This quick and easy beef stew is made with tender sirloin tips, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and potatoes. It is a hearty meal that is simple and affordable to make. With this stew you can stretch a pound of meat and still make a dinner that is totally satisfying.
This beef stew comes together quickly because we start with a tender cut of meat. By using sirloin tip, we can cut down on the cooking time just enough to let the vegetables cook, the broth thicken, and the flavors come together.
Soups and stews are personal favorites because they’re a terrific way to save money, use up leftovers and get a wholesome meal on the table. If you are looking for more dinner ideas try this hamburger soup, an easy chicken stew, and this ham and bean soup.
Ingredients
- Oil – We use olive oil, use your favorite if it is suitable for sautéing.
- Beef – Use sirloin tips for this stew because it is a tender cut of meat without requiring a long cooking time. However, beef chuck is a common cut used for stews. Beef round and brisket can also be used, but they will take more time to breakdown and become tender.
- Produce – From the produce aisle you will need onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and potatoes. For the mushrooms we use white button, but baby Bella mushrooms will work well. This stew is made with small red potatoes, but Yukon gold and white will be fine. If you must use russet potatoes, be aware that they will break down more.
- Pantry – From the pantry we need beef broth and flour to thicken the stew. All-purpose flour works well.
- Dairy – Butter is combined with the flour to make a roux, which is used to thicken soups and sauces.
- Spices – Salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning add extra flavor without a lot of fuss.
- Garnish and serving – Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with bread, crackers, or rice if desired.
Top tip
Use reduced sodium ingredients if you are sensitive to salt. You can find good quality low-sodium broth and butter, plus you can also cut down on the salt used to season the beef. Adjust the salt at the end if desired.
Instructions
Season the beef with 1 teaspoon of salt.
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the beef and cook for 3-5 minutes until browned. Stir and turn the meat occasionally to brown on all sides.
Add the mushroom and cook 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Then, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stir often.
Next, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Add the butter and stir until it melts.
Add the flour. Cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
Raise the heat and add the beef broth while stirring briskly and gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Continue stirring until the flour mixture dissolves.
Bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and cook the beef stew for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as needed.
Add the diced potatoes to the stew and raise the heat to bring the broth back to a boil. When it is boiling, lower the heat to medium to medium-low to keep the broth at a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.
Tips for the best beef stew
- Brown the beef before building the stew. The browned beef will add a layer of flavor you just will not get simply by boiling the meat.
- Sauté the vegetables first instead of just boiling them. Just like with the meat, cooking the vegetables for a few minutes will add a ton of flavor to soup and stew dishes.
- Stir the stew gently and often at the end to ensure nothing is sticking at the bottom. Stirring also helps thicken the stew by releasing the starch in the potatoes.
Serving and storing
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with bread like we do here, but there’s no need because this hearty beef stew is great on its own. You can also serve it with crackers or a side of rice for a stick-to-your-ribs comfort meal.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the stew, cool it quickly and place in airtight containers that are appropriate for freezing. Remember to leave an inch or two to allow for expansion. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Gently, reheat the soup in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until heated through (at least 165°F), stir occasionally – or reheat in the microwave.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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Check out the Web Story for this easy beef stew recipe a quick visual on making this delicious stew.
Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound Beef Sirloin Tip cut into small bite sized pieces
- 1½ teaspoon Salt divided (1 teaspoon for the beef, ½ teaspoon for the stew, plus extra at the end if needed)
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil or use your favorite vegetable oil
- 1 Medium Onion small dice
- 2 Carrots cut into rounds or half rounds depending on their size
- 1 Celery Rib sliced
- 8 ounces Mushrooms
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 3 tablespoons Flour all purpose
- 4 cups Beef Broth
- 12 ounces Red Potatoes cut into bite size pieces
Instructions
- Season the beef with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the beef.
- Cook the beef for 3-5 minutes until browned. Stir and turn the pieces occasionally to brown on all sides.
- Add the mushroom and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes until they start to turn golden in spots.
- Next, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the butter, when it melts add the flour. Cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Raise the heat and add the beef broth while stirring briskly and gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Continue stirring until the flour mixture dissolves.
- Bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and cook the beef stew for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Add the diced potatoes to the stew and raise the heat to bring the broth back to a boil. When it is boiling, lower the heat to medium to medium-low to keep the broth at a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve with bread for dipping, crackers, or rice to really stretch a serving.
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