellow out quite a bit in the cooking process and I find some people really enjoy the taste from chewing on them.

      Reply

  9. Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (14)
    I have made this twice now, I love it ! It’s yummy! Thank you for this recipie

    Reply

  10. Sounds delicious and can’t wait to make. When would you add gnocchi when cooking in a slow cooker? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Kathy, you can add them already boiled If you prefer or about 25 to 30 minutes before the stew is done. I know my response is kind of late, hope it still helps someone 🙂

      Reply

      1. Sure helps me!! Making it right now & it smells amazing!

        Reply

  11. Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (15)
    Had to tweak. ~3 oz tom paste instead of cherry tomatoes. Also added 1/2 c red wine. The cloves send this over the top. Absolute favorite beef stew ever, which says a lot because I cook a lot. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. My pleasure Pamela, thanks you for stopping by,I’m so happy you have found new favorite meal! Enjoy! ~Florentina

      Reply

  12. Hey! When do I add the tomatoes and peas if I’m using the slow cooker method ? I love gnocchi can’t wait to try, looks delish

    Reply

    1. Hey Alexa, you would add those right at the very end, just a few minutes before serving, enough to just heat it through. Enjoy! ~Florentina

      Reply

  13. Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (16)
    so excited to make today !! gonna use homemade gnocchi too

    Reply

    1. How exciting, homemade gnocchi scream heavenly comfort! Yummy!

      Reply

  14. Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (17)
    This looks amazing! I love the gnocchi addition!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Meg, gnocchi makes everything better 😉

      Reply

Homemade Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Sen. Emmett Berge

Last Updated:

Views: 5879

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Sen. Emmett Berge

Birthday: 1993-06-17

Address: 787 Elvis Divide, Port Brice, OH 24507-6802

Phone: +9779049645255

Job: Senior Healthcare Specialist

Hobby: Cycling, Model building, Kitesurfing, Origami, Lapidary, Dance, Basketball

Introduction: My name is Sen. Emmett Berge, I am a funny, vast, charming, courageous, enthusiastic, jolly, famous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.