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As much as I hate to see Summer go, I am really glad that it’s getting to be the time of year when we all start making our favorite soups and stews. All those comforting foods that come along with cool days and changing leaves. One of our favorites for the time of year is a good beef stew. I have a couple of beef stew recipes including a quick pressure cooker version that I make on week nights, but this one I’m sharing today is special.
I call this my “Sunday” beef stew simply because that’s the only day of the week that I have time to make it. It’s not that the preparation is difficult, it isn’t at all! It’s only because of the cooking time. This is one of those wonderfully rich stews that you put in the oven and when you come back to it more than two hours later you find that something truly divine has happened inside the pot. Simple ingredients have cooked down and combined into a recipe that is so much more than its individual parts. This is definitely one to savor on a lazy Sunday evening. By the fire. With a nice glass of wine.
This stew uses a chuck roast as its basis. Start by removing all visible fat and connective tissue from the roast. Then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Next, using a very heavy bottomed pan such as a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until the garlic is very fragrant and begun to brown just slightly. Remove the garlic and set it aside. Note – I had very large garlic cloves so I used a little less. Normally I would use up to twelve normal sized ones.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the cubed beef to the pan. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cook until beef is brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Now, I have to admit that neither BeeBop nor I are wine connoisseurs. And pairing wines with food is a talent that I simply do not have. However, I did have this lovely bottle of red on hand which was a gift from a French friend. I used it for this recipe and served it alongside as well. It worked out beautifully.
Add the wine to the pan and bring it to a boil. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits from the bottom. Add the garlic and beef back to the pan along with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil.
Cover and bake for 2 ½ hours or until the beef is tender.
Now, admittedly, when you take the lid off after two and a half hours, those herbs are going to look a little worse for wear. Just pull out the stems and the bay leaf and give everything a good stir around. The cooked garlic will dissipate into the stew making it completely delicious. Sprinkle a little fresh thyme on each serving if you like.
Robust beef stew with lots of garlic and red wine.
Ingredients
- 2 tblsp. olive oil
- 8-12 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 pounds chuck roast (trimmed and cut in cubes)
- 2 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 cup red wine
- 8 carrots (peeled and cut in pieces)
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- ½ cup beef broth or stock
- 1 tblsp. tomato paste
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- several springs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°.
- Prepare the roast by trimming all visible fat and removing as much of the connective tissue as possible.
- Cut the roast into bite-size pieces.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat.
- Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes or until the garlic has just begun to brown slightly.
- Remove the garlic and set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the cubed beef to the pan.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook until beef is brown on all sides.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil.
- Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits from the bottom.
- Add the garlic and beef back to the pan along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cover and bake for 2 ½ hours or until the beef is tender.
- Remove the bay leaf, rosemary and thyme sprigs.
- Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.
Other beef stew recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Beef Stew from For the Love of Cooking
- My Baking Addiction’s Beef Stew
- Simply Recipes’ Short Rib Beef Stew with Ale
- Crockpot Beef Stew from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Classic Beef Stew from The Kitchn
What I was cooking:
- One year ago: Ham and Cheese Strata
- Two years ago: Home Fries
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I can eat Sunday stew everyday of the week looks amazingly delicious!
Thanks, Claudia.
Gorgeous color on the beef–looks mouth watering.
Thank you, Angela. That red wine really brings out a lovely color on the beef, doesn’t it?
You can never have too much garlic in beef stew! This looks great.
comfort food at its best!
I’ll take a bit of meat with my garlic any day Lana. Not quite stew weather here…I need something less than 85 degree days but soon a dish like this will be perfect to stave off the cold.
So strange how your area is having hot weather at this time and we’re in the low 40′s at night! Oh well, I’m sure you’ll have your fair share of cold weather soon enough.
This Sunday Stew reminds us of family time. The magic that happens when the ingredients are mixed and the fire burning underneath the pot — are comparable to the blend of conversations, anecdotes and experiences shared by everyone while dining. Come to think of it, everyday should be family day! Such a great recipe!
Thank you, Anna. Family time is the very best time, isn’t it?
Hi!
I am in LOVE with this site and your recipes! I’m so sad I haven’t found you earlier. Oh well, better late than never! Looking forward to spending some time to “poke around” here. Bookmarked! :)
Hi Michelle! I’m glad you found my blog and are enjoying browsing the recipes. There’s a recipe index, too, where you can find everything listed by category. Just click on “Recipe Index” in the menu bar above.
Oh yea! It’s stew time. That’s nice and meaty, just the way I like it!
Yes, Curt, it’s stew time and soup time and all those great long-cooking, hearty recipes time :-)
A great way to kick off the cool weather! Looks like a great classic recipe that everyone should have in their winter repertoire. I made one last week and it was nice to have the leftovers for a few days…even made pulled beef sandwiches that were really a nice change….thinking about soup this week too!
looks SO delicious, tender and juicy! Fabulous stew :)
Mary
Hi Lana!
Oooh…. I love stews… all kinds, all flavors.. and ones with some good red wine are my favorites! Love the addition of all that garlic!!
yum, yum, yum! This looks delicious, Lana. I love a beef stew with red wine and thyme. Nothing like it!
Ooo this looks beautiful! And I really like the way you do a mini collage of your prep pics. I always wanna include mine, but since they’re not as pretty as the final product I haven’t found a way to include them, but not make them front and center. Props on a great post!
What a delicious and warming stew! It’s times like these I miss cooking for a carnivore. Sigh. But beef stew is always even better reheated the second (or third, or fourth) day, so perhaps a big vat of it just for me? I could also see adding some cornmeal dumplings to make it even heartier (when it becomes blizzard weather).
Oh Lana I love beef stew. As you say it makes winter worth it! Looks good.
Sunday is our big dinner night too. Going to try this in the oven, have always done mine on top of the stove. Glad to find another garlic enthusiast!
Love beef stew! Sometimes I make lamb and beef stew, the addition of lamb makes the stew even more flavorful.
This was amazing! I added potatoes and corn and it was perfect.
Thanks,
-R
Very glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Ricky.
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