Vegetable Beef Stew

Vegetable Beef Stew is the perfect one pot meal to start on the stovetop and finish in the oven. It will warm you up on those winter nights!

Classic slow cooked Stews with a chuck roast scream winter comfort food to me and this veggie packed take on the traditional Classic Beef Stew is just one of my many favorite ways to turn tender roast into a hearty meal. Give my Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew a try when you need a more hands off meal too!

Sabrina’s Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe

Vegetable Beef Stew is one of my favorite one-pot recipes to make on the weekends. It takes a few hours to make, but trust me, it’s worth it. This is the kind of stew that gets better the next day after it has had time to sit! You also can make it ahead and freeze it to pull out for a hearty dinner that only needs to be reheated. You can even make this stew multiple ways depending on your time constraints! The best part is your kitchen will smell amazing the entire time you cook it. Okay, I guess the best part is actually eating it.

Recipe Card

About this Recipe

This Vegetable Beef Stew is fairly easy but it has two parts that need to be followed to ensure your meat is as tender as possible. The first is coating the beef with flour and browning it on all sides, which helps lock in the juices from the meat. The second part is covering the beef and letting it slowly cook in the oven. This beef stew needs the full amount of time to tenderize the chuck roast properly. The smell in your house will make you so happy and you’ll be so excited to eat.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Vegetable Beef Stew is the perfect recipe to make ahead. It lasts well in the fridge for up to 4 days and you can freeze leftovers for up to 4 months. You could also make a few batches of this stew and have it in Ziplocks or airtight containers for an easy meal for another time. It makes a great gift to give to a sick friend or new parents. If you are making the stew that way, I recommend waiting until it is almost done to add the potatoes so they are barely cooked. This way, they won’t overcook when you reheat it. Move it to the refrigerator the day before, then add it to a pot over medium-low heat until it reaches the desired temperature.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• When browning the stew meat, leave room between pieces to ensure a nice sear on all sides. This locks in the juice and adds much flavor to the meat.
• Make sure you cut your potatoes and carrots into uniform sizes so they good at the same rate as well.
• If you’re making this in the slow cooker, use a liner bag to make cleanup easy!

Pairing Suggestions

This stew is perfect all on its own and really doesn’t require any sides but you could always serve it with a glass of red wine (you deserve it), Garlic Bread or Ultimate Cornbread and a Classic Wedge Salad if you want a more rounded out meal.

How to Store

• Store: Once the stew is cooled, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Reheat: You can easily reheat this soup on the stove on medium until it reaches your desired temperature or you could heat it up in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
• Freeze: This soup is perfect to freeze. Once cooled, store it in an airtight container or a Ziplock. You can freeze it for up to 4 months.

Alternative Cooking Techniques

Slow Cooker Method

• Melt butter and canola oil in a large sauté pan.
• Dredge the meat in flour, salt, and pepper. Brown on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker.
• Add all other ingredients and gently stir together.
• Cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 8 hours. I recommend cooking this on low because it gives the flavors more time to develop and the meat is more tender.
• Remove the bay leaf and serve.
• You can also use my recipe for Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup

Instant Pot Method

• Turn on the sauté function and add oil and butter.
• Season the meat and dredge in flour.
• Add the stew meat until browned on all sides.
• Work in batches, leaving room between each piece. Remove and set aside.
• Add onions and seasoning, cooking until soft.
• Add all other ingredients to the Instant Pot, stirring gently.
• Add the beef, then close the lid and pressure valve.
• Set on manual for 10 minutes on high. Let the pot naturally release.
• Remove the bay leave, serve, and enjoy.

Stovetop Method

• Sear beef as usual, then add all the ingredients to the pot.
• Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to low for 2-2.5 hours, while stirring occasionally.
• Remove the bay leaf and enjoy!
• Note: You’ll have to keep an extra box of beef stock next to the stove and watch for the level of liquid to be sure it doesn’t go too dry.

Variations

• Meat: Swap the beef roast with pork loin for a veggie-filled version of my Pork Stew.
• Veggies: You can add more veggies to this soup or you could even swap one of the ingredients out for another one that you like better. Spinach, kale, celery, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, or mushrooms would all taste great in this stew!
• Spice: Like a little heat in your food? Add some hot sauce, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or some diced jalapeno. If you leave the seeds in the jalapeno it will be even spicier.
• Pot Roast Style: You can of course also keep the entire piece of beef whole and create this recipe to be more like a vegetable beef pot roast. This will require a slightly larger Dutch oven but trust me when that pot roast is fork tender and falling apart you will love the recipe so much you won’t mind the slightly larger pot in the sink.

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