ThisQuick Beef Stew is exactly what you need after a long and busy day. It’s such an easy recipe to make and it’s filled with hearty ingredients to keep you going! It has lean ground beef, a rich broth gravy, and lots of healthy vegetables. It’s only 366 calories per serving and is ready in just 45 minutes, making it a perfect kid-friendly weeknight dinner. And it’s naturallygluten-free!
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Table of contents
- Why We Love Quick Stovetop Beef Stew
- Key Ingredients For This Ground Beef Stew Recipe
- How to make Ground Beef Stew in under 45 minutes
- FAQs and Expert Tips For This Recipe
- What To Serve With This Ground Beef Stew
- More Weeknight Recipes and Stew Recipes
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Why We Love Quick Stovetop Beef Stew
Stovetop Quick Beef Stew is one of the most comforting dishes there is and this recipe makes it in under 1 hour, so you don’t need to wait around all day. The short cooking time makes it a great choice for your weeknight dinner but also a good option for a hearty lunch!
This dish is so versatile and customizable, packed with lots of vegetables, it’s a great dish to use up any vegetable produce you have leftover from the week. It’s gluten-free, kid-friendly, and freezes well too. Another of my favorite quick dishes to add veggies to for the kids is my Healthy Skillet Shepherds Pie.
You don’t have to be a culinary wizard to be able to pull off making beef stew in only 45 minutes, this recipe is so easy to make. I’m going to let you in on my secret to getting slow-simmered flavor and tender beef in under an hour!
Key Ingredients For This Ground Beef Stew Recipe
Ground Beef
The star of this recipe is hamburger meat or ground beef. It cooks much faster than stew meat and doesn’t require hours of cooking to make it tender. Use a relatively lean ground beef such as 85% or 90% lean.
Vegetables
Potatoes (Yukon gold or red potatoes), carrots, celery, parsnips. Any root vegetable is good in this broth, and you can use all sorts of other vegetables too like green beans or sweetcorn.
Beef broth or stock
I always use a low-sodium broth. You can also use chicken broth, vegetable broth or even water in a pinch. If you use water, be sure to add extra salt at the end.
Dry Red Wine
Using dry red wine gives a depth of flavor to beef broth that is quite unique. If you don’t want to cook with alcohol, you can leave it out or replace it with the same amount in extra beef broth.
Thyme
Thyme compliments beef so well in this stew, with earthy and slightly floral hints to it. You can also use basil, marjoram or oregano if you don’t have thyme.
Spices: Paprika, red chili flakes
I love a bit of heat in my meals, so a blend of hot and mild paprika and red chili flakes is my go-to for this recipe. My kids prefer just mild paprika though, so keep these things in mind when choosing your spices.
Garlic and onion
Sautéd garlic and onion add great flavor to almost any meal, but they are very complimentary with beef and vegetables.
Other Ingredients
Salt is used for seasoning throughout cooking, while cornstarch will thicken the stew gravy (arrowroot starch can also be used). Worcestershire sauce adds a salty, sour, and umami flavor which makes the stew richer. For cooking oil, avocado oil or organic canola oil is good. Fresh parsley is great to add before serving the stew, though fresh cilantro will work too.
![Easy Quick Beef Stew - Under 1 Hour - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (2) Easy Quick Beef Stew - Under 1 Hour - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (2)](https://i0.wp.com/www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/quick-beef-stew-014.jpg)
How to make Ground Beef Stew in under 45 minutes
Step One: Brown the ground beef and set aside
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the bottom of a large heavy bottom soup pot over high heat. Add beef, and cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon until it is no longer pink, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the meat to a bowl, along with any juices from the pot, and cover with foil.
Step Two: Saute garlic and onion, add seasoning and wine
Return the pot to the stove and reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Add garlic and onion, and cook stirring until the onion starts to brown in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, thyme and red pepper flake if using, and cook, stirring until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, increase heat to high and cook, stirring until the wine has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step Three: Add broth and vegetables and simmer
Add 3 ½ cups broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips and Worcestershire and stir well. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Step Four: Add broth with cornstarch, add beef and simmer
Reduce heat to medium to maintain a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir the remaining ½ cup broth with cornstarch, and stir into the simmering stew. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer, stirring. Stir in the beef and return to a simmer. Remove stew from the heat and ladle into bowls. Top with parsley.
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FAQs and Expert Tips For This Recipe
How can I speed up beef stew?
While you brown the meat in step 1, bring the 3 ½ cups broth used in step 3 to a simmer in a separate pot or in the microwave. Once it is added to the pot in step 3, the whole stew will come to a simmer more quickly, shaving 7 minutes off your total time. Just make sure not to pre-heat the ½ cup that’s mixed with the cornstarch in step 4.
How do you make stew meat tender on the stove?
The trick to tender stew meat is to not cook it for too long. If stew meat is cooked for too long it will lose its moisture and become tough. As this recipe only takes 45 minutes you are sure to have tender meat in your stew!
Should you brown meat for stew?
Absolutely. Browning the meat gives you something called “fond” which enriches the stew considerably. Fond is a French culinary word for the tasty caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan when food is browned. Fond is very flavorful, creating and capturing it is the difference between a bland and rich flavored dish. To get good fond you need heat, oil, and as little moisture as possible. In this recipe we do this by heating oil on high heat and then browning the ground beef. The wider your soup pot, the more fond you’ll get. After the meat has browned take it out, and you’ll see the tasty caramelized bits of fond on the bottom and along the sides of the pot.
Can I make this stew ahead of time?
This beef stew is perfect for making ahead as it is great for freezing! Make a double batch and store it in the fridge or freezer in portions for later.
How do I store quick beef stew?
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 6 months!
What To Serve With This Ground Beef Stew
- My classic Garden Salad would be a nice compliment to this comfort food meal.
- Warm up some bread or your favorite from a local bakery.
- You could also serve with crackers too!
- I have been enjoying playing around with the Air Fryer lately and recently made these Cheddar Biscuits for my client Cabot. They would be great with this stew!
More Weeknight Recipes and Stew Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy has classic flavors, but with an unexpected ingredient!
- Our Manhattan Clam Chowder is ready in only 40 minutes.
- With only 15 minutes of prep needed, this Slow Cooker Pulled Beef is kid friendly and weeknight friendly!
- Try Chandice’s Instant Pot Hamburger Soup if you’re looking for another ground beef recipe or Keto Cheeseburger Soup without Potatoes.
- Slow Cooker Chinese 5-Spice Beef Stew, here’s an unusual twist on Beef Stew.
- For dinner parties, this Slow Cooker Beef Chuck with Pasta and Porcini Mushrooms will impress!
- Chicken Coconut Curry these flavors are spot on and not too spicy.
- Treat yourself to this Healthy Skillet Shepherd’s Pie for your weeknight dinner!
- Slow Cooker White Bean Stew with Chicken and Ham, this hearty everything-but-the-kitchen-sink stew is a wintertime fave around here.
- This Slow Cooker Bolognese is a delicious weeknight friendly recipe to try. Serve it over spaghetti squash for a grain free meal!
- For more beef stew inspiration, check out this Peruvian Beef Stew by My Gluten Free Miami.
You can also check out my recipe on A Dish of Daily Life!
![Easy Quick Beef Stew - Under 1 Hour - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (3) Easy Quick Beef Stew - Under 1 Hour - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (3)](https://i0.wp.com/www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/quick-beef-stew-022.jpg)
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Quick Ground Beef Stew
- Author: Katie Webster
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Don’t miss this easy Quick Beef Stew recipe that will tickle your taste buds. It is chock-full of lean ground beef and vegetables and is ready in just 45 minutes making it a perfect kid friendly weeknight dinner. And it’s gluten free!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or organic canola oil, divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef, preferably 92% lean
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
- pinch red chili flake, optional
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 4-cup box beef broth or stock, divided *see note
- 2 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots diced,
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 cup peeled and diced parsnips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the bottom of a large heavy bottom soup pot over high heat. Add beef, and cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon until it is no longer pink, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the meat to a bowl, along with any juices from the pot, and cover with foil.
- Return the pot to the stove and reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Add garlic and onion, and cook stirring until the onion starts to brown in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, thyme and red pepper flake if using, and cook, stirring until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, increase heat to high and cook, stirring until the wine has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 3 ½ cups broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips and Worcestershire and stir well. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium to maintain a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir the remaining ½ cup broth with cornstarch, and stir into the simmering stew. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer, stirring. Stir in the beef and return to a simmer. Remove stew from the heat and ladle into bowls. Top with parsley.
Notes
- To speed this recipe up even more. While you brown the meat in step 1, bring the 3 ½ cups broth used in step 3 to a simmer in a separate pot or in the microwave. Once it is added to the pot in step 3, the whole stew will come to a simmer more quickly, shaving 7 minutes off your total time. Just make sure not to pre-heat the ½ cup that’s mixed with the cornstarch in step 4.
- Take time to brown the garlic and onions in oil, reducing the heat to medium. This way the onions will cook more slowly and release their liquid, deglazing the fond a bit.
- Make it healthier by adding more vegetables.
- If you prefer not to cook with alcohol you can skip the wine altogether, or substitute it for non-alcoholic wine, more broth, or grape juice.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 366
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 28 g
Keywords: quick beef stew,stovetop beef stew,ground beef stew
![Easy Quick Beef Stew - Under 1 Hour - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (5) Easy Quick Beef Stew - Under 1 Hour - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (5)](https://i0.wp.com/www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/quick-beef-stew-txt2.jpg)