Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew
This Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew is a comfort food classic…
warm up with a bowl tonight!
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So a brewery opened up recently right around the corner from us. Well, to be fair, Shmaltz Brewing opened their tasting room about a year ago, but we didn’t make it in to visit until the end of the summer. But now that we’ve discovered it, we’ve become regulars…not unlike Norm and Carla in Cheers. (If you ever come across Shmaltz in your area, they have one heck of a tasty IPA!) What’s not to love about a craft brewery less than 2 miles from your house? Add in the comfy leather couches, and you can see why we’re hooked.
My wife and I love to go to bar trivia nights. We never (well, rarely) win anything, but we always give it the old college try. The brewery around the corner has a trivia night…and get this–it starts at 6:30 and it’s over by 8:00! Old people unite! (Ok, we might not be that old, but we do get up at 5:00am…that makes us honorary old people.) Actually, I think we wake up earlier than most old people.
For the most part, the trivia categories are movies and music. If there’s one thing I am not good at, it’s movies and music trivia. I think every actor looks like Mark Wahlberg, and I think Phil Collins sang every song in the 1980’s. (Actually, I really do think Phil Collins sang every song in the ’80s.) I’m waiting on the college sports or food categories to come around…of course, I’m sure the questions will be insanely obscure. But then again, it’s trivia. If the questions were too easy, it would be called Jeopardy. (Haha…totally kidding! How do those contestants on Jeopardy know all of that stuff??)
Since trivia starts on the early side, Thursday nights in our house are a bit rushed. My wife usually gets home around 5:30, and then we try to be back out of the door by 6:00. That means we need quick and easy dinners. That means we need this Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew!
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew
One of our mutual friends (who also happens to work with my wife) has been going to trivia with us, and we’ve started a Thursday night dinner tradition at our house. But since we need to eat quickly, we’ve started planning ahead to make sure we always have yummy leftovers ready to go. Just recently, I made a big pot of this beef stew, and it was perfect for Thursday trivia night! I had 3 bowls warmed up and ready to go in no time…and to top it off, this beef stew is pretty much the very definition of comfort food. It’s like the canned soup version…but way, way better.
As we head off into the coldest part of the winter here in upstate New York, I suspect that this Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew will make many appearances on our dinner table. If you’re in the area on a Thursday night, then swing by and grab a bowl with us…but only if you’re good at trivia!
Did you make a batch of this Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp salt divided
- 1½ tsp pepper divided
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 medium beef chuck roast ~3 pounds
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine I recommend red zinfandel
- 4 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 pounds small white potatoes diced into 1” cubes
- 4 large carrots sliced into ½” slices
- 3 stalks celery sliced into ½” slices
- 16-18 small pearl onions aka cipollini onions, peeled (see note below)
- 1 cup dry barley
- 1 cup frozen peas
- crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and cumin until well combined; set aside.
- Trim the chuck roast and then cut into 1” cubes. Place cubed meat in the bowl with the flour mixture. Toss until well coated.
- Using a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the flour-coated meat and cook until browned on all sides (~7-8 minutes total). Remove browned meat and repeat process with the remaining meat. Remove second batch of browned meat; set aside.
- Add the diced onions, remaining 1 tsp salt, remaining ½ tsp pepper and sugar to the Dutch oven. Stir and saute for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the tomato paste and stir until onions are well coated. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Return the browned meat to the pan and add the wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and thyme. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil over high heat. Once liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, celery and pearl onions. Stir until well combined, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add the barley; stir until well combined. Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes.
- Stir in the frozen peas and simmer uncovered for 5-10 more minutes.
- Serve with sliced crusty bread.
Notes
Looking for more tasty soup and stew recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I have often wondered about those Jeopardy contestants myself – heck, I’ve even wondered about you trivia folks! I am absolutely horrible at trivia (probably worse than you think you are, David)- but, I am absolutely BRILLIANT at making bowls of hearty soup disappear! And this soup sure sounds and looks so incredibly hearty – I am totally intrigued by your combo of cumin and red wine – I cannot wait to try those 2 together!
Hmmm…I bet you are better at trivia than you give yourself credit for, Shashi! Heck, even if you stink, you are always welcome to join me and Laura on trivia nights. Plus, I can promise some sort of quick and tasty meal beforehand! 🙂
Yum, yum, yum! I love hearty soups/stews in the Winter. We aren’t going to get out of the 30s today in Atlanta so I could use a bowl of this stew today!
Woah…that is chilly for Atlanta! We’re currently in the 20’s, but the nice 20mph wind isn’t helping out very much. I say it’s the perfect day to curl up on the couch with a bowl of hot stew!
This is the perfect remedy for the -20 wind chills this week. Love me some rich, hearty beef stew! Thanks, Dave!
I totally agree, Becca! If it wasn’t for the gym, I probably wouldn’t leave the house for the rest of the week. This is most certainly stew weather!!
This looks like my husbands ideal meal! My goal for this month is to make more comforting stews like this and this one looks like a great place to start.
Awesome…I love that resolution, Dannii! There is nothing better than a big bowl of stew on a cold winter night. 🙂
Loving the barley, cumin and cipollini onions in this. As for Phil, did you know his bandmates in Genesis were the incredible Peter Gabriel and Mike Rutherford who went to ‘Mike and the Mechanics’? Stay warm. 🙂 #WolfpackEats
Kevin! You, sir, have just earned a spot on the highly respected trivia team of David and Laura (also known as “The Hopportunists”. That’s some seriously good music trivia there!!
Loving everything in this, pure comfort in a bowl!
Thanks so much, Matt! Nothing like a hot bowl of stew on a (very) cold winter day, right? 🙂
Mmm what a perfect dinner idea for this time of the year! It’s FREEZING out right now, and this soup is keeping me warm just looking at it! Pinned 🙂
Thanks so much, Christina! It’s crazy cold here, too….and all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a bowl of soup!
I am totally planning a Thursday night trivia surprise attack. I’ll kick your butt. Lol. I wish. Really I do. I live for that stuff, and having to hire a sitter to do that kind of thing means it happens never. I would love to come down and grab a beer with you some time though. Especially if you make a bowl of this for me.
Katie! You are ALWAYS welcome to join the team of Laura and David (aka The Hopportunists) for some Thursday night trivia. And if you bring your crazy trivia skills to our team, then I’ll make you your very own pot of this soup. You can eat the whole thing…just save room for a pint or two! 🙂
Oh mate, you need to join in on our trivia nights here- Beer + Parma (chicken parmigiana) and trivia all in one. The best. The only time we won was one we were doing Sober October and our prize was a $100 bar tab that night. I think none of us slept because we all had red bulls…
After this stew though, I’d be secondf guessing myself.
Hahaha…how’s that for a kick in the butt? You win trivia but get a bar tab as prize…and then can’t drink. I’m pretty sure I would have had to suspend the rules for that night! Beer and chicken parm sound like a delicious combo…I’m pretty sure I need to make that happen soon. (We get to bring our own food to the brewery for trivia night. I may or may not have wrapped a brick in foil and then put it in the bottom of a cooler so that I can bring a hot meal last time.) You are always welcome to join our team…just ask for The Hopportunists!
I’ll definitely take a big bowl of this stew on a cold winter day! Love the flavors! Stay warm!
You’re telling me, Ashley! My hair was still a little wet when I left the gym this morning…and it froze on the way to my car. I literally had ice in my hair. That calls for an extra big bowl of soup! 🙂
I LOVE beef and barley soup!! This looks great.
I did not know about that brewery being so close!
I’m guessing they are open on Saturdays? “Mr. Porter” and I will have to check it out.
Thanks so much, SueAnn! We polished off the last of this soup recently, and I’m definitely ready to make another batch soon! And yes, Shaltz is indeed open on Saturdays…I think it’s later in the afternoon, though. I bet Mr. Porter will love the place!!
Trivia night sounds like a ton of fun and I’m loving this hearty stew! beef and barley was my favorite kind of soup as a kid but I’ve never made it. I definitely want to try this!
Beef and barley was always my favorite as a kid, too, Tori! This version beats the heck out of anything in cans. We just polished off the last off it recently, and now I’m thinking about making another big pot. Also, trivia night is the best. 🙂
Trivia ends at 8:00? Mmmkay. But you can’t argue with a brewery down the street! Did you like Sweetwater when you were down here?
This stew looks awesome and appropriately meaty and thick! And the fact that you added barley…well that’s just beyond…why have I never added barley to my stews? You’ve one upped me again!
I totally loved Sweetwater when I lived down there! I ended up there on several occasions, but I always hated how crowded it got. I still have several of their pint glasses that I use on a regular basis up here!
I can almost smell this stew. I was just thinking of making lentil stew and now seeing this one I’m hooked. Love the colors and btw. it looks like meat just fell apart..cooked to perfection. Yum.
Oh, man…this stew is one of my all-time favorites, Hani! We sadly finished the last of it last week, but I’m definitely thinking about making another batch soon. It’s perfect for cold winter days…and it’s pretty much the very definition of comfort food! 🙂
My husband is a stew, soup, salad, and/or sandwich man. I’m always on the look out for one or the other. This one is definitely a winner! Love the collage of cumin, wine, and pearl onions.
He’s in love and I’m grateful to you David.
Thanks.
Canadians in Dubai
Hey there, Jo and Derek! Thank you SO much for stopping by and leaving such a kind comment. I saw the comment over the long weekend, and it totally made me smile. 🙂 This stew is one of our go-to’s on cold, winter evenings, and I absolutely love it! I’m glad you guys enjoyed it, too. Cheers, my friends! (And thanks again!)