Healthy Beef Stew Recipe

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 with all the classic flavors and coziness you want in a beef stew, with fewer calories and packed with vegetables. If you love soups and stews, try our Chickpea Stew, Ground Chicken Chili, or White Bean Chicken Soup as well!

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.

Easy Healthy Beef Stew Ingredients

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

• Beef Stew Meat - you can purchase stew meat at most grocery stores. 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.
• Whole Wheat Flour or All-Purpose Flour - used to thicken the stew. This can be subbed for ½ tablespoon of cornstarch if you'd prefer. I'd recommend making a cornstarch slurry with a little bit of water before adding it into the stew.
• Yellow Onion - adds the perfect amount of allium flavor to the soup. You can substitute for white onion.
• Baby Carrots or Regular Carrots - I love using baby carrots in soups and stews because you can cut them into little coins/rounds that get perfectly tender.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes - Yukon gold are perfect for stew - they cook up perfectly and are so tender. You can substitute for sweet potatoes if you'd prefer.
• Stalks of Celery - adds a lovely crunch and delicate flavor to the base of the stew.
• Fresh Garlic Cloves - using several cloves of garlic adds essential, rich flavor for the stew.
• Canned Diced Tomatoes - use any brand of your choice. You'll add the tomatoes and their juices.
• Tomato Paste - adds a bright, punchy hit of concentrated tomato flavor.
• Beef Broth - use beef broth or stock as the base of the stew. I like to use Better than Bouillon because it's cheaper than using cartons of broth.
• Sea Salt or Kosher Salt - a little bit of salt helps to season the soup and bring out the best flavors in each of the ingredients.
• Bay Leaf - imparts a beautiful and subtle herby flavor.
• Dried Thyme - adds herby flavor that pairs perfectly with the beef.
• Ground Black Pepper - adds a small amount of heat and great flavor to the stew.
• Dried Rosemary - adds rich, herby and woodsy flavor.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Healthy Beef Stew

1. Step 1: Prepare all the vegetables - dice the onion, celery, and carrots and cube the potatoes.

2. Step 2: 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 the beef to coat it in the flour.

3. Step 3: 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. 

4. Step 4: 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.

5. Step 5: Then add the garlic and carrots and let sauté for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.

6. Step 6: Add the potatoes and stir to combine, let sauté for an additional 3 minutes.

1. Step 7: 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. 

2. Step 2: 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. Uncover the pot and allow stew to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

3. Step 3: 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.

If you try this stovetop beef stew recipe, leave a comment and a star rating below!

Hearty Beef Stew with Potatoes & Carrots

This delicious hearty beef stew recipe is full of veggies and flavorful ingredients. It's the coziest bowl of stew with Yukon gold potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomatoes.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Emily Wilson

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds beef stew meat
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 3 celery stalks diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups baby carrots sliced into ¼-inch rounds
• 3 large Yukon gold potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces
• 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Instructions

• Heat 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 set them 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 the 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. 

Video

Notes

Refrigerate - leftover soup will keep for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Freeze - save in a freezer-safe bag or other container for up to 6 months.

Reheat - warm in the microwave in 1 to 2-minute increments till the desired temperature is reached or on the stovetop over medium heat.

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 it for an additional 10 to 20 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to make sure there aren't pieces of vegetables or beef sticking to the pot.

Specialty Ingredients - Feel free to use whatever cut of beef you'd like. Beef chuck is often used as it has a good amount of marbling and breaks down well when cooked for a longer period of time.

Adding Additional Vegetables - if you'd like to add more vegetables to this stew, I suggest adding ½ cup to 1 cup of frozen peas.

Sauces - if you'd like to add more depth of flavor, feel free to add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, or liquid aminos.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1470mg | Potassium: 1252mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6029IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 6mg