This stew is a meal unto itself, very hearty and flavorful. This recipe calls for various spices, you may have some of your own favorites to throw in.
Delicious. Some minor changes to suit my personal tastes: One can beef broth, almost one can burgundy wine, the rest of the can, water. Rather than slicing, I chopped the carrots and celery in bigger chunks so they won't disintegrate in the crockpot and also added 2 big potatoes in 1" cubes. To make up for extra carrots and the potatoes which weren't in the original recipe, I added 1 T soy sauce and additional 1 t worcestershire sauce and more black pepper. I also used only 1/4 of an onion cut in big 2 inch pieces so it wouldn't turn to mush. In the last half hour I added pearl onions. For spices, I followed the recipe and then added sprinkles of cumin, savory, rosemary and parsley. 8-9 hours in the crockpot was just right for 2 lbs meat. It really was a hearty, flavorful meal. P.S. My husband thought this dish was okay. He's not into large chunks of beef in a dish.
Read MoreNOT FOR KIDS This was an ok stew. It was flavorful without making modifications. Neither my husband nor I were fans of the clove flavor. My kids, very good eaters, did not like it. I will stick with a more basic recipe with traditional seasonings in the future. This I would like to note...I found this recipe last minute and decided to use it based on the 5 star rating without reading the recipe reviews. You should not give a recipe 5 stars if you made 5 adjustments to make it taste great.
Read MoreDelicious. Some minor changes to suit my personal tastes: One can beef broth, almost one can burgundy wine, the rest of the can, water. Rather than slicing, I chopped the carrots and celery in bigger chunks so they won't disintegrate in the crockpot and also added 2 big potatoes in 1" cubes. To make up for extra carrots and the potatoes which weren't in the original recipe, I added 1 T soy sauce and additional 1 t worcestershire sauce and more black pepper. I also used only 1/4 of an onion cut in big 2 inch pieces so it wouldn't turn to mush. In the last half hour I added pearl onions. For spices, I followed the recipe and then added sprinkles of cumin, savory, rosemary and parsley. 8-9 hours in the crockpot was just right for 2 lbs meat. It really was a hearty, flavorful meal. P.S. My husband thought this dish was okay. He's not into large chunks of beef in a dish.
This is the best stew I've ever made. I added cubed potatoes in the beginning, to make it bigger. To thicken, I took the cover off the slow cooker for the last 30 minutes of cooking on high. Served with french bread it was a very hearty meal. Even my finicky kids and husband loved it. Will definitely make this again.
My good friend is a wonderful cook and caterer. Her husband said that this was the best beef stew he has ever had which is quite a compliment. Tweeked it a little by chopping up everything in small cubes, addded 2 potatoes,a little cumin, rosemary and parsley, can of diced tomatoes, 1 T. soy, das of hot sauce, frozen peas, didn't have burgandy so used cooking cherry and added frozen peas at the end. Also used half beef broth as the liquid and a pack of onion soup mix.
I use this recipe, but substitute 3-4 small potatoes for the celery, and cook it on the stove on low for 3-4 hours rather than in a slow-cooker. I usually serve it with fresh bread, sliced cheeses and sliced fruit. Great winter meal!
This recipe is fantastic. . . with a few changes. Some I took from other reviews - I added soy sauce, used beef broth from bouillon cubes instead of water and added cabbage. I also didn't have bay leaves on hand so those were not in the stew. I also found that the stew was too thin for my taste. So halfway through cooking, I took part of the broth and thickened it as if I was making gravy until it reached a texture I preferred. The final result was great. I would definately make it again.
Very good - I added 4 cups of beef broth in place of the water, and also potatoes. The best beef stew I've ever made.
I love this stew; it is wonderful for frozen snowy days. When I make it I omit the bay leaves and cloves, and add a cup of chopped mushrooms, a leak, a can of garbanzo beans and a can of kidney beans, I also add the leftover flour from dredging to thicken the stew. My family loves it, and we have found that it tastes even better the next day, as leftovers.
This receipe has the same ingredients and flavors I remember as a child. I've been looking for similar ones for a while now. Thanks!
I made this stew for my family and my husband and kids said it's the best they had ever had.
My family loved this stew. I added potatoes right at the beginning rather than making noodles or mashed potatoes later.
Now this is a hearty stew! I have never made stew until attempting this recipe...It was a family hit, even with my picky daughter who claims not to like vegetables had two servings! I tweaked the recipe a bit to satisfy everyone in the family. I added quartered white potatoes, sliced fresh mushrooms and carrots. I only used 1.5 stalks of celery because most of the family is not fond of the taste. I omitted the salt, bay leaves and cloves and used a pouch of Bovril beef bouillion mix for more flavor. I also added a little thyme, onion and garlic powder. The beef was tender and tasty,the vegetables and potatoes were cooked perfectly, and the broth was rich and savory, not watery and soup-like. I saw that other recipes required cornstarch to thicken the broth towards the end of cooking time, but this recipe produced a stew of excellent consistency. I would have taken a picture but this dish didn't last long enough.
NOT FOR KIDS This was an ok stew. It was flavorful without making modifications. Neither my husband nor I were fans of the clove flavor. My kids, very good eaters, did not like it. I will stick with a more basic recipe with traditional seasonings in the future. This I would like to note...I found this recipe last minute and decided to use it based on the 5 star rating without reading the recipe reviews. You should not give a recipe 5 stars if you made 5 adjustments to make it taste great.
This was perfect winter dinner food. I cooked this on high for 4 hours. I added two extra cloves of minced garlic, three red potatoes cut up into chunks, and added the celery to cook only for the last 1 1/2 hours, so it wouldn't get soggy & limp. Celery was overcooked anyway. Next time I'll add it 1 hour before it's to be served. The cloves add the tiniest hint of that certain special something, such a good flavor. I will be making this again!
great stew! I made some modifications that worked great - replaced the water w/ 1 bottle of beer (honey brew - but I'm sure any kind of regular beer would work, too) and 2 cups of beef broth. also added a tablespoon of soy sauce and two tsp of minced garlic from a jar. I put the flour in a gallon zip lock bag and shook the meat cubes in it instead of "dredging" for less mess. 9 hours was plenty. I also added egg noodles which made it a bigger hit with my husband. Tasted even better the next day.
This was an easy recipe to put together. I had to add a lot of cornstarch near the end to thicken it to a nice stew.
I used beef stock in place of half the water and added a pack of beef mushroom soup mix and diced potatoes. My family was getting impatient so near the end I threw everything in a pot and brought it to a boil on the stove and let it simmer and it was done in no time. I'll probably use less cloves next time, but other than that it was a great blend of spices. Simmering it at the end really helped thicken it up too. It was very good on a cold, snowy evening.
This was so delicious and so easy. Like another rater of this recipe, I too added cubed potatos about 45 minutes before it was done and it was the biggest hit with my family and friends. I also added just a little extra salt, but I will be sure to make it over and over again! Great for cool days.
I didn't like the sweet taste of this stew so I simply added one extra teaspoon of salt (2 teaspoons total) and it was almost as good as what mom used to make. Great recipe for those who like to add their own favorite vegetables.
This was really, really good. But not as good as my mom's. The only thing I did differently was add three cubed russet potatoes, because it's a crime against nature to not have beef stew with potatoes in it. I browned the beef on the stove and just cooked it all in the same pot. It took about 1.5 hours until it was done. I didn't have time for a crock pot.
Loved this stew. Seemed more like a goulash without the potatos and served over noodles. But it had a marvelous flavor.
I love this recipe. I followed this recipe almost word for word. I only change to things I added potatoes and use beef broth instead of water. Great recipe.
This is a wonderful stew. Even my fussy husband loved it.
Flavor was there, but only if you double the spices as other reviewers suggest. I started out following the recipe exactly, but after tasting it after a few hours of cooking it definitely needed more spice. Also added beef bouillon and potatoes. Very watery, so added flour to thicken. Would not make again.
This tasted like so much more work went into it than just throwing some easy items into the slow cooker! Very filling and yummy. Followed the recipe as is, but next time I might do what other reviewers suggested and sub beef broth for the water.
I took my first crack at stew with this recipe and was very pleased with the results. I loved the combination of spices, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. I had to use garlic powder and dried onion because I did not have fresh on hand. Also dissolved 2 bouillon cubes in the water for flavor. No Crockpot, so after browning the meat, I brought everything to a boil in a pot on the stove, then turned down to low heat and simmered for 2 hours. I added 3 cubed potatoes during the last half hour of cooking. They came out perfect. I think in the future I might add the carrots a little later as well, as they were a little on the soft side.
Can't say it was the best, but it was OK. I would've liked it a lot thicker. It kind of had a sweet taste to it. Next time I will leave out the sugar and also use some of the other suggestions.
This was OK, but WAY too watery for a stew. I only used 3 cups of water, and thickened it up with more flour at the end of cooking and it was still not as thick as I would like stew to be. I may make this again but will use less water and will probably add potatoes.
After having a can of beef stew last week my son announced that he wanted beef stew for his birthday dinner. I turned to allrecipes since I'd never made beef stew before, and I was not a bit disappointed in this recipe. I only made a couple minor changes one of which was to add 3 diced potatoes because I've never heard of stew without potatoes. The second thing I did different was that I marinated the meat in Worchestershire sauce overnight. Finally, rather than cooking it in the crockpot I did it on the stove. I probably cooked it about an hour after I had cooked the meat and added the remaining ingredients. The potatoes did get mushy so next time I will add those halfway through the cooking time. Coating the meat with the flour thickened the stew perfectly. Thank you for a great recipe that the whole family loved! I will be making this often!
Very Good!! We added potatoes and thickened the broth with flour to make it heartier. Otherwise, followed exactly. Tasted excellent!! We uses shoulder blade steak, and the meat was very tender.
A very tasty recipe, but the ratio of meat to veggies was too high for me, even though I added a potato and some green beans. Will add even more veggies next time. Hubby requested I leave out the cloves in future. Will definitely make this again.
I did as others mentioned and added beer, etc...also tried with egg noodles but they were mushy by the time we ate - would serve on them next time but not add them to the recipe.
I'm not an expert on stews but the medley of this one I thought would please the bunch and it did! I've made this recipe, as is, 3 times! Thank you!
I love this site because of the reviews, this is my first contribution so here goes: This stew is GREAT! As far as I can tell, its the same as my mom's recipe, (God rest her soul), that I somehow lost. The only changes I made were adding salt and pepper to the beef chunks before I breaded them in the flour, I added chunks of potato and I used canned beef broth instead of water. For those of you who find the soup too thin, make sure you use plenty of flour on the beef, and its OK to let a little extra flour sorta fall into the pan as you are browning the beef, then try to get it all into the pot and it will thicken the broth as it cooks.
After reading a few reviews I added 3 diced potatoes and a packet of gravy mix. I cooked on high for 4 hours. Didn't get to taste until the next day, but it was very good!! My husband didn't get to try it until 2 days later and he said "tastes like another bowl"!! He said you definately need to make this again.
THIS WAS VERY TASTY BUT A LITTLE BLAND. IT NEEDED SOMETHING WITH MORE ZAP. I ADDED POTATOES TO MAKE IT MORE CHUNKY AND LESS RUNNY.
Made this stew according to the recipe with no changes. The flavor is a definite 5-star but I only gave it 4 stars because the stew is way too thin. It was more of a beef soup than a stew. Cooked it on low in my slow cooker for 6 hours. When I saw how watery it was, I mixed a tblsp of corn starch in a little water and stired it into the stew and let it go for another 30 minutes. It helped a little but was still too watery for me. I'd make this again (because the flavor is really good) but would try to do something to make it thicker.
Good. For personal preference, we added barley, a little more water, sautéed mushrooms and less beef. Would be great as is, and it was great w our small changes just to lighten it a bit. Thank you.
This is a great recipe. I only left out the clove because I didn't have any in the house. Will make again!!
This stew was very good, though I will be adding potatoes next time I cook it up.
We really liked this recipe. I added a little Kitchen Bouquet to taste and to darken the appearance of the stew. I will use this recipe again.
Now this is the best way to make stew. I did thicken it with cornstarch. I also added 1 beef bullion cubes and 4 or 5 small red potatoe wedges. Whats a stew without potatoes. Delicious!!!I will never again buy the pre-packaged dry stew mix.
Kind of disappointed. Only used 3 cups of water as suggested by other users. It smelled great cooking, but the taste lacked something. Good base recipe, but will not use this one again. Sorry.
Whenever a BIG snow storm is predicted, as it was for today, I love to cook something that will warm up my husband and kids after they shovel. I made this stew today with a few modifications and after supper my husband said "I think that was the best", I said "best I've ever made?" and he said "no, best I've ever had". I added potatoes, I didn't have worcestershire so I used a little A1 Steaksauce, a few bouillon cubes and a splash of red wine. About 1 hour before it was done I whisked about 2 tbls of flour into a little milk and added it, it thickened up nice. I'm sure I'll be making this alot over this long cold New Hampshire winter.
Great recipe...I will try some of the other suggestions next time. Would like it a little thicker.
I love this stew recipe! I add about a half-cup of red wine and about 2 teaspoons of organic beef stock powder for a little extra flavor. I don't have a crockpot, so I cook it on low on the stove and it still turns out tender and delicious.
Really good stew! Hubby loved it! I loved being able to put all in slow cooker!!
I was really looking forward to a great tasting stew but didn't care for this at all. It smelled good cooking but it was way too watery. I used beef broth instead of water and that didn't help. It shows potatoes in the PICTURE of the stew but they are not mentioned in the recipe. That makes me wonder if other ingredients were left out as well. I was looking for something different but I guess I'll go back to my own beef stew recipe that yields a nice thick stew instead of a watery soup. I had to buy the cloves just for this recipe and they are not a cheap spice. It was a waste of money for a poor outcome. I'm glad to see so many enjoyed the recipe. I wish I could have been one of them. I'll be passing this stew on to my neighbors. Maybe they will enjoy it more.
This was a good stew base.. My family liked it but it wasn't the best in my eyes. A little bland...will try again and add more seasonings.
I used the basic ingredients for this recipe.... To thicken it up a bit i used flour and brown gravy dry mix 4 cups beef broth and 4 cups h20 No lemon juice I added ingredients to taste. In a crockpot for about 6 hours high then 1 hour low
Didn't thicken up like a stew at all... more like Beef Soup. Flavor was good and smelled great cooking, but I ended up mixing in rotelle pasta noodles so it wasn't just all broth.
As the others have submitted, best beef stew ever! I do not like beef OR stew, and I loved it! Added a can of crushed tomatoes (using the juice as part of the water), and 3 cubed potatoes. I also thickened it at the end as it was too thin for my taste. But DELICIOUS!
I was really disappointed at first because I thought it would be one of those "blah" dishes. By the time my husband came for dinner it had cooked all day in the slow cooker. He said, "This is the best beef stew I've ever had- your mom could take some pointers from you!" My mom makes a wonderful beef stew...it was the first time mine was better. I added 1/2 jar Italian pasta sauce to the pot and it was excellent!
This was a great stew. Smelled delicious all day. The things I did differently was omit the garlic and celery (didn't have any) and I added rosemary, corn for the crunch and color and some flour to thicken since I didnt brown the stew meat first. I will make this again soon.
Very tasty! I live in China at the moment, so most of the herbs and sauces are quite hard to find locally, but even without it is a very hearty warming meal. Extra broccoli and potatoes were a great addition. Some chili flakes and extra pepper helped, along with about 500mL of red wine for some body. I am really looking forward to trying it with all of the spices and sauces I want, but it was still very good and easy to change to your own taste.
This stew is watery when the directions are followed. I like my stews thick; this just didn't cut it.
I have used this recipe 3 or 4 times now. It is excellent, very easy to follow and my family LOVES it!!
This was delicious and a great spin on beef stew. I've never added cloves or lemon juice before and it made a wonderful subtle difference. My only changes were braising the vegetables with the beef and adding mushrooms to it.
I found this to be pretty bland . I also prefer larger chunks in a stew.
This recipe was delicious. I used beef broth in place of the water and I also added my carrots and potatoes about 2 1/2 hrs into the cooking time to prevent them from being overcooked. My husband enjoyed it! I took some over to my parents house for them to try and now they want me to make them a pot! This is the second recipe by Corwynn that I've tried and both were very, very good!
I found this recipe a couple of years ago and it's the only one I make. it's delicious with crusty bns on a cold day.
My family and I love this recipe. Like other people I added some things. I used beef broth from bouillon cubes instead of water and added potatoes and soy sauce. It was great and I will be making it again.
This was the best stew I've ever made. I also used 4c. beef broth. I didn't use the bay leaves, paprika or cloves b/c I didn't have them. DH and my children loved it! Thanx.
I wish I'd read the other reviews before trying this recipe. The stew came out quite thin - I guess I was hoping the flour used to brown the beef would have thickened things up a little. Also, seemed somewhat bland, but that could be due to all the salt included in everyday packaged foods. I would try this recipe again, though, making the changes others did.
This was an excellent stew. I usually use a pressure cooker. This was a great alternative because of a busy day. I added potatoes for the last hour.
I have made this many a time. I like to add a turnip and green peppers to liven it up a little. Great recipe!
Loved it. I did add the potatoes as well. I placed them on the very top of the ingrediant pile above the juices and they were perfectly cooked at the end. If you cook it on low for 11 hours (I did), it is a stew consistency (e.g no broth, just a thick brown gravy like substance that clings to vegetables and meet).
I added potatoes to this recipe to make it into more of a meal, also added half teaspoon of celery salt and 2 oxo cubes and replaced the water with beef stock it was worth waiting 8 hours in the slow cooker anyway
Needed more spices, salt or something. I added potatoes also. The thickness was perfect. I cut the stew meat really small because my husband prefers it small. Everything was good, just needed that wow factor in spices. Not sure what to add though.
My family loved this stew. Quick, easy to make. I followed the reciped exactly as written and it was delicious.
Very easy and really delicious! I threw in frozen peas and green beans about 45 mins before serving.
This was great!! I didn't have a slow cooker,used a large pot, just cooked it on low for 2-3 hours, until it was right. I used soy sauce, and only had about 1 1/2 pds of meat so I just "eyed" the rest of the ingredients. You really could add almost ant veggie you wanted to it. I added mushrooms, next time maybe green beans? So warm and yummy on a cold night. Great.
Really good. I used a cube of beef broth to add more flavor, and potatos. This is a keeper!
I traded the celrey with fresh green beans.Most excellent!Great for weekday leftovers.
Great stew, and easy to prepare. I like to also add potatoes, and sometimes fresh mushrooms and cut green beans.
This was not a very good recipe. My husband didn't like the cloves taste in it (neither did I), and there wasn't much to it. It needed potatoes for sure, but that still wouldn't have helped much! I did add some beef bouillion to the water to give it flavor, and had to thicken with corn starch once it was done so that it wasn't completely runny. We will not be making this again.
Cut vegetables into bigger chunks. Didn't add leaf. Cooked in crock pot on 3 (med) all day. Very good.
Just made this today with only a couple substitutions - beef broth instead of water and added 3 small potatoes. Very tasty, but next time I will eliminate the cloves and cut the bay leaves in half. Thanks for the recipe!
This was fantastic! I did make a few modifications, however. I put the 4 cups of water, but I also threw in 2 cubes of beef bouillion with it. I added a splash of sherry, a few squeezes of ketchup, frozen peas and 3 potatoes. With those changes, this was the perfect stew. Served with crescent rolls and we all were in heaven! Thanks
I used one lb. of beef instead of two, and added four russet potatoes (cubed). I liked the addition of the lemon juice and the clove. I was on a time crunch so after browning the meat and adding all the other ingredients I just put it in a 375 degree oven for about an hour (stirring half way through). Great meal for a cold or rainy day!
I'm not a big fan of beef stew, so I didnt care for this myself. However my boyfriend loved it. Worth a try if you like beef stew. I did have to add a bit more flour to get the sauce to thicken. I will probably make this again for him in the future.
This is the first time I made Beef Stew that hubby actually complemented me on. I added about 8 quartered baby rose potatoes to the pot and used 2 cups beef broth instead of water. The sauce was outstanding!!! A definite keeper.
I made this on a cold, rainy fall day and what a comfort on such a day! It was fantastic! The recipe was great as it is although I added a about 1/3 cup of white wine and 4 medium potatoes. I didn't have ground cloves but it tasted great without I also used 4 cups of beef broth instead of the water, which i think really enhanced the flavor and towards the end I did have to thicken it up from a soupy consistency to the "stew". I intended to add peas but forgot and will add them next time because we will definantley have this again! My sister made beef stew from another recipe on this site and she tasted mine and said that mine had a lot more flavor than hers and took the recipe! I am glad i didn't add any tomatoes to it but next time I will add some sour cream which I think would be a good addition for a bit of creaminess. A loaf of warm crusty bread was a splendid touch to this wonderful dish!!!
This was great. Like the others I also added cubed potatoes. I, for sure, will make it again.
This turned out pretty well for me, the only thing i changed was i didnt have any carrots, so i used potatoes in it instead, also 2 cups beef broth and 2 cups water. Will make this again.
I rated this based on what I changed which wasn't too, too much. First, 4 cups water sounded blah so I went 1 1/2 cups beer (Keiths) and 2 cups broth. No cloves or bay leaves. I used onion powder as I had no onions. I doubled Worcestershire sauce because I usually do. The stew is a bit runny. However, the beer makes this taste incredible. I find stews blah but this has helped.
Very good! I added a bunch of stuff to it like potatoes, barley, soy sauce, and more pepper. I also just used leftover beef that I had, so I skipped the first step. Still delish!
Added 2 cans of beef broth and 1 can of water, 4 small potatoes, added rosemary and celery seed. Also didn't use any cloves. Really good on a cold day, Yum
This is a good base recipe for this stew but I added sweet peas, potatoes, spinach and red pepper. I found this stew to look more like a soup. I had to add cornstarch to thicken it.
Great recipe! I added beer as someone suggested-it became bitter and next time if I add beer I'll only use 1/2 can. Otherwise it was fantastic.
