As a kid, we ate a lot of beef stew. In fact, this recipe was our standard Sunday dinner. Everything would go into the Dutch oven and then into the oven before we went to church and when we got home 3 hours later, it would be ready. We ate it with whole wheat bread and butter and it felt warm and homey. I’ve changed the old standard a little–added some (a lot of) garlic, substituted V8 for tomato juice and beef bouillon instead of just salt. But really, it’s all the same: something easy, nourishing, and delicious that just about everybody loves.
Ingredient Notes
- The Basics – You’ll find a lot of the usual players here: carrots, celery, an onion, baby (or chopped) potatoes, fresh garlic, and some dry spices.
- The Additions – Good old concentrated canned tomato soup and some V8 (found on the juice aisle) provide a delicious tomato base. A couple of bouillon cubes or a couple of teaspoons of beef base are added in as well.
- Stew Meat – You’ll also need some lean stew meat. You may need to cut some of the pieces into something a little more bite-sized.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 F. Cut the veggies–I usually make the potatoes on the large side of bite-sized, the carrots and celery on the small side of bite-sized, and then the onions chopped pretty small because I don’t like them in chunks. But you can do it however you like! Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven or other heavy oven-safe dish with a tight-fitting lid.
- Pop that in the preheated oven for 3 hours, and that’s it!
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a side salad and really any type of warm bread with butter. Here are a few of my favorites:
- One-Hour Dinner Rolls
- French Bread, Hoagies, and Buns
- Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread
- Rosemary Focaccia
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this ahead of time? Yes! Soups and stews are often even better when reheated and usually freeze really well. You can prepare the stew and reheat as needed, or freeze individual portions in silicone muffin tins or Souper Cubes for an easy lunch or dinner.
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Sunday Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4-5 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 1 large or 2 small onions chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups vegetable juice cocktail like V8 or Bloody Mary Mix
- 1 10- ounce can condensed tomato soup
- 10 ounces water just use empty soup can to measure
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 2 beef bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons beef base
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 pounds lean beef stew meat cut into smaller cubes if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 F. Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven or other heavy oven-safe dish with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 3 hours.
Questions & Reviews
Oh I love to read and love when other people mention books. I love beef stew but have always had a hard time finding a good recipe or one that does not require a 100 steps and ingredients, so this I’m excited to try but there is one little problem and this is my question. Do you think I could use a pork roast instead? Due to dietary issues my husband and I do it for support have not had beef since the middle of the year. Well Ok I cheated a few times, mostly for a greasy taco and a steak or two.
You could always try! 🙂 I’ve never used it, and the flavor profile is a bit different, but you could always give it a shot!
This is almost the exact recipe my Mom used to make. Hers was called After Church Stew (I think because she could put it together before church, pop it in the oven, and it would be ready for Sunday dinner.) She served it on Sunday so often that our Pastor would tease her that he thought it may be the only thing she knew how to cook but that was okay by him! (Apparently he ate with us quite often on Sunday afternoons!) Still my favorite stew recipe to this day – I’m definitely going to try the few little changes given in this recipe!
The Boxcar children was my favorite too. Thanks for the memory. Am making this stew today, but will add parsnips as they need to be used up. Dont have any V-8 but with so many tomatoes here from the garden I think I should try and make my own. Anybody ever done that one ?
Another huge hit! Wow, I cannot get over how good the sauce of this is! I had given up making beef stew years ago as I could never get the sauce to be just right. I made this yesterday and am eating it again for lunch today! I made some adjustments to the veggies(no onion or celery, added mushrooms) to suit our families tastes, but kept the rest of it exactly as written. So fabulous.
I made it tonight. My super picky son ate the meat out of it and loved it. Thanks. Now, what to try next?
Made it! Yum!
Best beef stew EVER!!! I will be making this again! it was a hit 0 infact I had 2 crockpots going at the same time….. added some drop bisquits with your honey butter and some fresh fruit and we had an awesome meal – Thanks so much!
Wow did this take me back- I loved the boxcar children, especially the cooking part! I was so excited about the idea that children could cook that my mom bought me the Boxcar Children Cookbook- it was my first cookbook and is still on my kitchen shelf!
Can’t wait to try this recipe- I bought all the ingredients tonight, so hopefully tomorrow!
I was wondering what I could substitute for the vegetable juice cocktail. I live overseas and can’t get that here. : (
Sorry I’m just getting back to you!! Do you have tomato juice? Or Bloody Mary mix?
just finished putting everything in the crock pot for dinner tonight…in your opinion which is best? Crockpot or oven??
Had this for dinner and at first I thought this might not be as good as I’d hoped. So I held out and let it cook for the full 10+ hours added a little kosher salt and pepper and then we were talking. We ate it with the honey butter and bread (because the honey butter is divine and makes a TON) And then for dessert the Coconut Banana Bread with lime Glaze.(Again with the Honey butter, which just made it all the yummier)
I have one question, Do you need to brown the beef first?
Nancy–You can, although I never have and it’s always been fabulous. 🙂
I baked our leftover stew into individual serving pot pies. I had to drain off a little of the broth, but they were so moist and delicious! I almost liked it better as a pot pie than the stew by itself. Made it with the homemade crust too.
Made it. Loved it. 🙂
Gee, I haven't made this recipe yet but I just had to chime in with all of the Boxcar Children camaraderie in the comments! I read the first one and ONLY remember the part where they set up camp, so to speak, basically everything everyone's mentioned here (the detail sticking out the most in my mind being the milk behind the waterfall). I really want to reread it now. How interesting that it's left such an impression on those who read it…
Oh yeah, and I put this recipe on my next week's menu. 🙂
I loved The Boxcar Children too!
I made this stew tonight and it was FABULOUS!! I LOVED it. I have tried A LOT of different recipes for stew and don't ever really love any of them. I love the concept of stew it's so hearty and healthy, especially on cold days like today. To be totally honest I wasn't really expecting to care for it much, I just thought I didn't like stew, but this was o so good! I am already thinking of the next time I can make it! Serioulsy both my husband and I went back for seconds and my two small boys ate all theirs up! Thank you so much! I love your site and all your recipes. You are both amazing!
I shared the recipe on my facebook page using your link 🙂 I had to tell everyone how good this stew is!
Great thanks!
Murray Family–You can totally freeze the leftovers and they come out great. 🙂 I just don't recommend freezing it before you cook it because weird things happen to the potatoes.
Thanks for the info!! I’m working on getting my freezer stocked ahead of baby coming, but not many of the meals in your freezer article are ones my family will eat…I love the advice bit about only putting up food that will actually get eaten!
mle–Nope, just pop it in there raw and it comes out perfect! 🙂
You don't have to brown the meat first before it goes into the pot?
I know this recipe was posted a while ago, so I hope you get this comment cause I have a question 🙂 Have you ever frozen the leftovers for this? It's just my husband and my two small kids at home, and so I've been thinking I'll either half it or freeze it (if it freezes well). If you could let me know I'd appreciate it!! LOOKS YUMMY! I can't wait for you cookbook to come out. I've already pre-ordered!
OHG! Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny and who could forget Watch, the watch dog they found injured! I LOVED that series. I was in love with Henry and wanted to marry him when I grew up! I liked how they all loved each other!
The next time I make stew I will be thinking about The Boxcar Children. Might even make a trip to the library!
I made this last night along with your honey butter over my whole wheat bread and it was amazing. My husband is a hunter so I try to find recipes that the elk will be good in. And this one is super great. My house smelled so good and I was hoping I would not be disappointed. I wasn't.
I LOVED Boxcar Children, I'm pretty sure I owned all of them at one time. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Makes me wanna go back and read them again.
That stew honestly reminds me that time time of my life, my Dad would make beef stew all of the time, I loved it, and I'm pretty certain I'll love this one too. Can't wait to try it.
Would this fit in my 5-qt slow-cooker? I have trouble with mine sometimes not being as large as some recipes call for, and this looks like a lot of volume. Should I stir it at all? Looks delicious!
That's going on the menu for next week. Sounds absolutely perfect for Fall (and winter.. and spring..)
Thanks for the wonderful site.
How did I get thru my childhood w/out reading these books?!?!!? I will be buying them for my kids asap! Thx! And the stew looks delicious! I'm making it this week as well! I'm fairly new to your blog but I wanted to let you know that we've tried several of your recipes & have enjoyed them a great deal!
The Boxcar Children is one of the reasons I am now a chef. Every once in a while, something will remind me of that book. It's wonderful to know it inspired others too! Thanks for the memories.
i am making this tomorrow morning. can't wait. i will let you know how it goes.
Positively SCRUMPTIOUS creation!