Easy Beef & Tomato Stew {Video Recipe}

This beef & tomato stew recipe is so easy and will turn inexpensive cuts of beef into a feats. You literally throw everything together, put it in the oven and forget about it for a few hours. Get your kids to help - like I did in the video - the preparation is quick so they won't get bored.

You can make beef stew more heathy by cutting off all visible fat from the meat before you cook it, as well as adding lots of vegetables. You can use most vegetables in this stew but definitely include carrots as they give that lovely sweet flavour.

There's two ways you can cook beef stew, depending on how much time you have. You can leave it simmering on the hob for about 2 hours, or you can pop it in the oven for 6 hours. If you have time I definitely recommend slow cooking beef stew in the oven. It cooks more evenly and makes the beef very tender.

Serve your stew with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, rice or crusty bread. You can also add some healthy dumplings at the end - they really make it. As this beef stew contains vegetables, there's no need for a side dish, but some steamed greens go well with it.

Beef stew is a comforting hearty dish all generations love from babies (just careful with the salt) to grown ups. It freezes well so it's great for batch cooking (freezing improves the flavour) and it always tastes better the following day so make ahead if you can.

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Easy Beef & Tomato Stew

• Serves: 4 adults

• Time: 20 mins prep + 2 - 6 hours cooking (see notes)

• Cost: £1.42 per serving

• Calories: 332 per serving

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

• 2 medium onions, cut into wedges

• 500g stewing beef cut into 2cm pieces (fat removed)

• 25g plain flour seasoned with salt & pepper

• 2 - 3 rashes smoked bacon, finely chopped (optional)

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 2 - 3 carrots, scrubbed and diced

• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped (optional)

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• Tablespoon of Worcester sauce

• Teaspoon of mustard

• 500ml beef stock

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Parsley to garnish (optional)

• To serve: mashed potato or rice (see notes)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for a few minutes until soft. Meanwhile, toss the beef in the seasoned flour until coated. This will help thicken the sauce and help the sauce to stick to the beef so give it more flavour.

2. When the onions are soft, add the beef and stir to brown all over. Add the bacon and garlic and stir through the beef and onions, cooking for about a minute.

3. Add all the remaining ingredients and give it a really good stir. Season to taste and cook your stew on the hob or in the oven (see below for details).

4. Add dumplings if you wish, or serve as desired, garnished with lots of parsley if you like.

How to cook beef stew on the hob: Leave the stew simmering on the hob for 2 hours, partially covered. If the sauce is a little thin, remove the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve.

How to cook beef stew in the oven: Pour it into a casserole dish and place in an oven (with lid on) preheated at 160 C / gas mark 3 for 6 hours. After 6 hours, give it a good stir, remove lid and cook for a further 20 - 30 minutes at 180 C / gas mark 4. Serve.