Old fashioned beef stew, just like Grandma used to make. With grass fed beef & extra vegetables, it’s healthy comfort food you can feel good about. (Gluten free and dairy free options)
Simple, Healthy Beef Stew
This stew is every bit as good as grandma’s, only healthier. Made with grass fed beef and extra vegetables, it’s comfort food you can feel good about.
Some time between the time my grandmothers were children, and the time they were raising children, food became an industry, and we’ve been suffering the consequences ever since. I love that so many of us today are putting our foot down, returning to our roots, and discovering true health is found when we acknowledge and honor the way God created our bodies as well as the land and animals He gave us as food.
Or, as Joel Salatin would say, we’re returning to “knowing our food, knowing our farmers, and knowing our kitchens.”
I’m so thankful that farm families around the country are willing to do the hard work of raising crops and livestock with traditional methods so city girls like me can feed good, wholesome food to their families. (Thank you, Kramer family!)
I digress…the beef stew.
Tips for Making Old Fashioned Beef Stew
- This stew is even better the next day – It will thicken overnight, so I usually add 1/2-1 cup water before reheating.
- Gluten free flour can be used in place of the regular flour.
- For dairy free, use lard, tallow, or avocado oil to brown the meat.
- Serve with crusty bread or homemade buttermilk biscuits!
Old Fashioned Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp pastured lard or tallow (or 50/50 blend of avocado oil and butter - omit butter for dairy free)
- 2 cups Flour with few generous pinches sea salt & black pepper (can use gluten free flour)
- 2 pounds grass fed beef stew meat + sea salt and black pepper for seasoning (Stew meat usually comes in large chunks - I like to cut mine into bite-sized pieces before cooking)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 ribs celery
- 3 large carrots
- 2 large cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 2 Tbsp red wine or additional beef stock/broth
- 2 large baking potatoes
- 2 cups green beans
- 4 cups beef stock or broth homemade if you have it! (I use Bonafide beef bone broth if I don't have homemade)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce I like Annie's organic, but you can also make your own
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Heat the lard/tallow or oil-butter blend in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Meanwhile, place the flour in a gallon size zipper storage bag or large paper sack with a few generous pinches of sea salt and black pepper.
- Season the stew meat liberally with sea salt and black pepper. Drop a handful of meat pieces at a time into the bag of flour, and give it a good shake until well coated. Use clean hands to shake excess flour off of the meat before transferring to the cooking pot. Repeat until all the beef is coated and in the pot. Discard the remainder of the bag of seasoned flour.
- Allow the meat to brown, turning so all sides are cooked evenly. This should take 6-8 minutes.
- While the meat is browning, chop the onions and celery, then peel and slice the carrots. Set aside.
- Once the beef has browned, use tongs to transfer meat to a plate. Turn the heat down to medium and add red wine (or additional beef stock/broth) to the pot, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes to deglaze. (Mine never fully deglazes but that's fine.)
- Add onions, carrots, and celery to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring often, until onions begin to turn translucent and carrots and celery are al dente.
- Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Scrub the potatoes, then quarter and slice them. Cut the green beans into 1" pieces.
- Add the potatoes, green beans, beef stock, Worcestershire, bay leaves, salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano stirring to mix. Return the beef to the pot. Turn heat down to low, cover, and allow to simmer until all vegetables are fork tender, but not too soft (25-35 minutes).
- Season with additional salt and pepper if needed, then top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- This stew is even better the next dayย - It will thicken overnight, so I usually add 1/2-1 cup water before reheating.
- Gluten free flour can be used in place of the regular flour.ย
- For dairy free, use lard, tallow, or avocado oil to brown the meat.
- Serve with crusty bread or homemade buttermilk biscuits!
Nutrition
Don’t forget the biscuits!
Easy Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits
Wow, this sounds so good! Going to bookmark this for later ๐
Nnniiiccceeeee…thanks for the tip on the avocado oil! I must try it out! Thanks for sharing.
I love this dish. I don’t make it the same way but thanks for your recipe. I will surely make some
Old fashioned beef stew looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it. Let me gather the ingredients.
Soulful dish!! Definitely my favorite!
One of mine too! ๐
This seems like a good recipe. It has been quite some time since I made stew for my family but, perhaps, I should.
This is our favorite at home! I’ll definitely try your recipe especially because this is a healthier option.
I love that this dish is even better the next day. This recipe sounds absolutely delicious. Old fashioned foods are the best.
Agree – love those leftovers! ๐