Serve this Garlicky Beef Stew with loads of onions and a whole head of garlic for your Halloween dinner. It'll keep the vampires away!
The weather is cooling. The leaves are changing. This is the time of year when everyone starts craving comforting, hearty recipes to warm themselves from the inside out.
Take today for instance. It's chilly. The wind is blowing. And the last thing I want on my dinner plate is a salad. No, thank you. I want something substantial. Something that will stick with me for a while. Something like this Garlicky Beef Stew.
This is the perfect garlic lover's beef stew. If you like onion and garlic flavors like I do, you'll be crazy about this stew.
This recipe uses two big onions and a whole head (yes! a whole head) of garlic. Yum. And just in time for Halloween, too! Serve up brimming bowls of this delicious stew and you'll ward off any sign of vampires :-)
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- One pot meal!
- Prep quickly and leave it to simmer.
- Full of delicious onion and garlic flavors.
Ingredient Notes
- Stew Meat (See my notes below about stew meat and optional cuts.)
- This recipe calls for standard pantry ingredients. You probably already have everything you need to make it right now.
You'll find detailed measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
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How to Make Garlicky Beef Stew
I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you'll find the recipe card.
About "Stew Meat"
Now, before you grab a packaged from your grocery's meat case labeled “stew meat” just remember that those often contain odds and ends leftover from lots of different cuts of beef. You might get a bit of chuck, a bit of round, and some bits of who-knows-what. All those different cuts will have different cooking times and some will be tough, some chewy, and some tender.
I prefer to buy a nice chuck roast and just cut it up myself. That way, I'll know exactly what I have, what to expect for the cooking time, and I can cut out most of the gristle and other undesirable bits. Of course, a nice pot roast, rump roast, or round roast are also a good choices.
If you decide to use a roast, cut it into about 1-inch pieces. Then pat it dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Brown the Beef
In a heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the beef in batches and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the browned meat to a plate and set it aside.
Pro Tip
When browning the beef, cook in batches and do not crowd the pan. Do add additional oil with each new batch if it's needed.
Prep and Add the Onions and Garlic
While the meat is browning, you can prepare the onions and garlic. Peel the onions and slice them into rounds. Peel the garlic cloves and leave them whole.
Pro Tip
To make peeling the garlic easy, cut off the end of each clove where it was attached to the root of the bulb. Then whack the individual cloves on a board with the flat side of a chef's knife. It will crush the cloves a bit, but the skin will pop right off.
Add the butter to the pan. Add the onions and garlic and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to wilt and brown.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Stir the tomato paste into the onions and garlic. Cook the tomato paste for just a minute or two and then add the beef stock, diced tomatoes with their juice, diced celery, and fresh parsley. Stir together.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook at a low simmer for about 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the beef is very tender.
How to Serve
Serve over brown or white rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with additional fresh parsley for garnish.
FAQs
Honestly, this stew is a meal just by itself. But, a little garlic bread or rolls on the side will go very well.
Any leftovers can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to three days.
Sure! To make this stew in the slow cooker, brown the beef and saute the onions. Put the beef, onions, garlic, and remaining ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 4-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
My preferred method for thickening beef stew (or any similar recipe) is to use a cornstarch slurry. Mix two tablespoons of cornstarch with two tablespoons cold water. Slowly pour the slurry into the bubbling stew, stirring until mixed well. It should thicken on contact.
You can freeze the stew in airtight containers for up to three months.
Have you tried this recipe? I'd love for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments section further down.
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📖 Recipe
Garlicky Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew meat or, preferably, chuck roast
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large white or yellow onions
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups beef stock
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut the chuck roast, if using, into about 1-inch pieces. Pat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chuck in batches and cook until browned on all sides. Do not crowd the pan. Add additional oil with each new batch if needed. Remove browned meat to a plate and set aside.
- While the meat is browning, prepare the onions and garlic. Peel the onions and slice into rounds. Peel the garlic.
- Add the butter to the pan. Add the onions and garlic and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to wilt and brown. Add the tomato paste and stir it into the onions and garlic. Cook the tomato paste for just a minute or two and then add the beef stock, diced tomatoes with their juice, diced celery, and fresh parsley.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over a low simmer for about 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the beef is very tender.
- Serve over brown or white rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with additional fresh parsley for garnish.
Notes
- Note about stew meat vs. chuck roast: Very often, the “stew meat” available in markets is simply odds and ends leftover from lots of different cuts of beef. All those different cuts may have different cooking times and some will be tough, some chewy, and some tender. My recommendation is to purchase a chuck roast and cut it into cubes yourself.
- To make peeling the garlic easy, cut off the end of each clove where it was attached to the root of the bulb. Then whack the individual cloves on a board with the flat side of a chef's knife. It will crush the cloves a bit, but the skin will pop right off.
- Serve over brown or white rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with additional fresh parsley for garnish.
- This stew is a meal just by itself. But, a little garlic bread or rolls on the side will go very well.
- Any leftovers can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to three days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
This post was originally published on 30 October 2012.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
What a great way to change up stew. We're garlic lovers at our house.
Uncle J says
From the girls: Two Thumbs UP!! Great stew for Halloween. Neither of the kids seemed to notice that there were garlic and onions in the stew. They just said that it was yummy. :-)
Lana says
So glad they liked it! And by the way, it's even better the next day.
Miss P says
Looks great. Love the pot.
Miss P
Lana says
I love that pot, too! Use it all the time.
Matt mmWine Horbund says
I absolutely LOVE beef stew! Robin has a go to recipe she got from Emeril, but I like your use of Garlic. I LOVE Garlic!
I'll have to make this, and pair it with some wines on A Good Time With Wine!
Cheers
Matt
Lana says
Thanks, Matt. If you're a garlic lover, then this stew is definitely for you! No worries either about an after taste since the garlic literally melts into the stew and becomes very mild and sweet. I'd be very interested in seeing what wine you pair with this recipe.