Easy Stew Beef and Rice Recipe
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Stew Beef and Rice is a simple recipe yet satisfying and full of flavor. And comfort food doesn’t get any better than this easy Stew Beef and Rice Recipe. Onions, peppers, garlic, and oregano are slowly cooked with beef to create one hearty meal.
Stew Beef and Rice
Randy has been cutting and chopping wood for weeks on end now. The stockpile grows little by little each day. He enjoys the labor. It’s time for him to deeply breathe in the fresh air, push himself and focus on something other than his normal work. I join him every now and then to lug a log or two, and it is indeed a nice change of pace.
After hours of work like that he’s ready to eat hearty “stick to your bones” food. This Stew Beef and Rice is just what my lumberjack husband ordered. Plus, is there any other dish that screams comfort food so loudly? A few perhaps, but not many. Just the aroma of beef stewing in onions and peppers and oregano is enough to distract lumberjacks for miles around. It’s hearty enough to satisfy them too. A satiated lumberjack is a happy lumberjack. Okay, enough with the lumberjack references. Moving right along …
How do you make stew beef
Not only is Stew Beef and Rice delicious comfort food to the max, it is oh so easy to make. Begin by lightly browning beef chunks (beef chuck is our preference) on all sides. Add in diced onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring for about five minutes. Next in is the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring for a bit. Then add the beef stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and let simmer until the beef is tender.
It usually takes about an hour and a half or two hours for the beef to get tender. The beef should be easy to shred apart with a fork, which is the next step. I like to remove a portion of the beef and use a fork to shred it apart, then add back to the stew before thickening it up with a bit of water and cornstarch. The whole process requires very little hands-on time. That’s a the lovely thing about stews. Just get them going and let them stew.
How do you make beef stew meat tender
Cuts of meat used for stew beef are typically tough and require longer cook times to make tender. When cooked slow, over low heat in a liquid, like beef stock, connective tissues break down resulting in tender flavorful beef. For this recipe, I recommend beef chuck. Beef round may used as well. Be sure to cook until beef is tender and easy to pull apart. While it usually takes around 2 hours until beef is tender, cook time may vary.
Stew Beef and Rice is an excellent meal for preparing for a group. Double or triple the recipe, make a large tossed salad, maybe some crusty bread too for one hearty meal that will feed a whole crew of lumberjacks. (I had to get in one more lumberjack.) Stew Beef and Rice can easily be made ahead by a day then covered and refrigerated until ready to reheat before serving. Leftovers? They can easily be rewarmed or add more beef stock, along with diced tomatoes, sliced carrots and mushrooms for a hearty soup.
More great lumberjack food recipes:
- Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
- Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
- Meatloaf Recipe from Mama Loves Food
- Pepper Steak from South Your Mouth
- Chicken Fried Steak from Spicy Southern Kitchen
Stew Beef and Rice Recipe
Stew Beef and Rice
Onions, peppers, garlic, and oregano are slowly cooked with beef to create one hearty meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds beef chuck (or round), cut into approx. 2-inch chunks
- 2 cups thinly sliced or diced onion (about 1 large onion)
- 1 1/2 cups green bell pepper thinly sliced or diced (about 1 large pepper)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced/grated
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 cups beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- additional salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add beef. Lightly brown beef chunks on all sides. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Stir in beef stock and bay leaf; bring to a low simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat until beef is tender, about 1 1/2-2 hours.* Remove a portion of the beef; shred apart then return to stew. (A potato masher could also be used to mash the meat apart while in the pot.)
- Add cold water to a small measuring cup or mixing bowl. Whisk in cornstarch until thoroughly blended. Slowly stream cornstarch mixture into stew, stirring until combined. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Stew will thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm over cooked rice.
Notes
*Cook time may vary depending on beef. Be sure to cook until tender.
Yum–sounds delicious!
I have bought all kinds of meat to make stew. It is always tough and stringy regardless of how long I cook it I have put it in my pressure cooker for hours and it’s still stringing. It Cooks so tender I can’t pick it up with a fork but when I try to chew it is like chewing rubber. Any suggestion ?
This happen to me too…But I made it again but this time with Tri-tip meat ( I know it’s orivey) but the stew came out soooo much better and I added brown sugar . I guess this is a meal I can only make once in while because it’s too expensive .
Bachelor Bill here. My biggest problem, I think, is Browning at too low a temperature. When I’m wimpy it comes out tough. When I’m worried it’s too hot it’s tender. Fiddle with Browning temp. Not a great option in an Instant Pot, but everywhere else.
It could be how long you’re cooking it. Pressure cooking beef for hours is unnecessary, I did 20mins in my IP yesterday for 3.7 lbs of beef chuck, and then used saute function to add in more whole veggies and cooked for another 20. Beef pieces chewed and weren’t too tough! It also makes a difference how you cut compared to the grain of the meat as well but the big issue seems to be you’re potentially overcooking the meat.
Thanks for the great recipe!! It was so good and family approved! Loved how easy it was too.
I tried making this recipe and had to mix chicken and beef stock to make 5 cups of broth. Then I didn’t have peppers so I used tomatoes and added them towards the end but it still turned out good. I also marinated the stew meat to make it more tender like someone else said.
Thanks for the great recipe,
Karen
You want to slow cook that kind of meat, give it 8 hours or so and it is perfect.
Does it need cornstarch
If I don’t have cornstarch, what can I use
3TBS Flour to each TBS of Cornstarch
Marinate your stew meat in a little balsamic vinegar for a couple of hours or overnight in the refrigerator. About a tablespoon per pound of meat.
I made this for the first time and used venison. It turned out beautifully. The entire family really enjoyed.
Thanks for this simple recipe..the beef and rice..
this has fast become my families favorite meal. My kids request it every week. I started offering different types of rice. Steamed for me and a rice pilaf for the kids. The flavors are great and I have also started cutting some of the stew meat into smaller pieces as that can help them to become more tender without having to cook at longer cook times.
Great recipe
Is this gluten-free?
I would love an Instant Pot version of this!
I just threw everything in the instant pot and presto, perfection. First brown meat with the onion green peppers (I did it right in instant pot in the meat setting). Then add broth (just to barely cover meat not 5 cups) garlic oregano salt pepper and laurel. Toss around some more put the lid on and 15 minutes later ready. Opened pot, set back to meat, as it bubbled gently added water+flour slowly. Done
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and my family loves it! And it’s also super easy to make.
im a butcher here, ive done this recipe a couple times with various tweaks here and there. the fastest (and tenderest) ive found is using beef tenderloin tips or (and i made this myself at work) cut up parts of tenderloin for the stew meat. searing at a high heat will brown the meat nicely and will cut out the long time to make the stew poriton. i made the entire meal in about 20 mins. essentially your just substituting a quality, tender meat the reduce cook time. if u ask your local butcher that does custom cuts if he can package the stew meat off of a tenderloin for you when he cuts tenderloin fillets (filet mignons) thats some high quality stew meat.
What can I use in the place of cornstarch???? Making this tonight and I don’t have cornstarch! ????
I apologize for the delayed reply. I hope you figured it out. In the future, try one of these substitutes recommended by Food 52: https://food52.com/blog/24362-best-cornstarch-substitutes
Just made this last night and it was really good! Both my husband and I really liked it!
Can you substitute the stock
I’m sorry, I don’t have an idea for a good substitute.
Made this just as recipe said. I found that the 5 cups of broth were too much, will cut back next time, and served it over horseradish mashed potatoes. Yum
Made this tonight. It was so easy and comforting on a freezing cold day. I’ll def make again.
Thank you!
Made it and loved it. You probably don’t need 5 cups of broth, I used 4 and it was plenty. I added 2 chilis in adobo, and a bit of the sauce, for some heat and spice. Served over buttered cilantro rice and it was perfect. Hubby thought it was great.
I made this last night with beef chuck and the flavour was amazing. I used 4 cups of beef broth which was more than enough and served it with oven baked brown rice. The beef chuck broke down into tender chunks after a couple of hours simmering and the aroma was mouth watering. It was voted a “keeper” by my family. Would be equally great served over mashed potatoes or noodles…yum!