With a flavorful sauce and a quick cooking time, this Skillet Beef Stew is the ultimate family dinner. This 45-minute recipe is a modern take on a classic that people will think you spent hours cooking.
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My easy Skillet Beef Stew recipe has all the essence of classic beef stew that’s been cooking for hours, but my version takes only about 45 minutes! I let my big cast iron skillet do all the work by searing the beef to perfection and delivering even more flavor to the sauce.
Picking The Best Meat For Stew
While you can buy a roast, you’ll have to trim the fat off and cube it. You can save time by buying ready-to-go beef for stew or beef tips that have already been cut up and removed from the fat. You might still have to cut up some larger chunks of beef stew, but this saves much upfront work.
What Is Traditional Beef Stew?
This recipe, which can be traced back to France, is traditionally simmered for many hours on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. But as with any popular recipe, home cooks have devised ways to make it their own. One way is to speed it up by cutting the beef and veggies smaller.
Skillet Beef Stew Ingredients
- Beef Stew: Beef tips will work here too.
- Vegetables: We keep it simple with carrots and baby potatoes. Red potatoes work also!
- Red Wine: A signature ingredient in any beef stew! It cooks out, but feel free to swap it for extra beef stock or a splash of balsamic vinegar.
- Beef Stock: This builds the broth. You can use low sodium or regular, and beef stock or beef broth both work.
- Basics: Butter adds richness to the sauce, and flour helps thicken it.
- Olive Oil: To brown the beef in.
- Salt and Pepper: Season to taste, and don’t be shy about it! Some recipes add herbs like thyme, bay leaf, or rosemary, but to keep it family-friendly, I find it best just to use salt and pepper.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the protein: Try chicken thighs or mushrooms for a vegetarian twist.
- Extra veggies: Add peas, mushrooms, or onions for even more texture.
- Gluten-free option: Use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce.
Step By Step Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables: First, slice the carrots and potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper—roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Sear the Beef: While the vegetables are roasting, add butter and olive oil to a skillet over heat set to medium-high. Sear the beef on all sides. When done, remove from the pan.
- Make the Sauce: Lower the heat and add butter and flour. Scrape up any beef bits from the bottom of the pan and cook flour mixture (roux) for about 1 minute. Grate in the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly add in wine and beef stock and whisk to incorporate into the cooked four mixture.
- Add the Vegetables Back: Lastly, raise the heat to medium-high and add in the beef, carrots, and potatoes. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens and all ingredients are heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning then serve.
What’s The Best Way To Store Leftover Skillet Beef Stew?
If you are lucky enough to have any leftovers, place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The flavors deepen over time, making it even better the next day. Store in the fridge and reheat before serving.
Absolutely! Chuck roast, sirloin, or even short ribs work well. Just adjust the cooking time as needed.
Warm, crusty bread and a simple green salad pair perfectly. Easy Scalloped Potatoes, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, or Easy Roasted Broccoli also make great sides.
What To Do With Leftover Stew
We love leftovers in this house! Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy this skillet stew the next day.
- Over egg noodles: Turn it into a beef stroganoff-style dish or serve over these Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Noodles.
- With mashed potatoes: Serve it over creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for an extra cozy meal.
- As a pot pie filling: Use the stew as a base and top with puff pastry or biscuits. Or use it in this Beef Tips Shepherd’s Pie.
Craving More? Try These Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Skillet Beef Stew Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Equipment
- Baking Pan
- Microplane
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs beef stew or beef tips
- 2 carrots
- 6-8 baby potatoes
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- olive oil
- 1 tablespoon parsley
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash, peel and roughly chop carrots. Wash potatoes and cut in half.
- Layer carrots and potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast in oven for 20 minutes until just under fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet – I use cast iron. Place beef in pan making sure meat is in a single layer. Season with salt & pepper.
- Sear beef on all sides. Once meat is done, remove from pan and set aside.
- Lower heat on skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter to melt. *There should be about 3 tablespoons total of fat in the bottom of pan. Sprinkle flour in pan and whisk until mixed with fat, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan.
- Using a microplane, grate garlic into pan. Cook flour mixture and garlic on low heat for 1 minute stirring constantly.
- Slowly add in wine and whisk until flour mixture is completely incorporated. Add beef stock, stir and raise heat to a low boil.
- Add in beef and vegetables. Continue to cook until sauce thickens and all ingredients are heated through.
- Sprinkle in salt, pepper and parsley stirring gently. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve with a green salad and warm bread.
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Chris Hackett
I just made this recipe. I added onion and it is delicious. That’s why I follow you guys
Michael
Flavor was good but definitely needs onions. I will use different meat next time as it was very tough. Stew meat needs more time to break down to be tender. I also added some oregano as well.
Holly Woods
I have baby carrots how many,?
Donya
Hey there Holly!
That’s a great question, thank you so much for your interest in this recipe! If you’re using baby carrots, I would recommend using about a cup of chopped carrots. I hope this helps, let me know what you think about the recipe if you give it a try! Have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
MARGARET ROBERTS
Needs onions…2nd time I made this added frozen pearl onions to veggies.
Donya
Hey Margret!
Thank you for your rating! I’m glad you made this recipe your own, the pearl onions sound like a fantastic addition, I’ll have to try it! Thank you!
~Donya
Leilani
I made this recipe tonight. This is the 1st stew I’ve ever made, it was easy and delicious. I didn’t have wine so I just used extra broth. Thanks for the great recipe. I will definitely be making this again:)
Sandy
Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
WOW! You are so welcome, Sandy. Thank you for your kind words and I am just tickled that you liked the recipe.
Have a great 2019!
XO,
~Donya
Cathy Lowman
Beef stew meat can be tough. Since cooking time is so short for the meat, is it tender? Thank you! Looks & sounds delicious. Love your technique of oven roasting the veggies.
Joanne @ No Plate Like Home
Looks like a filling and tasty meal. I like that you make it in a skillet, in the oven.
Thanks Joanne! The family loves this one. So glad you stopped by.
XO,
~Donya