Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew {Without Potatoes}

This Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew {without potatoes} is rich in flavor, tender, and the perfect comfort food served with fresh pastry.

hearty dutch oven beef stew without potatoes in a bowl ready to enjoy.

This Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew {without potatoes} is perfect on a cold winter day served with Nan’s homemade pastry. There is something so comforting about a warm, tender, and bold-flavored beef stew.

This recipe is the perfect comfort food. Comfort food is my go-to during the winter months, like Mac n Cheese, and Lazy Lasagna Soup, just to name a few, and of course, this chunky beef stew recipe is at the top of the list too. 

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Ingredients needed to make hearty beef stew.

INGREDIENT NOTES

With simple ingredients, mostly fresh, this beef stew recipe comes together nicely. Here is what you will need:

  • Olive oil: to sear the meat, add some flavors and give the meat a nice brown texture.
  • Minced garlic: to add some great flavor and season the meat, perfectly.
  • Beef stew cubes: pre-cubed beef is best for this recipe and saves time.
  • Salt & Pepper: to bring out all the flavors in this stew.
  • Beef broth: to accompany the fresh beef cube flavor.  
  • Onion soup mix: to keep this recipe simple, and add some great depth and rich flavor.
  • Corn starch: to thicken the liquid.
  • Fresh thyme: for some great taste.
  • Carrot & turnip: fresh vegetables to accompany the beef cubes.
  • Celery: for a crunchy texture.
Hearty beef stew with pastry served in a bowl, ready to eat.

For the pastry you will need:

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Water

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

  • Peel carrot and turnip, and cube the large pieces into cubes, about 1 inch thick. Set aside
  • Clean celery stocks and cube them into 1-inch chunks.
  • Chop the fresh thyme.
  • Combine the beef broth, water, onion soup mix, and thyme in a large mixing bowl until combined.
  • Preheat oven to 325 F.
  • Preheat your Dutch oven on the stove on medium heat with 2 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic.
  • Once the garlic starts to simmer, place on beef cubes in a single layer (you have to repeat this step 3-4 times), without overlapping to begin the searing process, season the meat with salt and pepper.
searing the meat as the first step in this beef stew recipe.
  • Brown each piece of meat for about 2 minutes on each side. Once the meat has browned, remove it and add it to a heat-safe bowl. Continue to brown meat until all meat is browned and seasoned.
  • Once the meat has browned and is set aside, add the beef broth mixture into the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, once it has started boiling, add in the cornstarch slowly, whisking continuously until the mixture starts to thicken. Once corn starch is mixed in, turn off the heat and CAREFULLY add in your vegetables and meat using kitchen tongs.
  • Stir everything together until combined.
  • Cover with the lid, and place in the oven for 2 hours.
Vegetables added along with the broth for the remaining ingredients of the beef stew. The stew is ready for the oven.
  • After 2 hours, remove it from the oven and let it rest on the stovetop.
  • While the stew is baking, prepare the dry ingredients for the pastry. In a small mixing bowl blend together, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Once you are ready to bake your pastry, blend in the butter a little at a time with a fork (it will be crumbly), add in your milk and start blending together. Gradually add in your water a little at a time until the ingredients come together and you get a sticky dough ball. you may need a little more or a little less water*
  • Spray 9 muffin tin holes with spray oil. Fill each muffin tin ¾ full with batter. Bake 350 F for 10-12 minutes until the pastry starts to brown.
Beef stew being served from the dutch oven into a soup bowl.

SERVING TIPS

One of my family’s favorite ways to serve Dutch oven beef stew without potatoes is with Nan’s homemade pastry. It’s fluffy, with a crispy outside, and goes perfectly on top of a bowl of hot tender beef stew.

You can also serve this dish with garlic bread, fresh bread, dinner rolls, or dumplings.

STORAGE TIP

Homemade Beef Stew can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed air-tight container.

HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEW WITH POTATOES

You can easily add potatoes to this chunky beef stew. Simply rinse, peel, and cube your potatoes into 1-inch thick chunks and add them into your Dutch oven with the rest of your vegetables.

Re-heat as needed on the stovetop in a pot, or simply microwave.

Hearty beef stew hot out of the oven, ready to be served.

CAN YOU MAKE THIS HEARTY BEEF STEW IN THE CROCK-POT

Yes, you can make this beef stew recipe in a crock pot.

  1. Sear the meat first like the steps mentioned above.
  2. Add the liquid ingredients to the crock pot first, including the onion soup mix, and whisk in your cornstarch.
  3. Add in all remaining ingredients and cook on high for 6 hours.
beef stew served with pastry.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s)

What is the secret to good beef stew?

The secret to cooking a good beef stew is to not rush the process. To ensure your stew is tender you want to give the stew time to slowly cook, especially the meat. Give your stew a minimum of 2 hours to cook. The length of the cooking time also enhances the flavor.

What is the best thickener for beef stew?

Cornstarch is the best for thickening stew compared to flour, it won’t cloud your liquid. Remember to slowly add in your cornstarch at the right time to avoid it getting clumpy.

What liquid do you use for beef stew?

Beef broth, stock, or bouillon are the best beef stew liquid to use!

PS. Here are some other dishes you might want to try:

Beef stew fresh from the oven, ready to be served.

Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew {Without Potatoes}

This Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew {without potatoes} is rich in flavor, tender, and the perfect comfort food served with fresh pastry.
4.50 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 505kcal
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Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 ½ lb beef cubes
  • ¼ tsp salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp pepper to taste
  • 1 946 mL beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • ¼ cup onion soup mix 1 packet is approx. 1/4 cup
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp thyme fresh, if using dry 1 1/2 tsp
  • 3 cups carrot cubed
  • 4 cups turnip cubed
  • 1 cup celery diced

Pastry

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼-1/3 cup water

Instructions

  • Peel carrot and turnip, and cube the large pieces into cubes, about 1 inch thick. Set aside.
  • Clean celery stocks and dice them into 1-inch chunks.
  • Chop the fresh thyme.
  • Preheat oven to 325 F.
  • Preheat the Dutch oven on the stove on medium heat with 2 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic.
  • Once the garlic starts to simmer, place on beef cubes in a single layer (you have to repeat this step 3-4 times), without overlapping to begin the searing process, season the meat with salt and pepper. Add in more olive oil as needed.
  • Brown each piece of meat for about 2 mins on each side. Once the meat had browned, removed it and add it to a heat-safe bowl. Continue to brown meat until all meat is browned and seasoned.
  • While the meat is browning, mix together the onion soup mix, beef broth, water, thyme, and corn startch. Whisk everything together until well combined.
  • Once the meat has browned and is set aside, add the beef broth mixture into the Dutch oven.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking continsouly to thicken the liquid mixture as it boils.
  • After a few minutes of boiling and whisking, turn off the burner. CAREFULLY add in your vegetables and meat using kitchen tongs.
  • Stir everything together until combined.
  • Cover with the lid, and place in the oven for 2 hours.
  • After 2 hours, remove it from the oven and let it rest on the stovetop for 15 minutes.
  • While the stew is baking, prepare the dry ingredients for the pastry.
  • In a small mixing bowl blend together, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
  • Once you are ready to bake your pastry, blend in the butter a little at a time with a fork (it will be crumbly), add in your milk and start blending together.
  • Gradually add in your water a little at a time until the ingredients come together and you get a sticky dough ball. *You may need a little more or a little less water*
  • Spray 9 muffin tin holes with spray oil.
  • Fill each muffin tin ¾ full with batter.
  • Bake 350 F for 10-12 minutes until the pastry starts to brown.
  • Serve stew with pastry on top and enjoy!

Notes

CROCK-POT INSTRUCTIONS
    1. Sear the meat first like the steps mentioned above.
    2. Add the liquid ingredients to the crock pot first, including the onion soup mix, and whisk in your cornstarch.
    3. Add in all remaining ingredients and cook on high for 6 hours.
STORAGE TIPS
Homemade Beef Stew can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed air-tight container.
HOW TO SERVE BEEF STEW
One of my family’s favorite ways to serve Dutch oven beef stew without potatoes is with Nan’s homemade pastry. It’s fluffy, with a crispy outside, and goes perfectly on top of a bowl of hot tender beef stew.
You can also serve this dish with garlic bread, fresh bread, dinner rolls, or dumplings.
ADDING POTATOES
You can easily add potatoes to this chunky beef stew. Simply rinse, peel, and cube your potatoes into 1-inch thick chunks and add them into your Dutch oven with the rest of your vegetables.
Re-heat as needed on the stovetop in a pot, or simply microwave.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword beef stew, beef stew without potatoes, comfort food, dutch oven beef stew, hearty beef stew, stew, stewed meat, stews

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1586mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 8740IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 3mg
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