Chunks of beef a-swim in a delicious, rich, hearty tomato stew is my idea of heaven in a bowl – especially when it takes just 20 minutes flat, and the stove does all the rest.
This is my kind of stew. It combines real beef broth with good, canned tomatoes, the welcome, tender, melt-in-your mouth flavor of cooked carrots, and fall-apart tender potatoes. All of this floats in a thick, zesty, beefy, tomatoey broth that makes this my new favorite stew, hands down.
If your kids love canned vegetable soup, this stew gets close to that Campbell’s broth quality in their traditional canned vegetable soup, which actually relies on a tomato and beef broth for its base. But this stew is ten times as delicious, nutritious, and healthy.
Why Your Family Will Gobble This Up…
There’s nothing I love more than a good soup, bouillon, jambalaya, hot gazpacho, or stew just a-bubble on the stove all day, with its promising aromas perfuming my home with the smells of my approaching dinner.
You know you have a good stew when you dip a spoon in your bowl and it comes up sparkling with delicious bits of this and that, like a net revealing all the treasures it has gathered from the sea. That’s what this stew does. One spoonful of this, with its glistening bits of tomato and tender beef, accompanied by a bit of potato and carrot suspended in that delicious tomato-beef broth and then the welcome warm feel of that stew as it’s swallowed – there’s no better comfort for me than that.
This stew is perfectly seasoned, with just the right bit of fresh garlic (you can use fresh-pressed or garlic already pressed and jarred in olive oil), thyme, and that oh-so-magical bay leaf, which is the secret behind many a chef’s great stews.
And the best thing about a long-simmering stew is that you get to sit back and enjoy the aromas floating about your home, created by the delicious, hearty meal that will soon be in your bowl and in a spoon on its way to your hungry mouth.
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store
You can store this delicious stew for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will freeze well, too, in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for 90 days.
Can I Make a Vegan Version of This Stew?
You can most certainly make a vegan version of this stew. Simply, replace the beef broth with a no-beef vegan alternative like Ocean’s Halo No-Beef Broth or Better Than Bouillon’s No Beef Base. Alternatively, use a vegan vegetable base or broth. Also, replace the stew meat with Beyond Meat’s Beyond Steak Seared Tips or Gardein’s Plant-Based Be’f Tips. All else is vegan here.
Are There Any Beef Substitutes for Stew Meat?
You can use any kind of roast or tender steak like skirt steak or a top roast, round roast, tip roast, chuck roast – or even substitute browned ground beef if you like.
Serving Suggestions
This lovely stew would pair wonderfully with something to nibble on the side, like this Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich or this melty, crispy, buttery, delicious Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Melt. I love to serve stew with a bread with a bit of something on it, like this delicious, fast, Rustic Bruschetta, which is like garlic toast topped with the most delicious tomato blend. You can spoon stew over these garlicky, buttery, tomato-topped little toasts and they will be just heavenly. For dessert? Why not treat yourself to a quick and amazing Ice Cream Sandwich Cake?
Tomato Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1.5 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef stew meat and cook until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot with the beef, cooking until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables, stirring to coat and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and beef broth, stirring to combine.
- Add the chopped carrots, cubed potatoes, salt, pepper, dried thyme, and bay leaves to the pot.
- Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.
- Simmer the stew for about 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beef is tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving.
- Serve the stew hot, ideally with a side of crusty bread for dipping.
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