This simple and easy Stove Top Beef Stew is hearty, filling, and packed with potatoes, vegetables, and deliciousness in every bowl.
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With this thick and creamy beef stew, you can have a filling meal and hearty beef stew with little physical work. Just cook everything together in a pot and let the flavors simmer.
We love eating beef stew like this or if I'm in a pinch and looking for a cheaper option, my Poor Man's Beef Stew is a great alternative too. A lot of the same ingredients and cooking instructions can be swapped between these two recipes (just to show how versatile it can be).
This beef stew is a hearty bowl of incredible flavors, veggies, and meat. You're sure to feel comforted with every bite.
Serve up your stew with homemade bread rolls or some 2 Hour No Knead White Bread with butter spread and a green side salad for a full and complete looking meal.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. This recipe uses very basic pantry staple ingredients and easy to find veggies to create a dish that's both comforting and delicious.
- It's frugal. The cost per serving of this soup is affordable and easy for most budgets to enjoy. For more frugal dinner ideas, check out our Tater Tot Corn Casserole and Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice.
- Easy to make. This recipe is very easy to make, and that just gives you another reason to love it! Stir things together in a pot and watch the timer count down until it's ready.
🛒 Ingredients
Beef stock. Use beef stock or water with bouillon cubes for the broth.
Tomato paste. Adds richness and helps thicken the stew.
Beef stew meat. Use pre cut stew meat or cube your own beef steak or roast into 1½ to 2 inch pieces.
Potatoes. Make the stew hearty and filling while adding extra starch. Save a few for Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Choose chuck or markdown meat. Beef chuck is ideal for stew since it becomes tender with slow cooking. Manager special roasts or steaks work well too and can be cubed and frozen for later.
Buy roasts and portion them. Whole roasts are often cheaper than pre cut stew meat. A 2 pound roast can be divided into two or three meals, especially when purchased on markdown.
Stretch it with vegetables. Adding extra potatoes, carrots, or celery makes the stew more filling without increasing the cost much.
Swap the broth. Bouillon cubes or Better Than Bouillon are often cheaper than boxed broth and still add great flavor.
🥄 Instructions for Stove Top Beef Stew
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Place the beef cubes in a bowl or bag and toss with the flour until evenly coated. (Images 1 & 2)
Step 3: Add the beef to the hot oil (Image 3) and cook for about 5 minutes, until the edges are browned. (Image 4) The beef will still be raw inside.
Step 4: Add in the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. (Image 5) Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. (Image 6)
Step 5: Add the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. (Image 7) Stir together until evenly combined. (Image 8)
Step 6: Slowly pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil. (Image 9) Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the vegetables are soft but not mushy. (Image 10)
Serve hot with salad and bread rolls.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Potato choice. Golden potatoes hold their texture better and are less likely to turn grainy, but russets work too if that is what you have.
- Onion swap. Pearl onions are a great alternative to diced onions and add visual appeal and a slightly different flavor.
- Carrot options. Baby carrots or sliced large carrots both cook at about the same rate, so use whichever you prefer or already have on hand.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store leftover Stove Top Beef Stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until heated through. Add a splash of broth or water if it thickens too much.
Make Ahead: This stew tastes even better the next day. Make it up to 24 hours in advance, cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to reheat and serve.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Serve Stove Top Beef Stew with crusty bread, dinner rolls, or biscuits to soak up the broth. A simple green salad, coleslaw, or steamed green beans pair well for a balanced, comforting meal.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Tomato paste helps to create a flavorful broth and thicken the stove top stew a bit as well. That said, you can use diced or stews tomatoes instead. I've even used a cup of spaghetti sauce to replace a small can of tomato paste in recipes and had good results.
Beef stew is often served with crusty bread, rolls, or over a bed of mashed potatoes or cooked rice.
Tough cuts of beef with marbling, like chuck, round, or brisket, are often used for beef stew. They become tender when slow-cooked.
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🐝 If you tried this Stove Top Beef Stew, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Stove Top Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - ($0.15)
- 1 pound beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes - ($8.77)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour - ($0.04)
- 3-4 large carrots, sliced - ($0.60)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped - ($0.40)
- 1 large onion, diced - ($0.91)
- 1 pound potatoes, quartered - ($0.10)
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste - ($0.97)
- 1 teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.04)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning - ($0.08)
- 4 cups (32 ounces) beef broth - ($1.00)
Instructions
- Heat the oil. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Coat the beef. Place the beef cubes in a bowl or bag and toss with the flour until evenly coated.
- Brown the beef. Add the beef to the hot oil and cook for about 5 minutes, until the edges are browned. The beef will still be raw inside.
- Add vegetables. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add paste and seasonings. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning until well combined.
- Add broth and simmer. Slowly pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the vegetables are soft but not mushy.
- Serve. Serve hot with salad and bread rolls.
Notes
- Potato choice. Yellow or russet potatoes both work. Yellow potatoes are less likely to become grainy if slightly overcooked.
- Onion option. Pearl onions can be used instead of quartered onion for a different texture and flavor.
- Carrots. Baby carrots or sliced whole carrots cook at similar rates in this stew.
- Thickening. Tomato paste adds flavor and helps thicken the stew. Diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, or up to 1 cup spaghetti sauce can be used as substitutes.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days and reheat before serving.
Nutritional Information
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