Nothing’s better on a cold winter day than this delicious one pot Best Beef Stew Recipe! It’s slow cooked and fills the house with a delicious aroma that let’s you know it really is the BEST Beef Stew Recipe ever!
Best Beef Stew Recipe
A One Pot Dish of Pure Comfort Food!
Winter is in full force this week! It looks so beautiful outside until I open the door and get hit with that bitter cold air. Poor Little Man wants to play outside so badly but once he’s out there for about 10 minutes he’s ready to come back in and warm up.
On days like this I love to have something easy cooking on the stove….it just makes the house feel so much warmer when those delicious aromas start wafting through the air….and there’s a warm pot to go stir….and delicious broth to taste! I admit…I’ll leave this best beef stew recipe cooking all day long and I’ll go steal bites throughout the day just to warm up my soul a little bit.
Having a pot of stew cooking on the stove all day reminds me of when I was a little girl and we would visit my grandma’s house. Her house always smelled so delicious when you walked through the door…you could smell the vegetables cooking and your mouth would immediately start watering (well, except on the days that she made cabbage…yuck…can you tell I’m not a big fan of cabbage).
As a young girl I would immediately run to the kitchen where she would have all four burners going with some of the best southern cooking you’ve ever tasted being prepared. She would have these oversized spoons next to each pot and I would climb up on a chair so I could use the big spoons to steal a taste from each decadent pot. Those dishes would warm my soul to the core and fill me with happiness!
So, on the weekends I like to do something similar….except I HATE doing dishes….so I prefer the one pot method! 🙂 On Saturdays or lazy Sundays I like to make some kind of soup or stew and have it cooking on the stove top all day so my family can steal a bowl whenever they need a little soul warming.
This really is the best beef stew recipe I have ever made….you can determine the thickness based on how much cornstarch you add. And, you don’t have to leave it cooking all day, it can actually be ready in about an hour….I just love having something warm on the stove during these cold days so my family can have something healthy and quick to warm themselves up.
Note- if you are going to leave it cooking on the stove all day then don’t add the cornstarch to thicken it…it’ll just burn. Also make sure you keep adding water to it periodically as it evaporates. To leave it cooking all day you’ll want to set it on low or put it in a slow cooker (my absolute favorite kitchen appliance!).
Best Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients:
2lbs Diced Stew Beef
Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic peeled and diced
2 Bay Leaves
1 Sweet Onion diced
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
Dash of Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
Dash of Allspice
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
2 Cups Water
1.5 Cups Carrots diced
3 Russet Potatoes peeled and diced
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot this is the stockpot I use.
Brown stew beef in olive oil.
Add onions, garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, allspice, and worcestershire…mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
Add water and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Add in diced carrots and continue simmering for additional 10 minutes.
Add in potatoes and continue simmering for 15 minutes….add more water if needed.
Once potatoes reach desired doneness add in the cornstarch to thicken.
The stew will thicken as it cools.
For a thicker stew, simply add in more cornstarch.
What warms your soul? Share in the comments below!
Are you like me and always on the hunt for deliciously simple recipes that your family will love? Here’s a free printable for my 5 FAVORITE one dish meals– they’re perfect for busy nights when you don’t have a ton of time and don’t want to clean a bunch of dishes!
Other easy recipes you should try:
Slow Cooker Healthy Hamburger Hash
OMG The Best Slow Cooker Chicken
ULTIMATE Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese
Sweet Hawaiian Slow Cooker BBQ
