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Avatar photoEmily Garcia

Traditional Beef Stew and Dumplings

A hearty and rich Traditional Beef Stew, slow-simmered in a savory red wine and beef broth base with tender vegetables and finished with light, fluffy, steamed herb dumplings. It's the ultimate cold-weather comfort meal.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish, Stew
Cuisine: American, British
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup red wine (or additional beef broth)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 lb small potatoes, quartered
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (for dumplings)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder (for dumplings)
  • 1 tsp salt (for dumplings)
  • 3 tbsp cold butter, cubed (for dumplings)
  • 1 cup whole milk (for dumplings)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for dumplings)

Equipment

  • heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or large pot
  • wooden spoon
  • medium mixing bowl

Method
 

  1. Pat the beef cubes completely dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, brown the beef on all sides until deeply caramelized (about 8–10 minutes total per batch). Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5–6 minutes until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for another minute until fragrant.
  3. Pour in the red wine (or additional broth), scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let the wine simmer for 2–3 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Return the browned beef (and any accumulated juices) to the pot, then add the beef broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Add more broth if the liquid does not just cover the meat.
  4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for $1.5$ hours, stirring occasionally. The beef should become fork-tender.
  5. Add the quartered potatoes during the last 30 minutes of the total cooking time.
  6. While the stew finishes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold, cubed butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and chopped parsley just until a soft dough forms (do not overmix).
  7. Remove the bay leaves and adjust the salt and pepper seasoning as needed. Using a large spoon, drop the dumpling dough in 8–10 generous dollops on top of the simmering stew.
  8. Cover the pot tightly and cook for 15–18 minutes without lifting the lid. The trapped steam is essential for light and fluffy dumplings. Serve immediately.

Notes

Brown the beef thoroughly in batches to achieve deep caramelization, which is crucial for flavor. Do not overmix the dumpling dough or lift the lid during the 15–18 minute steaming period to ensure light and fluffy dumplings. The stew base freezes well, but dumplings must be made fresh upon reheating.