Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini

A green handled Bowl of Beef Stew with Ditalini pasta and a spoon.

The Best Beef Stew

You won’t be able to deny this stew, it’s that good. It’s very similar to a recipe I posted a few years ago but this really packs that stick to your ribs punch. I’m talking about comfort food that makes you feel so warm and cozy inside that you melt with each bite. As you can see by the title, I’ve also added a small italian soup noodle called “Ditalini” to make this recipe a little more filling and you’re going to love it. I’m telling you, Beef Stew can’t get much better.

Cooking the Beef and Vegetables

The most important thing to understand, in this recipe, is that everything must be seared. Sear the chopped onion, potatoes, carrots and certainly the beef. Also, be sure to season everything as you go with Kosher Salt and Pepper. The Beef is braised so it gets a dusting of all purpose flour, as well.

The fresh herbs I use in the video are slightly different than the written recipe, however, but it’s not a big enough difference to make a stink about. It’s just going to be up to your personal preference and how you like your Beef Stew to taste. In the video, I use 4 different fresh herbs, Bay leaf, Oregano, Thyme & Rosemary. In the written recipe, I only use 2 dry ingredients, Parsley & Thyme.

My wife claims to like the written recipe better, though, if it’s any consolation. You might even want to look into trying my Pork Loin and Hominy Stew. It’s delicious.

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini Ingredients:

3 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 lb Beef Chuck, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/4 cup flour (all purpose), for the beef
1 Onion, Chopped 1/2″ pieces
2 tbsp Butter
2 Large Russet Potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 Large Carrots, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 qt Beef Broth
1/2 cup Spaghetti Sauce/Ragu
1 tbsp Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 cup Water
1 cup Ditalini pasta

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautee the chopped Onion in butter for 5 minutes and season
with salt and Pepper. Add the Potato and Carrot, cook 10 minutes
and season again with salt and pepper, Parsley and Thyme.

Pre-season the cut beef with Kosher Salt and Pepper and mix
with the flour until fully coated. Remove the vegetables from the
pot, place in a bowl, add the Olive oil and meat to the pot and
sear the meat on all sides for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Add the vegetables back to the pot and stir everything together.
Add the Beef Broth, Ragu and 1 cup of water. Stir and bring the
soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours,
stirring occasionally. After 2 hours add 1 more cup of water and the
Ditalini pasta. Simmer, covered, for one 1/2 hour, then serve.

Watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this delicious Roast Beef Stew with Ditalini recipe.

Beef Stew Recipe – Carrots, Potatoes, Parsnips and Steak

Beef Stew Bowl main pic

The Best Beef Stew

When I think of Beef Stew, I’m reminded of those Sunday afternoon dinners my family would have after several hours of church.  The only problem was that any stew that my Mom made wasn’t very good because it was always runny, watered down and flavorless.  So when I set out to make Beef Stew for my own family now, I follow one simple rule; make it better than Mom’s recipe(which isn’t hard to do BTW).  But don’t let this sob story fool you.  This recipe is amazing and I even show you how to cheat!

Beef Stew Pot main pic

How do I make Beef Stew

All I do is cook a thick hearty soup with fresh chopped vegetables from my garden and I add a well seasoned steak.  Then I add a few seasonings.  That’s it and that’s all.  Now I do cheat a little when I don’t have time to make my own Chicken and Brown gravy.  But after you try this Beef Stew recipe you’ll quickly understand why I do it.  Packaged gravy is cheap, it saves time preparing it and it makes this soup taste phenomenal!

Also, be sure to check out these other recipes: Pork Loin and Hominy Stew, Vegetable Chili, Chicken and Dumplings and my Homemade Menudo!

Beef Stew Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Beef Chuck or Steak
1 Large Onion, chopped
2 Medium Russet Potatoes, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Parsnip, chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tsp Dill
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

1 cup Water for Steak Fond
1 pckg Chicken Gravy, prepared with instructions (1 cup approximately)
1 pckg Brown Gravy, prepared with instructions (1 cup approximately)

Koshar Salt and Pepper to taste

This recipe is very easy to prepare.  Just follow the instructions in my Beef Stew Video Recipe Tutorial above.