by Diana Rattray
Combining beef shanks on the bone and stewing beef makes this long-simmered stew a hearty and satisfying meal. Rutabaga, carrots, and potatoes are the primary vegetables, but feel free to add some frozen, thawed green beans or peas about 15 minutes before it’s ready. Replace some water with unsalted or low-sodium beef stock for an even beefier flavor. For a thicker stew, I use a slurry of flour and water near the end of the cooking time, but cornstarch will also work.
Serve the beef stew with some crusty French bread or biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy it the next day for lunch!
PrintOld-Fashioned Homemade Beef Stew
Beef shanks add extra flavor to the broth in this old-fashioned beef stew.
- Prep Time: 22 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Beef Shanks
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds beef shanks
- 2 large onions
- 4 to 6 cups water
- 1 pound stewing beef (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups diced rutabaga
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 3 cups diced potatoes
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, optional
- 3 tablespoons cold water, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Put the beef shanks and chopped onions a Dutch oven; cover with about 4 to 6 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the beef for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the meat from the bones, dice, and put back in the pot.
- Sprinkle the stewing beef pieces with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the stewing beef pieces and cook, stirring, until the outside of the beef has formed a browned crust. Add the browned beef to the pot with the beef shanks. Cover and cook over low heat for about 1 hour longer, or until beef is tender.
- Add the rutabaga and carrots to the pot; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- To thicken, if desired, stir the optional flour into the cold water until smooth. Stir about half of the flour mixture into the stew and continue to cook until thickened. Add more flour mixture if a thicker stew is desired.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
