An Italian-Inspired Beef Stew

When I think back to my inspiration for creating this delicious beef stew recipe and calling it “Italian inspired,” it was my grandmother’s style of cooking, which I call “Grandma Style.” She had this ability to find ways to use an inexpensive cut of meat to create something so delicious and memorable, like this beef stew.

For my recipe, we are choosing a beef chuck roast just like my grandmother would use, and we are going to braise it for a couple hours. Every time I make this recipe, I can see her in the kitchen turning this affordable cut of meat into a rich stew that would fill the home with the most delicious aroma. 

The key to achieving the rich deep flavor of this stew is to brown the beef properly. The brown bits that are formed in the pot are the foundation for the rich flavor we are building. When you think you browned the meat enough, brown it a little more. You’ll notice the addition of peas; I love peas, and my grandmother always added them to her stews and often to her pasta sauces. If you don’t love peas like I do perhaps the rich gravy that will come with them might change your mind. I do add red wine; if you don’t want the wine, no problem - just replace it with more stock or water.

I do hope you love my Italian beef stew as much as I do, and it becomes a favorite in your home. 

Italian-Inspired Beef Stew

Recipe by Daniel Mancini

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

3

hours 

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 2.5-3 lbs. 2.5-3 beef chuck stew meat cut into small cubes seasoned with salt and pepper

• 6 6 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1/2 cup 1/2 onion, minced

• 2 medium 2 yellow onions, quartered

• 4 4 carrots, cleaned and cut into quarters

• 2 2 celery stalks, cut into 1” pieces

• 4 large 4 red potatoes, quartered

• 1 cup 1 frozen peas

• 1 cup 1 dry red wine, such as Chianti

• 1 quart 1 beef or chicken stock

• 1/2 cup 1/2 tomato sauce

• salt for seasoning the beef

• black cracked pepper for seasoning the beef

• 1 tbs. 1 All Purpose flour

• 2 2 bay leaves

• 1/4 cup 1/4 olive oil

• 2 tbs. 2 tomato paste

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. 
• In a heavy oven proof pot with a tight-fitting lid stove top heat the oil to very hot add a few pieces beef at a time (do not crowd the pot or it will steam and not brown). 
• Brown the beef on all sides then remove to a plate (it’s very important to create that brown foundation in the pot).
• Drain all but 2 tbsp. of oil, add the minced onion, garlic, tomato paste sauté for 2 minutes. 
• Deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping all the brown bits from the pot mixing everything together.
• Add the beef back to the pot with the liquid that has gathered on the plate.
• Sprinkle the flour all over the beef.
• Add the tomato sauce and enough stock just to cover the beef, mix everything together.
• Add the bay leaves and celery, and stir this all together.
• Bring to a boil, cover, place in the oven.
• After one hour, check the liquid level, and add stock, if needed, to just cover the beef. 
• After 2 hours total, add the potatoes, quartered onions, carrots.
• Stir everything together, cover and place back into the oven.
• After 30 minutes, add the peas, stir, cover and place back into the oven for 15 minutes. 
• Remove from the oven, discard the bay leaves and enjoy.

Notes

• The whole chuck roast is more affordable than pre-cubed stew meat. Simply cut the roast into cubes. Any size you want there are no mistakes here. 

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