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This Easy Beef Stew comes together with just 6 simple ingredients! It’s a wholesome, healthy comfort food that’s packed with flavor and real food ingredients. The beef stew recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and paleo-friendly!

An overhead photo of a Dutch oven of gluten-free beef stew with a text overlay for pinterest.

The Ultimate Cozy Comfort Food

Beef stew is the epitome of comfort food. Only, sometimes you just want to throw whatever you have on hand into a pan and let it go. And today I get to share a recipe from a good friend who will teach us just that!

My blogging friend Megan, from Country Cleaver just released a new cast iron cooking book called Cast Iron Gourmet; 77 Amazing Recipes with Less Fuss and Fewer Dishes.

I cooked the easy beef stew in a cast iron dutch oven and it is divine! Everything you could possibly want in wholesome comfort food.

the Cast Iron Gourmet cookbook and bowls of 6 ingredient beef stew

Cast Iron Cooking

The key to developing rich taste in this simple beef stew is by cooking it in a cast iron Dutch oven!

Cast iron cooking allows the flavors of the ingredients you’re cooking to blend together in a way that you won’t get using traditional pots and pans.

Plus, cast iron cooking is healthier, because a well seasoned cast iron pan doesn’t require using as much oil. Oh, and let’s not forget the benefits of the additional IRON being added to the beef stew!

Simple Beef Stew Ingredients

Below is an overview of the ingredients and recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information.

ingredients needed to make an easy beef stew recipe; carrots, potatoes, parsnips, celery, onion, and broth

Lean beef – Use stew meat, or cut your own from chuck roast, brisket, shank, or bottom round.
Oil – Light olive oil or refined avocado oil.
Broth – Use vegetable, chicken, or beef broth or stock for the liquid base of the stew.
Red wine – The best wine to use for stew are typically dry red wines with good tannin content, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Zinfandel/Shiraz. A good rule of hand is to choose something good enough to drink, but not necessarily top-shelf.
Mirepoix – A celery, carrot, and onion mixture.

Prep Tip: Keep frozen mirepoix on hand in your freezer to use for soups and stews

Parsnips or red potatoes – I used a mixture of both!
Salt and pepper – To taste.
Fresh herbs to garnish – Use your favorite fresh herb—parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, or even cilantro.

What is Mirepoix?

This French term is used to describe a mixture of equal parts carrots, celery, and onion.

But did you know that placing mirepoix into 2 cup plastic bags and freezing it will save you time and freak outs when you just want a simple beef stew for dinner! The French knew what they were doing there. Freezer friendly meals and ingredients are crucial these days. Even for faux gourmet! Haha, oh la la!

How to Make Easy Beef Stew

Preheat the oven to 3oo°F with the oven rack in the lower middle position.
Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides.

Note: Don’t rush the browning process or pull the steak away from the pan if it has not naturally released on its own. Let the beef tell you when it’s ready to flip. Moving it early will risk pulling away the seasoned beef, leaving it in the pan.

pieces of beef being browned in a skillet being stirred with a wooden spoon

Overhead photo of sautéed veggies in a white soup pot.

Once the beef is browned on all sides, put it on a plate to the side; repeat the browning with the rest of the beef.
Add in the chopped mirepoix and soften the vegetables, stirring them in the pan to sweat and soften. This will also act as a deglazing to the pan, pulling up some of those developed, flavory bits cooked onto the bottom.
Stir in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any other cooked on fond. Whisk in the red wine and add the beef back into the pan.
Cover the Dutch oven and place it into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Note: If using leaner meat and fresh mirepoix mix, it will cook faster than an hour.

When 45 minutes to an hour has passed, remove the lid and stir in the baby potatoes and parsnips. Cover and continue to cook for another 45 minutes to one hour.
Test the beef by pulling it apart with two forks. If there is resistance, continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the beef falls apart easily.
Serve in bowls and garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

easy beef stew cooking in a cast iron Dutch oven

More of Our Favorite

Soup and Stew Recipes

Gluten-Free Beef Stew Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

Author: Lindsay Cotter
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 6 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This easy beef stew comes together with just 6 simple ingredients! It’s a wholesome comfort food dinner that’s packed with flavor and real food ingredients. The beef stew recipe is gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and paleo-friendly!

Ingredients

Units Scale

3 Tablespoons light olive oil or refined avocado oil
2 pounds cubed chuck steak, cut into 1 ½” cubes or lean stew meat
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 cups roughly chopped mirepoix (equal parts carrots, onion, and celery) – fresh or frozen
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 pound baby potatoes and/or chopped peeled parsnips (or a mix of both)
Optional Garnish – fresh herbs

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 3oo°F with the oven rack in the lower middle position.
Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides. Note: Don’t rush the browning process or pull the steak away from the pan if it has not naturally released on its own. Let the beef tell you when it’s ready to flip. Moving it early will risk pulling away the seasoned beef, leaving it in the pan.
Once the beef is browned on all sides, put it on a plate to the side; repeat the browning with the rest of the beef.
Next, add in the chopped mirepoix and soften the vegetables, stirring them in the pan to sweat and soften. This will also act as a deglazing to the pan, pulling up some of those developed, flavory bits cooked onto the bottom.
Next, stir in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any other cooked on fond. Whisk in the red wine and add the beef back into the pan.
Cover the Dutch oven and place it into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Note: If using leaner meat and fresh mirepoix mix, it will cook faster than an hour.
When 45 minutes to an hour has passed, remove the lid and stir in the baby potatoes and parsnips. Cover and continue to cook for another 45 minutes to one hour.
Test the beef by pulling it apart with two forks. If there is resistance, continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the beef falls apart easily.
Serve in bowls and garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

Notes

Megan’s notes – Keep frozen mirepoix on hand in your freezer. Equal parts carrots, celery, and onion all frozen in 2 cup baggies will save you time and freak outs when you just want stew!
Recipe printed from Cast Iron Gourmet with permission. Minor adaptations made.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes to 2 hours
Category: main, dinner
Method: stove top, oven
Cuisine: American

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