Description
A rich and comforting beef stew bursting with tender meat and vegetables, served inside a crusty hollowed-out bread bowl.
Ingredients
- Beef chuck, cut into bite-sized cubes
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Onion, diced
- Carrot, chopped
- Celery, chopped
- Potato, diced
- Garlic, minced
- Tomato paste
- Beef broth
- Red wine (optional)
- Bay leaves and fresh thyme
- Bread loaves (round, such as sourdough or boule)
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Brown beef in batches; remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté onion, carrot, celery until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook briefly.
- Return beef to pot. Pour in broth and wine, add herbs. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover, and cook 1½–2 hours until beef is tender.
- About 30 minutes before serving, add potatoes and cook until soft.
- Prep bread bowls by slicing off tops and hollowing them out. Ladle hot stew into the bowls; garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
- For a slow cooker version, brown the beef and sauté vegetables, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with liquid and herbs. Cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Use crusty, dense breads like sourdough or boule to prevent the bread bowl from collapsing under the stew.
- To thicken the stew, simmer longer to reduce or add more broth if it’s too thick.
- For extra vegetables, mushrooms, parsnips, turnips, or peas can be added toward the end of cooking.
- To prevent soggy bread bowls, lightly toast the inside or brush with melted butter before filling with stew.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bread bowl with stew
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 80mg