This Quick and Easy Stove Top Beef Stew is ready in just one hour and has tender beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions in a rich and flavorful gravy. It's a hearty one-pot dinner that everyone will enjoy!
Michelle's Recipe Rundown
There's nothing like a bowl of comforting, old-fashioned beef stew for dinner on a chilly day. It warms you up and makes you feel full and satisfied.
Most often, though, it's made with tougher cuts of beef that require several hours of cooking to become tender. And let's be real here. Sometimes we just don't have time for that, and we may not have a pressure cooker to speed things up.
That's where this recipe is different. It's made right on the stovetop, but it's much faster than most - ready in just one hour, prep and all - because I use the right cut of meat. You could even make it for a weeknight dinner.
Simply brown the meat, add the veggies, broth, tomato paste and seasonings, simmer until the veggies are tender, and thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry. Done.
Yes, the beef is tender. Yes, the gravy has lots of flavor. Yes, leftovers are even better. And yes, you'll want to make this beef stew again and again!
Have an Instant Pot?
Be sure to check out my Instant Pot Beef Stew too.
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Ingredients & Notes
Here are all of the ingredients you'll need to make this easy stovetop beef stew, along with a few notes.
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Olive oil - Use a regular or light olive oil that is meant for cooking at higher temperatures.
- Boneless Sirloin Steak - A tender cut of beef with great flavor.
- Vegetables - Potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. For the potatoes, I recommend a waxier variety, like Yukon gold or red, as they hold their shape better than starchier potatoes like russets.
- Beef Broth - Use one that has a really good flavor. I most often use a mixture of roasted beef base and water.
- Tomato Paste - Adds richness to the gravy.
- Seasonings - Garlic, dried bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Cornstarch & Cold Water - To make a slurry that will thicken the gravy.
Use the Right Cut of Beef
Since we're only cooking this stew for a very short period of time, it's important that you use the right cut of beef so that your finished dish has tender meat. And that cut is boneless sirloin steak.
Yes, it can be on the pricier side (I stock up when it goes on sale and freeze it). BUT it's already tender. And it's totally worth it if you want a quick beef stew like this one.
Please don't substitute a tougher cut of meat in this recipe, because we're not cooking it long enough to become tender.
Variation
- If you like peas in your beef stew, stir them in at the very end and allow them to warm through.
How to Make Stove Top Beef Stew
This is a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
Working in 2 batches, brown the beef cubes in olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
Add the vegetables, garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pot with the browned beef. Stir to combine, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf. Mix together the cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry and stir it into the stew. Continue simmering for another minute or two until the stew has thickened.
Recipe Tips
- Brown the beef in 2 batches. If you overcrowd the pot, the meat will steam rather than brown. And brown = flavor! It's not necessary to brown the meat on all sides, which can cause the meat to end up overcooked; I do just 2 sides of each cube for get great results.
- The amount of salt you need will depend on how salty your broth is. I start with a small amount (½ teaspoon) and adjust it later after simmering, if needed. If desired, you can skip adding salt up front and wait until the end to see if you need to add more.
- Since we aren't using a whole can of tomato paste, the best way to save the rest is to freeze it in tablespoon portions so you can add it to recipes later.
Leftover Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Store leftover beef stew, once cooled, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: I don't recommend freezing this beef stew because the potatoes and veggies can get too soft and a bit mushy, and the gravy may separate because it's thickened with cornstarch.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a covered pot on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until heated through. Alternately, you can reheat individual servings in a microwaveable bowl in the microwave. Either way, be careful of overcooking which can cause the meat to dry out and become tough and the vegetables to get too soft.
Serving Suggestions
With meat, potatoes and veggies, this beef stew is a complete meal in one bowl, so you don't even need any side dishes. But I do highly recommend serving it up with some fresh bread to mop up all of that yummy gravy (try my Easy Homemade Italian Bread or 90-Minute Dinner Rolls).
I hope you try this Quick and Easy Stove Top Beef Stew recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Quick and Easy Stove Top Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, use one that is meant for cooking at higher temperatures (not extra-virgin)
- 1½ pounds boneless beef sirloin steak, remove excess fat and cut the meat into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes, 1-inch cubes; about 1¼ pound of potatoes (see Notes below)
- 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots, ¼ inch thick; about 4 to 5 medium carrots
- 1 cup sliced celery, ¼ inch thick; about 2 ribs of celery
- 1 cup chopped onions, ½-inch pieces; about 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups beef broth, see Notes below
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (I use kosher salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat (I use a 5-quart pot). Add half of the beef cubes to the pot and cook until browned on 2 sides, the top and bottom. Remove the meat to a plate and set aside. Repeat the browning with the remaining beef cubes, then add the first batch of beef back to the pot.The meat will not be cooked through at this point.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you do.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and discard.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water until well combined. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the simmering stew. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for another minute or two until the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
Notes
- I recommend using a waxier potato, like Yukon gold or red, because they tend to hold their shape better once cooked. Starchier potatoes like russets can be used, but they may not hold their shape as well.
- Use a broth or stock that has lots of good flavor. I like to use roasted beef base mixed with water.
- It's important to brown the beef in 2 batches. If you overcrowd the pot, the meat will steam rather than brown, and you want that brown because it adds lots of flavor to the stew.
- It's not necessary to brown the meat on all sides. In fact, that could cause the meat to end up overcooked. So I do just 2 sides of each cube for get great results.
- The amount of salt you need will depend on how salty your beef broth is. I always start with a small amount of salt before simmering and then add more later if needed. Alternately, you can skip adding any salt up front and wait until the end to see if you need to add more.
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