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!
PrintSunday Beef Stew
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8-10
Description
A hearty, comforting, and EASY beef stew recipe perfect for cozy nights inside!
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.
Notes
I haven’t had great luck making this in the slow cooker or the pressure cooker–the recipe seems to rely on a little evaporation and when I’ve made it using these methods, the stew ends up a little soupy/watery. If you’d like to try it either of these ways, I would recommend reducing the water and possibly the V-8. This has not been tested, so just know you’ll be in uncharted territory!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It is so good! I’m making it today because it’s so chilly outside! Has anyone ever added corn in it?
You can totally add corn- frozen fresh corn, or a can of corn- either works!
I’ve been making this for years!! It’s a family five star favorite! Making it tonight for my 9 year old’s birthday—her special birthday request. Thanks for a plethora of amazing recipes, ladies! 🙂
We love this stew at my house! Could I increase the oven temperature to 350 and cook it more like two hours to save a little time?
Yes!! ??
I know it’s been over 8 years since this recipe has been posted, and you’re pretty unlikely to even read or notice this comment, but your recipe at the tail end of your post seems to be missing a key ingredient for BEEF stew. 🙂
Hey Mark! Well of course I’ll see YOUR comment 🙂 LOL – thanks for the heads up! We recently had all our recipe cards auto-update to a new format and we’re finding little glitches like this. Thanks for helping us catch it!
Made this recipe yesterday in the crockpot. Cooked on high for 6 hours and it came out delicious! Thanks for a great beef stew recipe!
Just had to write and say this is a family FAVORITE!! I have tried too many stew recipes only to be left disappointed. But this recipe is a KEEPER! It is especially perfect for cooking while we are at afternoon church; we come home and dig right in. My family thanks you!! 🙂
This looks delicious. I love using the crockpot for flavorful dishes with minimal muss and fuss. This is a must try. Thanks
I made this before and liked it. I just added it to my “having a baby frozen meal” list. It does in fact fit in a gallon sized freezer bag 😀 Haven’t made it yet but I suspect it’ll be fine.
What a wonderful recipe! My husband said it was the best beef stew he had ever had!
I made this yesterday for the first time in the crockpot. I always make it in the oven, and it turns out great, but I don’t recommend in the crockpot. The meat was…it was hard to chew, and then all of a sudden would disintegrate while chewing. The veggies were okay, but the “broth” was not any good. Plus it didn’t cook in the right amount of time. I started it on high for an hour, then cooked it on low for 6, checked it, and cranked it on high because I could tell it wasn’t going to be done in two more hours…as it is, after two more hours on high, I just pulled the crock out of the cooker and stuck it in the oven, uncovered for a half hour.
Definitely will just stick to the oven on this one!!
I loved this recipe. I can’t use the soup because of gluten issues in our family so I coated the beef with gluten free flour and added the V8 juice along with the beef base and beef broth to cover. It turned out great!!
I read that book so so many times when I was in 2nd grade! I loved all of them, but I definitely read the first one over 30 times 🙂 The entire idea was so intriguing.
lol…I read the whole series
My children (ages 8 & 10) & I just put this together & it is cooking now. My daughter loved the book when they read it in class in second grade so she enjoyed the refenrence. It’s 33 degrees for the high today so it’s a perfect night for this meal. Thank you for the pictures with the recipies, it makes more interesting for my young chefs.
Made this tonight in the crock pot. Everyone loved it! Will definitely be making it again this fall/winter! Thanks!!
this looks so yummy! i would love to make this on sundays, to have right after church. but i worry about leaving my oven on, when im not home. so…. my question is…. can i cook this at alower temp, for a little longer time.?
I would say about 8-10.
Looks so yummy! How many does this serve? I have a bid family to cook for 🙂
Is it possible to substitute something if I don’t have fresh garlic on hand? Garlic powder or something else?
Thank you, for this recipe! I just got a new crockpot, and am SO excited to use it. This is what my family requested for dinner, so I’m grateful I found a simple recipe! THANK YOU! 🙂
You could add some garlic powder or you could just leave it out–it’ll be delicious either way! 🙂