10 Easy Beef Stew Recipes for Cold Nights (2026)

If you want easy beef stew recipes for cold nights that actually reward a busy cook, this is the list. Every dish below is a full recipe with exact quantities, timings, and doneness cues, not a description of somebody else’s dinner. Most start with the same two pounds of chuck and diverge from there: barley, stout, red wine, mushrooms, black beans, sweet potato.

They’re written for the season we’re in now and the one coming. Temperatures drop, the light goes early, and something that bubbles on the stove for a couple of hours pays you back all evening. Pick a weeknight one for Tuesday, a slow one for a Saturday when you’ve nowhere to be.

Easy Beef Stew Recipes for Cold Nights at a Glance

All times below are total times, start to finish, unless a recipe says otherwise. Difficulty refers to the effort involved, not the outcome.

Recipe	Time	Difficulty	Best for
Classic Beef Stew	2 hr 20 min	Easy	Reliable weeknight family dinner
Easy Beef and Barley Stew	1 hr 45 min	Easy	A thick dinner with almost no chopping
Hearty Beef and Potato Stew	1 hr 45 min	Easy	One-pot Sunday supper
Simple Beef Bourguignon	3 hr 25 min	Medium	A weekend cook with wine in the glass
Traditional Irish Beef Stew	2 hr 55 min	Easy	Cold-weather gatherings and St. Patrick’s Day
Hungarian Beef Goulash	2 hr 30 min	Easy	Serving over wide egg noodles
Red Wine Beef Stew	2 hr 50 min	Easy	Deeper flavour for a longer evening
Beef and Mushroom Stew	2 hr 20 min	Easy	Weeknight dinner with crusty bread
Chili-Lime Beef Stew	2 hr 20 min	Easy	A corn and bean version with a little heat
Sweet Potato Beef Stew	2 hr 20 min	Easy	Mildly sweet, warmly spiced bowls

How to choose among easy beef stew recipes for cold nights

Read the first line of each recipe, not the whole thing. If you want the beef to fall apart, choose a long braise such as the bourguignon or the red wine stew. If you want dinner on the table before the sun sets, stay with the barley and potato versions, which finish under two hours.

1. Classic Beef Stew

This is the pot I make most often, and the one I hand to anyone who says they can’t cook. One pot, a short ingredient list, and a method that’s hard to get wrong.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 2 hours · Total: 2 hours 20 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick coins
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas, stirred in at the end
• Chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
3. Brown the beef in two or three batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until each face is deep brown; move the finished batches to a plate.
4. Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook until soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, until it turns brick red and smells sweet.
6. Pour in the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift every browned bit, then add the Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves, and beef with its juices.
7. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down until the surface barely moves.
8. Cover and simmer 90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until a piece of chuck slides onto a fork with no resistance.
9. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer 30 to 40 minutes more, until the potato edges break when nudged with a spoon.
10. Stir in the peas, season to taste, and let the pot sit off the heat 5 minutes before serving.

Tip: Do not crowd the pan when browning. Meat that touches instead of browns steams, and you lose the deep flavor that comes from those stuck-on bits you’ll deglaze later.

Swap it: Yukon Golds hold their shape nicely, but red potatoes work well too. For a sweeter bowl, use sweet potato and add a pinch of cinnamon.

Storage: Refrigerate 3 to 4 days and reheat to 165°F (74°C). Freeze in single portions for up to 2 months, ideally without the potatoes, which turn grainy when thawed. To get ahead, brown the beef and simmer everything except the potatoes the night before, then add potatoes with the cooking time the next day.

2. Easy Beef and Barley Stew

Barley does the work a roux usually does. The grains release starch as they cook, so the broth thickens on its own and lands somewhere between soup and stew, which is exactly where a cold evening wants you.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes · Total: 1 hour 45 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then brown it in batches in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until golden on all sides.
2. Lower the heat, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute until it darkens.
4. Add the rinsed barley and stir for 1 minute so every grain is coated in the fat at the bottom of the pot.
5. Pour in the broth, scraping up the fond, and add the thyme and bay leaf.
6. Bring to a boil, cover, and drop to a lazy simmer for 60 minutes.
7. Check a grain of barley: it should be plump and soft all the way through, with no hard white centre.
8. Uncover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes more until the broth coats the back of a spoon.
9. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the parsley, season, and serve.

Tip: Rinse the barley until the water runs nearly clear. The dust on the outside of the grain will cloud and thicken the broth more than you want, and it dulls the flavor of the whole pot.

Swap it: Swap barley for farro or brown rice and cut the simmer time to 45 minutes. For a gluten-free bowl, use extra broth and finish with a cornstarch slurry.

Storage: Keeps 4 days in the refrigerator, and thickens further as it sits, so loosen single portions with a splash of broth when reheating. Freeze up to 2 months; barley reheats well from frozen with a slow simmer. Barley stew is one of the easiest dishes to assemble the night before, since every ingredient goes into the pot at once.

3. Hearty Beef and Potato Stew

Everything happens in one pot from browning to serving, which means one set of dishes and a supper that’s still warm when the kids come downstairs. It’s the least fussy recipe in the group.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes · Total: 1 hour 45 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium carrots, cut into thick coins
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Dry the beef with paper towels, season it, and brown it well in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes, then add the garlic and rosemary for 30 seconds more.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
4. Pour in the broth, scrape the bottom clean, and add the thyme.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 60 minutes until the beef gives easily to a fork.
6. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover again, and simmer 30 minutes until a knife slides into a potato with no resistance.
7. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes to let the broth reduce to a thick, rustling consistency.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving with crusty bread.

Tip: Cut your potatoes and carrots the same size. Small pieces in the first hour while large ones are still firm give you a stew with one texture instead of two, which is the usual complaint about a pot with potatoes in it.

Swap it: Russets work and give a thicker, starchier broth, but cut them a little smaller and add them 10 minutes earlier. Parsnips or rutabaga can replace half the potato.

Storage: 3 to 4 days refrigerated, covered. Freeze in flat bags for up to 2 months, and leave out the potatoes if you can; the gravy survives freezing better than the spuds do. For an easy make-ahead, brown the beef and simmer it with broth and onion, then add the raw potatoes and carrots with 40 minutes of cooking time the next day.

4. Simple Beef Bourguignon

Real bourguignon asks you to brown meat, cook it, and then cook it again in a different pot. This version keeps the parts that make the dish taste like Burgundy wine and drops the ceremony.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 25 minutes · Cook: 3 hours · Total: 3 hours 25 minutes · Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 thick slices bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
• 2 carrots, cut into thick coins
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Render the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes; remove the pieces and leave the fat behind.
2. Add the oil and heat until hot, then brown the beef in batches until every side is well colored, about 8 minutes total; season the beef as you work.
3. Transfer the beef to a plate, lower the heat, and cook the onion and carrots in the same pot for 6 minutes until softened at the edges.
4. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
5. Push the vegetables aside, add the mushrooms to the cleared fat, and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until they brown.
6. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir 1 minute, then pour in the wine, scraping up everything stuck to the bottom.
7. Simmer the wine for 5 minutes until it drops by about half and you can smell it rather than just taste alcohol.
8. Return the beef and bacon to the pot, add the broth, thyme, and bay leaves, and season well.
9. Cover and cook at a very low simmer for 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is soft enough to fall apart under a spoon.
10. Remove the bay leaves, skim any fat from the top, and check the sauce coats a spoon before serving over mashed potato or egg noodles.

Tip: Let the wine reduce before the broth goes in. Cutting that step short leaves a sharp, raw edge in the sauce that no amount of simmering afterward will fully hide.

Swap it: Use shiitake plus cremini for a woodier flavor, or a blend of frozen pearl onions and cremini. A cup of dry red wine with 1/2 cup of stock and 1/2 cup of water works if you’re out of wine, though the flavor is quieter.

Storage: This is the best make-ahead dish in the roundup. Hold it, unbrowned, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before cooking, or cook it a day ahead and let the sauce settle overnight. Refrigerated pieces keep 3 to 4 days, and frozen portions keep 3 months; reheat gently with a splash of stock.

5. Traditional Irish Beef Stew

Stout is a common choice for Irish-style stews rather than a rule in every traditional recipe, and it works because the roasted malt in the beer deepens the broth without making it bitter. Lamb alongside beef adds fat and richness.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings · Prep: 25 minutes · Cook: 2 hours 30 minutes · Total: 2 hours 55 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 carrots, cut into thick coins
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 pound potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 2 cups stout, plus 1 cup if you like a thinner broth
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Season the beef and lamb, then brown them in batches in a heavy pot until deep brown on every side.
2. Lower the heat, add the onion, and cook 6 minutes until soft and golden at the edges.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and Worcestershire and cook 1 minute.
4. Pour in the stout and broth, scraping the fond from the bottom, and add the thyme.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat is fork-tender.
6. Add the barley, carrots, turnip, and potatoes and simmer 45 minutes more, until the barley is plump and the turnip is creamy.
7. Stir, season with salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken the broth.
8. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with soda bread.

Tip: Add the turnip and barley later than the meat. Both need a full 45 minutes to soften, and putting them in at the start turns them to paste before the beef is close to tender.

Swap it: Any dark stout works, and so does a dry Irish red with a splash of coffee for body. Leave out the lamb and use 2 1/2 pounds of beef, or add 1/2 pound of bacon for a saltier pot.

Storage: Keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and improves on the second day. Freeze without the potatoes for up to 3 months. For a cold-weather gathering, simmer everything except the barley and vegetables a day ahead, then finish the pot the morning of the meal.

6. Hungarian Beef Goulash

Goulash is not a stew with paprika in it; the paprika is the point. It goes in with the onions and cooks long enough to lose its raw edge, which is what separates a real goulash from spiced beef.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 2 hours 15 minutes · Total: 2 hours 30 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian hot paprika, or 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup sour cream, for serving
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for serving
• Wide egg noodles, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the beef dry, season it, and brown it in batches in a heavy pot until golden on all sides.
2. Add the oil and onions and cook over medium heat 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Stir in the sweet paprika, caraway, and hot paprika and cook 90 seconds, until the onions turn brick red and the smell deepens.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, until the mixture darkens and the raw tomato edge is gone.
5. Pour in the broth and Worcestershire, scraping the bottom of the pot, and return the beef.
6. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour 45 minutes, until the beef is very soft and the sauce coats a spoon.
7. Season with salt and pepper, then let the sauce thicken for 10 minutes more, uncovered.
8. Serve over boiled egg noodles with a spoonful of sour cream and a scattering of parsley.

Tip: Add sour cream off the heat, never in the pot. High heat plus dairy makes the sauce grainy in a way you can’t stir back out.

Swap it: If you can’t find Hungarian paprika, use 1 tablespoon regular paprika plus 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika and a pinch more caraway. Turkey or chicken thighs work if you’re cooking for lighter eaters, with 40 minutes of simmering.

Storage: Refrigerate 3 to 4 days, and keep the sour cream on the side so it doesn’t thicken the sauce. Goulash freezes well for up to 3 months; add a splash of water when reheating to loosen it. It reheats better than it cooks, so it’s a good choice for the night before.

7. Red Wine Beef Stew

Here the wine is the liquid, not a splash at the end. Reducing it in an open pot for a few minutes before the broth goes in concentrates the fruit and tannin into something closer to a sauce than a soup.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 2 hours 30 minutes · Total: 2 hours 50 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces pearl onions, peeled
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 carrots, cut into thick coins
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Merlot
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Season the beef and brown it in batches in a Dutch oven until dark brown on each side, about 10 minutes; set it aside.
2. Lower the heat and brown the pearl onions in the same pot, then the mushrooms, taking care not to crowd either.
3. Add the garlic and carrots and cook 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
5. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot, then simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes until it drops by about a third.
6. Return the beef, add the broth and thyme, season, cover, and simmer 1 hour 45 minutes until the beef is tender.
7. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and stir it in off the heat.
8. Simmer 3 minutes until the sauce turns glossy and coats a spoon, then adjust the seasoning.

Tip: Make the cornstarch slurry with cold water and add it only after the stew is tender, off the heat. Boiling starch in the pot can leave a faintly raw taste that lingers.

Swap it: Any dry red works; a sweeter wine suits a sweeter dish, and a Cabernet Sauvignon suits a heavier one. With no wine at all, replace it with 2 cups of broth plus 1/2 cup of grape juice and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar.

Storage: Keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated. For long storage, freeze the stew before thickening, then add a fresh slurry when reheating. The flavors settle overnight, so this one genuinely improves after a day in the fridge.

8. Beef and Mushroom Stew

Mushrooms are the main event here, not a supporting vegetable. Given their own browning time before they join the beef, they turn silky and meaty instead of boiling into grey nothing.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 2 hours · Total: 2 hours 20 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into thick coins
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown it in batches in a heavy pot until well browned on all sides; transfer to a plate.
2. Add the oil and heat it, then brown the cremini in a single layer until they squeak and turn golden, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the shiitake and cook 3 minutes more, then move both mushrooms to a plate.
4. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and carrots, and cook 6 minutes until softened.
5. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
6. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up the fond, and let it reduce for 4 minutes.
7. Add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, beef, and mushrooms, season, and bring to a boil.
8. Cover and simmer 1 hour 30 minutes, until the beef is tender and the broth is dark and glossy.
9. Scatter with parsley and serve with thick slices of crusty bread.

Tip: Brown the mushrooms in a single layer with space between them and don’t stir for the first few minutes. Salt them only after they have colored, since salt early pulls water out and they simmer in their own liquid.

Swap it: Cremini and shiitake can be swapped for any mix of button, oyster, and portobello. Portobello caps give a deep, almost meaty flavor; sliced oyster mushrooms cook in 3 minutes rather than 5.

Storage: 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, and up to 3 months frozen in portions. Mushrooms release water as they sit, so drain off extra liquid before reheating. To make this ahead, brown the mushrooms and beef separately and refrigerate them together; it takes two minutes to reassemble.

9. Chili-Lime Beef Stew

This is the cold-weather adaptation of the list: cumin and chili powder instead of thyme, beans and corn for bulk, and lime at the very end to keep the whole thing bright rather than heavy.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 2 hours · Total: 2 hours 20 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 limes, one juiced, one cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown it in batches in a heavy pot until deep brown on all sides; set it aside.
2. Add the oil, onion, and bell pepper, and cook 6 minutes until the pepper softens and the onion is translucent.
3. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and stir for 45 seconds, until the spices smell toasted rather than raw.
4. Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook 3 minutes until the mixture starts to stick slightly.
5. Add the beef with its juices, the broth, and the beans, then season again.
6. Cover and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender and the broth has darkened.
7. Add the corn and simmer 10 minutes more.
8. Turn off the heat, squeeze in the juice of one lime, and taste before adding any more salt.
9. Top with cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.

Tip: Wait on the lime juice until the heat is off. Boiled citrus turns bitter and flat, and the acidity is the one thing keeping this pot from tasting like a heavy winter stew.

Swap it: Kidney or pinto beans work in place of black beans. For more heat, add 1 chopped jalapeno with the onions, or a teaspoon of chipotle in adobo. Frozen corn doesn’t need thawing, so use it straight from the freezer.

Storage: Keeps 4 days refrigerated and 3 months frozen; beans and corn reheat without turning to mush. Add the lime fresh after reheating rather than before freezing. It also makes an excellent filling for tortillas or nachos the next day.

10. Sweet Potato Beef Stew

The risk with sweet potato is sweetness, and it comes from two places: too much of it in the pot, and too long a simmer. Cooked with tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder, it turns savory and warmly spiced rather than sugary.

Yield: 6 servings · Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 2 hours · Total: 2 hours 20 minutes · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, cut into thick coins
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the beef and brown it in batches in a heavy pot until well colored; set it aside.
2. Add the oil and onion, and cook 6 minutes until golden at the edges.
3. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add the cumin, chili powder, and coriander and stir for 30 seconds more.
4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes until it darkens to brick red.
5. Add the beef, broth, Worcestershire, bay leaf, and carrots, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Cover and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes until the beef is very tender.
7. Add the sweet potato, cover, and simmer 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife slides in with slight resistance.
8. Uncover for the last 5 minutes to thicken the broth, then remove the bay leaf and season again.
9. Scatter with parsley and serve with rice or crusty bread.

Tip: Cut the sweet potato larger than everything else. Small pieces release their sugar into the broth fast, and you end up with a pot that reads as dessert rather than dinner.

Swap it: Butternut or kabocha squash works in the same size pieces and needs the same timing. Add more carrots, or use 2 cups of corn in place of half the sweet potato for a lighter bowl.

Storage: Refrigerate 3 to 4 days and reheat to 165°F (74°C), loosening with a little broth if the sauce has firmed up. Freeze without the sweet potato for up to 3 months, since it turns mushy when thawed. A good make-ahead: simmer the beef and carrots through step 6, then cool, refrigerate, and add the raw sweet potato with 35 minutes of cooking the next day.

Tips for Making These

• Choose chuck and give it size. Chuck carries enough connective tissue to turn tender and gelatinous; the other lean cuts turn dry or stringy no matter how long you cook them. Cut the pieces 1 1/2 to 2 inches so they have time to soften through.
• Brown in batches. A crowded pot drops below the temperature needed to brown meat, so the meat steams in its own liquid. Two or three batches takes ten extra minutes and changes the whole pot.
• Salt in layers. Season the beef before browning, season the broth after the liquid goes in, and taste again at the end. Salting only at the finish flattens everything.
• Keep the simmer gentle. A lazy bubble, not a rolling boil, is what keeps meat from toughening and the broth from thinning out. If the pot boils hard, turn the heat down and leave the lid ajar for a minute.
• Cool before you refrigerate. Put the pot on a trivet and let it stop steaming, then move it into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Freeze in single portions, and hold back the potatoes, which turn grainy from freezing.

One more habit worth keeping: write the serving plan down before you start. These stews all improve overnight, so decide how many portions go to the freezer and how many go in the fridge on day two, and you’ll thank yourself later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Readers who want a faster route on busy nights can find more one-pot suppers in our 15 easy ground beef dinner recipes, and the potato-forward ideas in 3 easy recipes with ground beef and potatoes come together quickly for the same kind of cold-weather supper.

Which Easy Beef Stew Should You Make First?

Start with Classic Beef Stew. Its ingredient list is short, it happens in one pot, and there is no step where a beginner can quietly ruin it, which matters more than excitement on a cold Tuesday. It also stretches: the same method takes red wine, stout, or chili powder instead of thyme, so you learn the basic technique once and can move through the rest of these easy beef stew recipes for cold nights afterwards.

Once that pot feels routine, pick by what you want rather than by what is quickest. Barley and potatoes for something thick and fast, goulash over egg noodles, burgundy on a Saturday when there’s nowhere to be. If you’d like the same flavors in a weeknight version, our Easy Instant Pot beef stew recipe cuts the braising time down and works well when the weather turns before the oven warms.