Healthy Beef Stew

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This delicious healthy beef stew recipe is loaded with vegetables and comforting flavors. The beef is simmered till tender and succulent.

It's a great recipe that's got all the classic flavors and coziness you want in a beef stew, with fewer calories and more great vegetables.

You'll love the combination of tender beef, lush potatoes, thick stock, and rich spices in this recipe.

It's perfect for a chilly day when you want a warming bowl of stew.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• More Great Beef Recipes
• Substitutions & Variations
• What to Serve with Beef Stew
• Storage
• Tips for Making this Recipe
• Healthy Beef Stew

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this easy beef stew recipe.

• Beef Stew Meat
• Whole Wheat Flour or All Purpose Flour
• Yellow Onion
• Baby Carrots or Regular Carrots
• Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Stalks of Celery
• Fresh Garlic Cloves
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Beef Broth
• Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
• Bay Leaf
• Dried Thyme
• Ground Black Pepper
• Dried Rosemary

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Prepare all the vegetables - diced the onion, celery, and carrots and cube the potatoes.

Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. 

Once hot, add the beef chunks and flour. Toss to coat the beef in the flour.

Allow the beef to cook till browned on all sides, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. 

Remove the beef pieces from the pot and scrape up all the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Set these aside for later. 

Place the pot back on the stovetop and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. 

Once hot, add the diced yellow onion and celery and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.

Then add the garlic and carrots and let sauté for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.

Add the potatoes and stir to combine, let sauté for an additional 3 minutes.

Add the can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef broth. Stir till the tomato paste has dissolved. Scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the sea salt, bay leaves, dried thyme, black pepper, and rosemary. Stir to combine. 

Add the beef chunks back into the pot and cover. Increase heat and bring the stew to a low boil. Reduce to low or medium heat and allow to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Uncover the pot and allow stew to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. 

Serve immediately or save for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. 

Top with optional toppings like fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, or chopped soft herbs like parsley.

More Great Beef Recipes

Try some of our other favorite recipes with beef! And be sure to check out our whole post on Healthy Ground Beef Recipes.

• Slow Cooker Brisket Chili - if you like slow cooker recipes, you've got to try this one. It's a hearty and flavorful beef brisket recipe.
• Ground Beef Bulgogi - a fantastic weeknight meal that's super easy to make.

Substitutions & Variations

Want to make some changes to this hearty beef stew? Here are some optional ingredients to swap.

• Potatoes - feel free to substitute the yellow potatoes for sweet potatoes.
• Vegetables - if you'd like to add more vegetables to this stew, I suggest adding ½ cup to 1 cup of frozen peas.
• Flavorings - if you'd like to add more depth of flavor, feel free to add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, or liquid aminos.
• Meat - you can use meat specifically labeled as stew beef or stew meat (typically the tougher parts of the cow) or chuck roast, shoulder chuck, or top chuck.
• Starch - the flour used at the beginning of the recipe helps thicken the stew. This can be subbed for ½ tablespoon of corn starch if you don't have flour on hand. I'd recommend making a cornstarch slurry with a little bit of water before adding it in to the stew.

What to Serve with Beef Stew

Stew is great on its own, but if you'd like to stretch it further or have a larger meal, here are some great side dishes!

• Decorated Focaccia Bread - this delicious focaccia bread is decorated with seasonal vegetables.
• Parmesan Green Beans - roasted green beans with tasty parmesan cheese.
• Spring Mix Salad - a simple salad that's easy to pull together and full of veggies.

Storage

This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.

You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. I suggest freezing it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Cooking Tips - This recipe calls for a full 40 minutes of simmering time. This will ensure tender meat and fully-cooked potatoes. If you'd like an even thicker stew, you can simmer for an additional 10 to 20 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to make sure there aren't pieces of vegetable or beef sticking to the pot.

Specialty Ingredients - Feel free to use whatever kind of lean cut of beef you'd like for this recipe.

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