Make Ahead Beef Stew

This Make Ahead Beef Stew is so rich and flavorful. The beef is browned and then simmered on the first day, and then refrigerated over night to more fully tenderize the meat. 

This make ahead beef stew is rich and flavorful. Plus, instead of chuck roast, the beef is boneless short ribs, my new obsession because they are so "beefy." 

I don't know what took me so long to discover short ribs, but now, every time I see them on a menu, I gravitate to them. The meat is wonderful when slow cooked and then stuffed in tacos and enchiladas. In fact, when I first tried short rib tacos, the heavens opened up and angels began singing right there in the restaurant. 

Short rib meat works wonderfully in this make ahead beef stew. It tenderizes pretty quickly, and doesn't require browning in batches. All of the meat is browned with the onions to develop a fond, which adds a lot of deep meaty flavor when the pan is deglazed. It also helps to develop the deep brown color of the sauce. 

Be sure to try the meat in any of your favorite beef stew recipes. 

This is a wonderful dinner with rolls and a salad, and the leftovers, if you have some, are pretty tasty too.

Ingredients in this Make Ahead Beef Stew:

Boneless beef short ribs.

Veggies: Onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, and peas.

Aromatics and berbs: Garlic, thyme, and parsley.

Ingredients to add umami: Tomato paste, soy sauce, and red wine. 

You also will need chicken broth, salt, and pepper. 

How to Make the Beef Stew:

On the first day, you prepare the beef. 

First, you brown the beef with the onions in a Dutch oven. Next, you add the thyme, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, and a little flour, and continue to cook for a minute or two before adding the wine and some chicken broth. 

After that, you simmer the meat for about 30 minutes, and then let the mixture sit for an additional 45 minutes before refrigerating. 

On the second (or  third) day, you prepare the stew: 

First, you bring the soup to a simmer and add the potatoes and carrots and transfer the stew to the oven to continue cooking. 

Finally, you stir in the peas, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. So delicious and comforting! 

The From Our Dinner Table Group is posting comfort food recipes this week:

Comfort Food Recipes

• Butterscotch Tapioca Pudding from That Recipe
• Cajun Red Beans and Rice Skillet from Blogghetti
• Cream of Spinach Soup from Art of Natural Living
• Fried Chicken Hot Shot (Manhattan) from Palatable Pastime
• Gluten-Free, Vegan Cilantro Cream Quinoa Spaghetti from Magical Ingredients
• Make Ahead Beef Stew from Karen's Kitchen Stories (you are here)
• Meatball Lasagna from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sausage Tortellini Soup from Fresh April Flours
• Taco Soup from Devour Dinner

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Updated November, 2021. 

Make Ahead Beef Stew

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 2 HourInactive time: 10 HourTotal time: 12 H & 30 M

This Make Ahead Beef Stew is so rich and flavorful. The beef is browned and then simmered on the first day, and then refrigerated over night to more fully tenderize the meat.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 5 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablepoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the beef, onions, oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, until meat begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and thyme, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the flour, tomato paste, and soy sauce, and stir for about a minute.
3. Carefully add the wine, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring and scraping up the fond from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add 2 cups of the broth, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Take the pot off the heat and let sit with the cover on it for 45 minutes. Add the other 3 cups of broth to the mixture. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
6. When ready to finish making the stew, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
7. Skim any hardened fat from the top of the cold meat mixture. Add the potatoes and carrots, and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring regularly.
8. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes.
9. Remove the stew from the oven, stir in the peas, and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

675.86

Fat (grams)

40.84

Sat. Fat (grams)

17.31

Carbs (grams)

26.34

Fiber (grams)

4.58

Net carbs

21.76

Sugar (grams)

5.63

Protein (grams)

48.17

Sodium (milligrams)

900.33

Cholesterol (grams)

173.21

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2016/11/make-ahead-beef-stew.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

stew, beef

main course

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Recipe adapted from The Make Ahead Cook.