Oh, friends, there is just nothing like a big, steaming bowl of stew when you need a hug from the inside out! When the days get short and gray, I immediately reach for my big Dutch oven. This recipe for Beef & broccoli stew isn’t fancy—it’s pure comfort food, but it cooks itself mostly unattended, which is the dream for a busy weeknight. You get that savory, rich depth that usually takes all day, but we get it on the table in under two hours. Trust me, once you make this, it will become a staple in your rotation!
Why This Beef & Broccoli Stew is Your New Weeknight Favorite
I know what you’re thinking: stew means hours of chopping and stirring, right? Nope! This Beef & broccoli stew is fantastic because it truly works for busy lives. It’s hearty, deeply flavorful, and makes the entire house smell amazing while it simmers away quietly on the stove.
- It offers that deep, slow-cooked flavor without needing the entire weekend to achieve it.
- It’s packed with good vegetables, so you feel instantly nourished.
- It reheats beautifully, making lunch tomorrow totally covered!
Quick Prep, Slow Simmer Flavor
The best part? Your actual hands-on time for this Beef & broccoli stew is barely 20 minutes. You spend a little time browning the beef and setting up the aromatics, then you walk away! The magic happens while it simmers for that whole hour. That long, slow cook is what breaks down the beef until it’s melt-in-your-mouth tender. It’s the perfect setup for a cozy meal after a hectic day.
Essential Ingredients for the Best Beef & Broccoli Stew
Okay, let’s talk about what goes into this magic pot! Nothing in this beef and broccoli stew is hard to find, but the quality of the beef really makes the difference. You need something sturdy that can handle that long simmer without dissolving into mush. I think of this section as laying down the flavor foundation; nailing these ingredients means your stew is halfway done!
If you’re curious about what other meat dishes look like, I saw a really interesting article on beef stew for dogs recipes the other day—totally different ingredients, of course, but it’s fun to see how versatile stew meat can be!
Stew Meat Preparation
For your beef, you need about a pound and a half of good stew meat, cut into nice one-inch chunks. This is important! You want them big enough to hold their shape but small enough to get tender through the cooking process. Before they hit the oil, give them a good dusting of salt and pepper. My number one tip here is to really take a second and trim off any big, flapping chunks of visible fat. You want the flavor, not weird chewy bits in your final bowl!
Vegetables and Liquid Base for Beef & Broccoli Stew
This is where the depth comes from. You’ll need one tablespoon of olive oil, one big onion chopped (don’t skimp on the onion!), and about two cloves of garlic minced—garlic is non-negotiable, just trust me on that one!
For the liquid, we’re using four cups of beef broth—use low sodium if you can, because we are adding plenty of salty Worcestershire sauce later. Add one cup of water, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and a teaspoon of dried thyme. Then come the sturdy veggies: two large carrots sliced and two celery stalks sliced. For the final vegetable push, make sure you cut your pound of broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces.
Finally, for thickening, mix two tablespoons of cornstarch with exactly two tablespoons of cold water in a tiny little bowl. That slurry tightens everything up beautifully at the end to make it a real, thick stew!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Hearty Beef & Broccoli Stew
This is where the transformation happens! You’ll need your big pot or Dutch oven ready for action. Don’t stress about timing too much; this stew is forgiving, but following these key stages will guarantee that beef turns out falling apart tender. This recipe is so reliable; it’s like following a proven map for deliciousness. You can check out some other long-cook ideas like this Slow Simmer Beef Dog Stew for inspiration, though we’re sticking to human food today!
Browning the Beef and Sautéing Aromatics
First things first: grab your seasoned beef (salt and pepper remember?) and get that olive oil shimmering over medium-high heat. You have to brown the meat in batches—this is my big rule! If you overload the pan, the beef steams instead of searing, and we want that nice dark crust for flavor. Pull the beautifully browned beef out and set it aside on a clean plate.
Now, turn the heat down just a touch. Toss in your chopped onion and let it soften up nicely, which takes about five minutes. Once those onions are looking translucent, throw in the minced garlic. Garlic burns fast, so only give it about sixty seconds until you can really smell it perfuming your kitchen. Don’t burn it! That’s the flavor killer.
The Long Simmer for Tender Beef & Broccoli Stew
Time to bring everything back home! Return all that gorgeous beef back into the pot with the onions and garlic. Now we pour in the liquids: the four cups of beef broth and the cup of water. Add in your Worcestershire sauce and that teaspoon of dried thyme we talked about. Get this up to a rolling boil, then immediately drop the heat way down to low. Cover it up tight, and let it simmer, undisturbed, for a full sixty minutes. This is the time the connective tissues decide to turn into pure, buttery goodness!
Adding Vegetables and Thickening the Beef & Broccoli Stew
Once that hour is up, taste the liquid—the beef should feel like it’s getting close! Toss in your sliced carrots and celery. Put the lid back on and let those cook for another fifteen minutes. While they soften up, mix your cornstarch slurry in a tiny separate bowl—two tablespoons of cornstarch into two tablespoons of cold water, stir until it looks like cloudy milk.
When the carrots are tender, slowly stream that slurry into the stew while stirring constantly. Keep stirring for about five minutes as everything bubbles gently. You’ll notice the stew drastically thickening up right before your eyes. It goes from being a watery broth to a real, clingy stew sauce!
Final Touch: Cooking the Broccoli
Don’t add the broccoli too early, or you’ll end up with swamp mush, and we don’t want that in our perfect Beef & broccoli stew! Stir in those bite-sized florets right at the end. You only need about five to seven minutes max—we want them bright green and tender-crisp. They should still have a little *snap* when you bite them. That’s the best part! When they are perfect, give the whole pot a taste. Add a little more salt or pepper if your beef seems to need it, and dinner is served!
Tips for Perfecting Your Beef & Broccoli Stew
Even though this recipe is straightforward, taking a couple of extra steps really elevates it from good weeknight meal to something you’d proudly serve company. I always try to encourage folks to make small tweaks that result in big flavor payoff. If you want to dive deeper into cooking and find some more inspiration, sometimes I just browse random recipe articles on blogs like this one when I need a break.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
If you can’t find the pre-cut stew meat, don’t panic! Grabbing a nice piece of chuck roast and cubing it yourself works just as well, maybe even better because you control the size. If you use fresh thyme instead of dried? That’s fantastic! Just use a little extra—maybe a teaspoon and a half—since fresh herbs are milder than dried ones.
Let’s quickly chat about that slurry, okay? When you mix your cornstarch and cold water, it’s super important that the water is *cold*. Hot water makes the cornstarch clump up instantly, and then you end up with weird sticky balls instead of a smooth thickener for your Beef & broccoli stew. Mix that slurry well until it’s completely smooth before dumping it in!
Serving Suggestions for Your Beef & Broccoli Stew
Honestly, this Beef & broccoli stew is so rich and satisfying that it barely needs anything else alongside it, but if you’re hungry, we can bulk it up easily!
Remember how I mentioned serving it over rice in the notes? That’s my absolute favorite way to go when I’m really hungry. Cooking up a fresh batch of fluffy white rice—or even brown rice for a chewier texture—gives the stew something wonderful to soak into. That savory gravy just disappears into the grains!
If rice isn’t your thing, grab some crusty bread. Not those squishy sandwich loaves, either! You want something with a good, sturdy crust that you can dunk right into the thick sauce. A nice French baguette or a rustic country loaf makes dipping easy and delicious.
I’ve also made this a few times when company was over and served individual bowls with a little dollop of sour cream right on top, maybe a sprinkle of fresh parsley for color. It gives the stew a little brighter finish. It really just depends on how cozy you want to get!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Beef & Broccoli Stew
One of the best things about making a big batch of stew is knowing you have leftovers waiting for you! This Beef & broccoli stew truly tastes even better the next day once all those flavors have had a chance to really marry overnight. Keep the leftovers stored in an airtight container—I usually divide mine into single-serving glass dishes so they are ready to grab!
You can safely keep this in the fridge for up to four days. When you’re ready to eat it, ditch the microwave if you can! Microwaving tends to make the broccoli a bit mushy and can heat unevenly. Instead, pop it into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Maybe add just a tiny splash of beef broth or water if it looks too thick, stir occasionally, and let it warm up slowly. Before you know it, you have fresh-tasting stew again without sacrificing that perfect slightly crisp texture on your broccoli!
Frequently Asked Questions About Beef & Broccoli Stew
I get so many questions after people try this recipe for the first time, and honestly, that’s my favorite part—seeing how you all tweak it! Stews are so adaptable, but there are a few things folks always ask about when making a hearty Beef & broccoli stew.
Can I make this Beef & Broccoli Stew in a Slow Cooker?
Oh yes, you absolutely can! If you have an afternoon free, the slow cooker is your friend. The key here is that you *must* still brown the beef first. You can’t skip that step for flavor, promise! After browning, just toss everything into the slow cooker—the seasoned beef, the onions, the liquids, the carrots, the celery, everything except that cornstarch slurry and the broccoli.
Set it on low for about seven to eight hours, or high for three to four hours. Just make sure the beef is super tender before moving on. You’ll need to thicken the sauce near the end since the slow cooker doesn’t evaporate liquid like a pot does. Whisk that cornstarch slurry into a small amount of the hot liquid before stirring it back in. Then, add your broccoli for the last thirty minutes of cooking time. It makes for an amazing, hands-off meal!
If you are looking for more slow-cooker inspiration, here is a recipe for slow cooker dog food recipes—I know, totally different audience, but I love seeing how different appliances handle beef!
How can I make the Beef & Broccoli Stew richer?
If you want to kick that savory flavor up a notch, I have two tricks you can try! Right after you sauté your onions and garlic, before you add the liquid, pour in about half a cup of dry red wine—like a Cabernet or Merlot. Let that wine bubble and cook down for a minute or two; that cooks off the sharp alcohol taste and leaves behind this incredible, complex depth. Let it reduce until the bottom of the pot is nearly dry, then proceed with adding your broth.
Another trick, especially if you found your beef broth wasn’t super rich to begin with, is to substitute some of the water with mushroom broth. Mushroom broth adds a fantastic, earthy umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the beef and makes the whole Beef & broccoli stew taste like it simmered for days. Give one or both a try next time!
Estimated Nutritional Data for Beef & Broccoli Stew
Now, I’m not a registered dietitian or anything—I’m just a cook who loves feeding people! But for those of you who like to keep track, I ran the numbers on this Beef & broccoli stew recipe based on the ingredients list. It comes out to be a pretty satisfying meal!
This is for one serving, remember, because this recipe makes four hearty bowls.
- Calories: Around 450
- Total Fat: About 25 grams
- Protein: Closer to 35 grams! That beef really packs a punch.
- Carbohydrates: Roughly 20 grams
Just a little disclaimer here: these numbers are estimates, you know? If you use a much leaner cut of beef, or if you skip the cornstarch slurry and don’t thicken it as much, the numbers will shift a bit. But overall, this is a wonderfully balanced and filling dish. Perfect for a cold night where you need something substantial that doesn’t feel too heavy!
Share Your Thoughts on This Beef & Broccoli Stew
Alright, you’ve made the stew, you’ve eaten it, and now I desperately need to know what you thought! Seriously, this is my favorite part of sharing my recipes. Did it warm you up right down to your toes? Did your beef turn out perfectly tender?
I would be so grateful if you could take one minute right now to leave a quick rating below. Did you give this Beef & broccoli stew five stars, or did you have to dock a star because maybe your carrots were a little too firm? Tell me everything! I read every single comment, and your feedback helps future cooks try the recipe with more success.
And hey, if you made a brilliant variation—maybe you added mushrooms or swapped the thyme for rosemary—shout it out! Let’s create a little community around this cozy stew. If you snapped a picture of your final bowl, share it on social media and tag me; seeing your hearty bowls makes my whole week! Don’t hoard that deliciousness; spread the word about this easy Beef & broccoli stew!
Beef and Broccoli Stew
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Season the beef pieces with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides in batches. Remove the browned beef and set it aside.
- Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Return the beef to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and water. Add the Worcestershire sauce and dried thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 60 minutes, or until the beef is tender.
- Add the sliced carrots and celery to the stew. Continue to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Stir the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water together in a small bowl to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the simmering stew while stirring constantly. Cook until the stew thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broccoli florets to the stew. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender-crisp. Do not overcook the broccoli.
- Taste the stew and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed before serving hot.
