01/24/2026
Snow-Day Comfort Beef Stew
Serves: 4–6
Time: ~2 hours (mostly simmering bliss)
🛒 Ingredients
2 lbs beef chuck, cut into big chunks
Salt & pepper (be generous)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced thick
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 lb baby potatoes (halved) or diced Yukon golds
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp flour
1 cup red wine (optional but 👌)
4 cups beef broth
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas (optional, for color at the end)
Fresh parsley for garnish
👩🍳 Instructions
Season the beef well with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a big heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Brown the beef in batches—don’t crowd it! You want deep golden edges. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, toss in onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 5 minutes until soft and fragrant.
Add garlic and tomato paste—cook another minute.
Sprinkle in flour and stir for 1 minute to coat everything.
Pour in red wine (if using) and scrape up all those delicious browned bits from the bottom.
Add beef back to the pot along with broth, Worcestershire, herbs, bay leaves, and potatoes.
Bring to a gentle boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender and the broth thickens.
Toss in peas during the last 5 minutes if using.
Taste and adjust salt & pepper. Remove bay leaves.
Garnish with parsley and serve piping hot with crusty bread or buttery biscuits