As a kid, we ate a lot of beef stew. In fact, this Hearty Beef Stew recipe was our standard Sunday dinner. Everything would go into the Dutch oven and then into the oven before we went to church and when we got home 3 hours later, it would be ready. We ate it with whole wheat bread and butter and it felt warm and homey. I’ve changed the old standard a little–added some (a lot of) garlic, substituted V8 for tomato juice and beef bouillon instead of just salt. But really, it’s all the same: something easy, nourishing, and delicious that just about everybody loves.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Baby potatoes
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Vegetable juice cocktail – Like V8 or Bloody Mary Mix.
- Condensed tomato soup
- Water
- Basil
- Beef bouillon cubes or beef base
- Black pepper
- Beef stew meat
- Bay leaf – Optional, but adds a great depth of flavor.
- Stew Meat – You’ll also need some lean stew meat. You may need to cut some of the pieces into something a little more bite-sized.
How to Make Hearty Beef Stew
- Cut the veggies–I usually make the potatoes on the large side of bite-sized, the carrots and celery on the small side of bite-sized, and then the onions chopped pretty small because I don’t like them in chunks. But you can do it however you like! Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven or other heavy oven-safe dish with a tight-fitting lid.
- Pop that in the preheated oven for 3 hours, and that’s it!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled stew in and airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Stew freezes well! Feel free to freeze individual portions for an easy meal on busy days.
- Crock Pot Instructions: Follow the instructions as written, but reduce the water and V-8 by about half. Combine everything in your crock pot. Cook 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Soups and stews are often even better when reheated and usually freeze really well. You can prepare the stew and reheat as needed, or freeze individual portions in silicone muffin tins or Souper Cubes for an easy lunch or dinner.
Sure! Potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery are standard stew fare, but feel free to add whatever additional vegetables you like. Mushrooms are a great addition. If adding frozen peas, I recommend adding them at the end of cooking to heat through or they can get mushy.
Sure. Lamb works well in this recipe. I imagine it would be great with wild game like elk or venison as well.
Hearty Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4-5 carrots, medium peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 1 onion, large, chopped or 2 small, chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups vegetable juice cocktail like V8 or Bloody Mary Mix
- 1 10-ounce can condensed tomato soup
- 10 ounces water just use empty soup can to measure
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 2 beef bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons beef base
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 2-3 pounds beef stew meat, lean cut into smaller cubes if necessary
- bay leaf optional, but adds great flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉. Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven or other heavy oven-safe dish with a tight-fitting lid. Lay a bay leaf on top (if using), cover, with lid, and cook for 3 hours.
Notes
- I haven’t had great luck making this in the slow cooker or the pressure cooker–the recipe seems to rely on a little evaporation and when I’ve made it using these methods, the stew ends up a little soupy/watery. If you’d like to try it either of these ways, I would recommend reducing the water and possibly the V-8. This has not been tested, so just know you’ll be in uncharted territory!
- Store cooled stew in and airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Stew freezes well! Feel free to freeze individual portions for an easy meal on busy days.
Questions & Reviews
Oh I love to read and love when other people mention books. I love beef stew but have always had a hard time finding a good recipe or one that does not require a 100 steps and ingredients, so this I’m excited to try but there is one little problem and this is my question. Do you think I could use a pork roast instead? Due to dietary issues my husband and I do it for support have not had beef since the middle of the year. Well Ok I cheated a few times, mostly for a greasy taco and a steak or two.
You could always try! 🙂 I’ve never used it, and the flavor profile is a bit different, but you could always give it a shot!
This is almost the exact recipe my Mom used to make. Hers was called After Church Stew (I think because she could put it together before church, pop it in the oven, and it would be ready for Sunday dinner.) She served it on Sunday so often that our Pastor would tease her that he thought it may be the only thing she knew how to cook but that was okay by him! (Apparently he ate with us quite often on Sunday afternoons!) Still my favorite stew recipe to this day – I’m definitely going to try the few little changes given in this recipe!
The Boxcar children was my favorite too. Thanks for the memory. Am making this stew today, but will add parsnips as they need to be used up. Dont have any V-8 but with so many tomatoes here from the garden I think I should try and make my own. Anybody ever done that one ?
Another huge hit! Wow, I cannot get over how good the sauce of this is! I had given up making beef stew years ago as I could never get the sauce to be just right. I made this yesterday and am eating it again for lunch today! I made some adjustments to the veggies(no onion or celery, added mushrooms) to suit our families tastes, but kept the rest of it exactly as written. So fabulous.
I made it tonight. My super picky son ate the meat out of it and loved it. Thanks. Now, what to try next?
Made it! Yum!
Best beef stew EVER!!! I will be making this again! it was a hit 0 infact I had 2 crockpots going at the same time….. added some drop bisquits with your honey butter and some fresh fruit and we had an awesome meal – Thanks so much!
Wow did this take me back- I loved the boxcar children, especially the cooking part! I was so excited about the idea that children could cook that my mom bought me the Boxcar Children Cookbook- it was my first cookbook and is still on my kitchen shelf!
Can’t wait to try this recipe- I bought all the ingredients tonight, so hopefully tomorrow!
I was wondering what I could substitute for the vegetable juice cocktail. I live overseas and can’t get that here. : (
Sorry I’m just getting back to you!! Do you have tomato juice? Or Bloody Mary mix?
just finished putting everything in the crock pot for dinner tonight…in your opinion which is best? Crockpot or oven??