Italian Beef Stew

My friend told me about this Italian Beef Stew and promised it was lick-the-bowl worthy. We already have a Beef Stew recipe that we love, and I still maintain its awesomeness, but that is a really great “toss it in the oven and forget about it” recipe, whereas this is a chilly, rainy, fall afternoon meal that you make with lots of love and fresh ingredients. It’s something you could serve to guests, and you can always freeze the leftovers and heat them up on a busy weeknight.

Ingredients Needed

This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.

• Cubed beef or stew meat – Lean stew meat or cut up chuck roast is great.
• Onion
• Carrot
• Fresh garlic
• Olive oil
• All-purpose flour – To dredge the meat and thicken the sauce.
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Dry red wine – Or a cup of grape juice with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
• Canned Italian diced tomatoes
• Beef broth
• Water
• Fresh herbs – Oregano, thyme, basil, and parsley.
• Baby portabella or cremini mushrooms
• Bay leaf

How to Make Italian Beef Stew

1. Chop the onions, some of the carrots, and the garlic and set it aside. Heat about a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a stock pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté it for about 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove everything from the pan and set it aside.
2. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. In a shallow dish, whisk together some flour, salt, and black pepper. Toss the beef in the flour mixture, then transfer the beef to the pot. Cook until brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Now you’ll need the liquid ingredients–Italian tomatoes, beef broth (or stock or water and beef base), and red wine or grape juice plus 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Pour the wine (or juice/vinegar mixture) into the pan and allow it to deglaze the pan (loosen up the cooked bits on the bottom  of the pan). Scrape it regularly for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about 2/3.
4. Return the meat and onion mixture to the pan. Add the undrained canned tomatoes, broth, and water. Now, seriously, this is my favorite part: fresh basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Strip the thyme and oregano leaves from their stems and then chop up about 2 teaspoons of each. Add those to the stew mixture along with 1 bay leaf. We’ll use the basil and parsley a little bit later.
5. Add your mushrooms and some more chopped carrot to the stew. Bring it to a boil and then cover the stew and reduce the heat to a steady simmer for about 1 1/2-2 hours or until the beef is tender. Discard the bay leaf and then add some chopped parsley and basil and season with salt to taste. Serve it with crusty bread (and be sure to save some for the next day because it’s even yummier!).

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Italian Beef Stew

5 from 6 votes

A delicious and hearty stew, perfect over mashed potatoes or served with crusty bread.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

ServingsServings8 main dish servings

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Equipment

• stock pot

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups onion, chopped about 1 medium onion
• 1 ¼ cup carrot, chopped divided
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning the stew at the end
• 1 ½-2 pounds cubed beef or beef stew meat
• 1 cup dry red wine or 1 cup grape juice with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 15-ounce cans Italian tomatoes, diced undrained
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon oregano, fresh, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 bay leaf
• 8-10 ounces baby portabella or cremini mushroooms sliced
• 2 tablespoons basil, fresh, chopped
• 1-3 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions

• Chop the onions, carrots, and mince the garlic and set it aside.
• Heat about a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a stock pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. When it's hot, add the onions and ½ cup of carrots and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and saute it for about 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
• As vegetables are cooking, in a shallow dish, whisk together ¼ cup flour, ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss the beef in the flour and toss until it's all coated. Set aside.
• Remove all vegetables from the pan and set aside. Place them in a dish that's larger than you need since you will also add the cooked meat to this same dish.
• Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Add beef to pot (do this step in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding) and sear until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Remove beef from pan and add to vegetables.
• Pour the wine (or juice/vinegar mixture) into the pan and allow it to deglaze the pan (loosen up the cooked bits on the bottom  of the pan). Scrape it regularly for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about ⅔.
• Return the meat and onion mixture to the pan. Add the undrained canned tomatoes, broth, water, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, mushrooms and remaining carrots.
• Bring it to a boil and then cover the stew and reduce the heat to a steady simmer for about 1 ½-2 hours or until the beef is tender.
• Discard the bay leaf and then add chopped parsley and basil and season with additional salt to taste. Serve it with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes.

Freezer Instructions

• Prepare through deglazing the pan. Place all of the ingredients except for the water, fresh basil, and fresh parsley into a freezer bag or freezer safe container and freeze. Freeze the herbs separately in a small freezer safe bag. When ready to serve, place the contents of the large freezer bag and 1/2 cup of water into a slow cooker and cook on high for 6- 8 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. 1 hour before serving, add fresh herbs.

Notes

• Store cooled stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
• Freeze in individual portions for an easy meal on busy days.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 379mg, Potassium: 534mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3343IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 2mg

Course: Main Courses, Stews

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: beef stew recipe, Italian Beef Stew

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Kate Jones, adapted from Cooking Light

Cost: $10

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