Comfort food is one of the small pleasures in my life. Whether I’m eating a bowl of homemade molasses baked beans, a dish of creamy pesto gnocchi, or a rich hearty serving of beef stew, there’s just something so perfect about hot homemade food when it’s cold outside.
This is my Mum’s recipe for Dutch oven beef stew. I’m thankful to have this recipe because my mother died suddenly in 2019. Her stew is an old family favourite that both reminds me of her and tastes like home.
The recipe itself a fairly traditional take on beef stew and it takes about two and a half hours to cook on the stove top. I like to make a batch on cold Sunday afternoons. It makes our house smell amazing as it simmers away.
Dried summer savory is the main flavouring ingredient in my Mum’s recipe. If you can’t find it dried oregano and/or dried thyme also work nicely. I hope you find as much comfort in this dish as I do!
Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil—Vegetable and canola oils are my go-to fats for cooking at higher temperatures. Do not use butter in this recipe as it will burn.
- Stewing Beef Cubes—I usually buy pre-cubed beef at the grocery store, which is often labeled as “stewing beef”. The cut of beef you choose doesn’t matter too much since the beef will simmer for two plus hours and become super tender. If you buy uncut beef, look for chuck, round, rump, or even pot roast. Trim away any fat or gristle then cut the beef into approximately 1-inch (2 ½ cm) cubes.
- Dried Summer Savory—I don’t know if it’s an East Coast Canadian thing, but we add dried summer savory to many supper dishes, especially soups and stews. Most Maritimers have a bottle or package of Farmer John’s Summer Savory tucked away in their spice cupboards.
- Beef Stock—I buy cartons of stock at the grocery store, however use homemade beef stock if you have it to level up your stew game.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 4 to 6-quart (litre) cast iron Dutch oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper.
Add the beef stewing cubes to the bowl of flour and stir everything together until all of the beef is well coated. There will be some dry flour in the bottom of the bowl that won’t adhere to the beef. This is totally fine.
Add the beef, along with any remaining flour, to the pre-heated pot of heated oil. Cook the beef cubes over medium-high heat until they are evenly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Stir the beef often to ensure browning of all the pieces. There should be a layer of browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot after the cooking time.
Pour the beef stock into the pot. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (I often switch between both when making beef stew) to gently scrape up as many of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot as you can. These little toasty bits are called fond and they add extra flavour to your Dutch oven beef stew.
Add the onions to the pot and stir. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. If the mixture is still boiling after you have reduced the heat, lower it further until it sits at a gentle yet bubbly simmer. Continue to simmer the beef, broth, and onions for 90 minutes.
Once the 90 minutes is up, add the carrots and potatoes. Raise the heat to bring the stew back to a light boil, then reduce the heat once again and simmer the stew for another 45 minutes.
Add the dried summer savory. Stir to combine.
Place the cornstarch and cold water in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake the jar until the cornstarch and water are well mixed then pour the mixture into the pot. Stir well to combine.
Raise the heat once more, and bring the beef stew to a light boil. Continue to cook the stew until the gravy thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve Dutch oven beef stew hot, by itself with buttered bread or biscuits, or over rice or noodles.
Notes & Tips
You can either buy pre-cut beef stewing cubes or a small roast (chuck, round, rump, or pot roasts are all good options). Simply trim away any fat and gristle from the roast then cut it into (approximately) 1-inch (2 ½-cm) cubes.
I use store-bought beef stock, however, use homemade beef stock if you have it.
Dried summer savory isn’t as hard to find as it once was. Check the spice aisle of any well stocked grocery store. If you can’t find it, use dried oregano and/or dried thyme.
A couple of dried bay leaves will add a deeper herbaceous note to your stew. Add them at the same time as the onions.
For a little extra umami flavour, try adding a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.
How To Store Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Dutch oven beef stew is a great make-ahead meal. Make a batch then store it in the fridge or freezer as follows:
Fridge—First, cool the stew completely. Store it in the Dutch oven with the lid on top, or transfer it into airtight containers, and keep it on the fridge for up to three days.
Freezer—Again, cool the stew completely before storing. Transfer the stew into plastic or glass containers with tight fitting lids and store it in the freezer for up to two months. Another option is to store the cooled stew in a large zipper top freezer bag or bags. Simply remove a bag from the freezer and thaw it in the fridge overnight before heating and serving.
Substitutions
For extra flavour, substitute a rich, robust red wine for ½ and up to 1 cup (125 ml to 250 ml) of the beef stock.
Parsnips and turnip are great additions to Dutch oven beef stew. Just swap in or add as much as you like.
Make gluten-free beef stew by substituting rice or buckwheat flour for the all-purpose flour.
Use chicken stock if you don’t have beef stock.
Serve These With Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Whole Wheat Cheese Biscuits
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Rosemary Biscuits With Parmesan & Honey
Sourdough Naan
🖨Recipe
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Dutch oven preferably cast iron, enamelled or un-enamelled
- rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 ½ pounds beef stewing cubes
- 4 cups beef stock
- 4 cups onions, peeled, sliced into ½-inch (1-¼ cm) thick wedges
- 4 cups carrots, peeled, chopped into ½-inch (1-¼ cm) thick coins
- 4 cups potatoes, skins on, chopped into 2-inch (5-cm) chunks
- 1 tablespoon summer savory, dried
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 4 to 6-quart (litre) enamelled cast iron Dutch oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper.
- Add the beef stewing cubes to the bowl of flour and stir everything together until all of the beef is well coated. There will be some dry flour in the bottom of the bowl that won’t adhere to the beef. This is totally fine.
- Add the beef, along with any remaining flour, to the pre-heated pot of heated oil. Cook the beef cubes over medium-high heat until they are evenly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir the beef often to ensure browning of all the pieces. There should be a layer of browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot after the cooking time.
- Pour the beef stock into the pot. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently scrape up as many of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot as you can. These little toasty bits are called fond and they add extra flavour to the Dutch oven beef stew.
- Add the onions to the pot and stir. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. If the mixture is still boiling after you have reduced the heat, lower it further until it sits at a gentle yet bubbly simmer. Continue to simmer the beef, broth, and onions for 90 minutes.
- Once the 90 minutes is up, add the carrots and potatoes. Raise the heat to bring the stew back to a light boil, then reduce the heat once again and simmer the stew for another 45 minutes.
- Add the dried summer savory. Stir to combine.
- Place the cornstarch and cold water in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake the jar until the cornstarch and water are well mixed then pour the mixture into the pot. Stir well to combine. Raise the heat once more, and bring the stew to a light boil. Continue to cook the stew until the gravy thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve Dutch oven beef stew hot, by itself with buttered bread or biscuits, or over rice or noodles.
Steve Sylvia says
We made this tonight and it was delicious! So easy and very few ingredients. Ours was quite thick, so we did not have a need to add the cornstarch and water mixture. Will easily make this again! Thank you Kelly for sharing this great family recipe!
Missy Bell says
Oh my goodness — what a wonderful and simple to make beef stew recipe from your Mom! I made it today and my husband said it was tasty and oh so good. I think the summer savory is what made the difference and we loved it (it took a bit running around to even find it). I also made dumplings (or dough boys) which thickened the stew up enough so I didn’t have to use the cornstarch. Thank you so much for posting this stew recipe. I know we will use it again and again …….
Amanda Ballard says
Made this tonight and it’s so good! My husband and his brother devoured it and already want it again next week. I’m happy to have this new recipe as part of our dinner rotations.
Kelly Neil says
Oh my goodness that is so awesome, thank you for letting me know Amanda! I was literally JUST looking at that recipe to make it for dinner!😍