Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes » Soups and Stews » Garlicky Beef Stew

Garlicky Beef Stew

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!

A serving of garlic lovers' beef stew over steamed rice in a white bowl.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.

Save Recipe

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 as I do, you’ll be crazy about this recipe.

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 :-)

A wooden spoon holding finished stew suspended over the cooking pot.

❤️ Why I Love This Recipe


  • One pot meal!
  • Prep quickly and leave it to simmer.
  • Full of delicious onion and garlic flavors.

🛒 Ingredient Notes


All ingredients needed for the recipe.
  • Stew Meat (See my notes below about stew meat and optional cuts.)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive Oil and Butter
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Tomato Paste
  • Beef Stock
  • Canned Diced Tomatoes
  • Celery
  • Fresh Parsley

Most of these are standard pantry items. You probably have everything except the beef on hand to make this stew right now!

You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.

🥩 About “Stew Meat”


Now, before you grab a package 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.

Chuck roast on a cutting board with a chef's knife.

I prefer to buy a nice chuck roast and just cut it up myself. That way, I’ll know exactly what I have and what to expect for the cooking time. I can also trim away most of the gristle and other undesirable bits. Of course, a nice pot roast, rump roast, or round roast are also good choices.

🔪 How to Make Garlicky Beef Stew


Brown the Beef

  1. Whatever cut of beef you choose, cut it into about 1-inch pieces. Then pat it dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. In a heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  3. 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.

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
  • Colorful exterior enamel is shock-resistant to prevent chipping and cracking.
  • The dome-shaped lid locks in flavor by promoting continuous circulation of heat and moisture.
  • Sand-colored interior enamel has a smooth finish that promotes caramelization, prevents sticking, and resists stains.
  • Stainless steel knob is safe at any oven temperature.
This post contains affiliate links. Lana's Cooking is reader-supported and earns a tiny commission at no extra cost to you when you shop from our links.

Add the Onions and Garlic

  1. Add the butter to the pan.
  2. Add the onions and garlic and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have begun to wilt and brown.

👉 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 Remaining Ingredients

  1. Stir the tomato paste into the onions and garlic.
  2. Cook the tomato paste for a minute or two.
  3. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes with their juice, diced celery, and fresh parsley.
  4. Return the browned stew meat to the pan and stir everything together.
  5. 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.
A close up of the finished stew.

🍽️ How to Serve


Serve over brown or white rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with additional fresh parsley for garnish.

🍚 Storage Information


Any leftovers can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to three days. You can freeze the stew in airtight containers for up to three months.

A serving of garlic lovers' beef stew over steamed rice in a white bowl.

❓ Questions About Garlic Lovers’ Beef Stew


What goes well with this stew?

Honestly, this stew is a meal just by itself. But, a little garlic bread or rolls on the side will go very well.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

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 beef stew is more like soup. How can I thicken it?

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.

Lana Stuart.

More Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

📖 Recipe

A serving of garlic lovers' beef stew over steamed rice in a white bowl.

Garlicky Beef Stew

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!
5 from 3 votes
Print It Rate It Save
Course: Soups and Stews
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 313kcal
Author: Lana Stuart

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

  • Whatever cut of beef you choose, cut it into about 1-inch pieces. Then pat it 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 beef in batches and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the browned meat to a plate and set it aside.
  • 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.
  • Stir the tomato paste into the onions and garlic.
  • Cook the tomato paste for a minute or two.
  • Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes with their juice, diced celery, and fresh parsley.
  • Return the browned stew meat to the pan and stir everything 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.

Notes

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Any leftovers can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to three days. You can freeze the stew in airtight containers for up to three months.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 313kcal | Carbohydrates 7g | Protein 25g | Fat 21g | Saturated Fat 8g | Trans Fat 1g | Cholesterol 86mg | Sodium 410mg | Potassium 754mg | Fiber 1g | Sugar 4g | Vitamin A 353IU | Vitamin C 9mg | Calcium 57mg | Iron 3mg

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 healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

Share on Facebook Pin Recipe
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Follow @LanasCookingBlog or tag #LanasCooking!

— This post was originally published on October 30, 2012. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.

A serving of Garlicky Beef Stew with brown rice in a blue bowl.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




7 Comments

  1. Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says:

    What a great way to change up stew. We’re garlic lovers at our house.

  2. 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. :-)

    1. So glad they liked it! And by the way, it’s even better the next day.

  3. Looks great. Love the pot.

    Miss P

    1. I love that pot, too! Use it all the time.

  4. 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

    1. 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.