How to Make Beef Stew
The easiest way to follow the exact recipe is with the book. But if you don’t have a copy, you can find the measurements and instructions within this “Low and Slow Soups and Stews” recipe roundup on Magnolia Table’s site. (Just ignore the biscuit topping ingredients and directions.) Here are the basics:
Season beef chunks with salt and pepper, then brown them in butter in a large soup pot. (This builds the initial layer of flavor and adds color.) Add diced onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté until they begin to soften. Stir in flour, garlic powder, garlic salt, kosher salt, and pepper, then add beef broth, canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes, canned corn, and a cubed russet potato.
Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the beef is tender and the flavors have melded. Stir in frozen peas at the end.
My Honest Review of the Beef Stew
This isn’t a traditional, heavy beef stew — and that’s the first thing to know going in. The broth is noticeably lighter and thinner, veering into beef-and-vegetable soup territory, and the abundance of vegetables gives it a slightly spring-like feel despite its cozy branding. It’s still comforting, but not in that deeply rich, slow-braised way you might expect. If anything, it feels like a weeknight-friendly stew rather than a special-occasion one.
Flavor-wise, the biggest issue for me was saltiness (and I love salt). Between the kosher salt, garlic salt, broth, and canned ingredients, it quickly tips into overly salty territory. I’d scale that back and season at the end. Texture-wise, the beef wasn’t quite there at the 1-hour-15-minute mark — it was still a bit chewy and grisly rather than fall-apart tender. That’s what makes the book’s headnote so interesting: Gaines mentions letting it simmer all day, which would likely solve both the tenderness and depth-of-flavor issues.
Online, opinions are mixed but generally positive. Many home cooks appreciate how easy and family-friendly it is — especially the one-pot simplicity and generous yield. Others echo similar critiques: It’s thinner than expected, a bit salty, and benefits from a longer cook time. Several reviewers mention modifying it — less salt, longer simmer, or even thickening the broth — to better match their idea of a classic beef stew.
Tips for Making the Stew
- Double the beef for a heartier stew. As written, it’s more vegetable-forward than meat-heavy.
- Simmer longer for better texture. If you want tender, fall-apart beef and a richer broth, extend the cook time and consider only partially covering the pot. You may also want to dice the vegetables larger so they don’t fall apart with the longer cook time.
- Dial back the salt. Reduce the salt and season to taste at the end instead.
- Skip the garlic salt. Because the recipe already calls for garlic powder and salt, you can simply increase those slightly instead of using a redundant ingredient.
- Use low-sodium beef broth. This gives you much better control over the final seasoning.