Easy Homemade Beef Stew is one of the simplest hearty dishes to make and pretty much everyone has a go-to recipe handed down in the family for generations. Except me. I don’t recall my mom or grandma ever setting out to make a pot of beef stew, but sometimes leftovers from Sunday roast, potatoes, and carrots turned into beef stew the next day. A couple of things that make my recipe a tad different is how I treat the meat and what I add to the ingredient list that takes it over the top.

The price of meat right now drove my decision to put this on the menu last week and man, I’m so glad I did! It had been a few years since I’d made it and the weather was nippy enough in North Florida to make this a bone-warming dish. Add a couple of pieces of buttered bread and you’ve got a meal that’ll make you mm…mmm…mmmm with every bite!

Easy Homemade Beef Stew

• 1-2 lbs stew beef, lightly dredged in cornstarch
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ discs
• 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
• 16 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered if large
• 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
• 1 tbsp jarred minced garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 beef bouillon cube or packet
• 1 cup wine, white or red
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tbsp cornstarch + 1/2 cup water, made into a slurry to thicken gravy

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the pieces of beef for several minutes. Salt and pepper. Stir to turn pieces over.

Add garlic, wine, water, and bouillon cube. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes, lightly salting and peppering each layer. Sprinkle with parsley.

Cover with lid and slow roast in oven for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until carrots are fork-tender.

Remove from oven and immediately stir in the cornstarch slurry. Continue stirring until completely incorporated and the the gravy has thickened.

Add more parsley, if desired, to each serving.

The bowl below was from a pot of beef stew made from leftover Old-Fashioned Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots. Very meaty and super delish!

Below is my son Noah’s slow cooker version of Old-Fashioned Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots. He’s all the way out west in Denver making music. I sure wish we had smell-a-vision! He said it was delicious and the meat was very tender! He used purple potatoes and added celery. Yum! 😋

Happy eating! 😊