Description

You guys, this is my mother-in-law’s recipe and truly one of our FAVORITES!!! Every single time I make it, I think “I should make this more often” because my kids eat bowl after bowl. This time of year, I would say we have it just about once a week. You can make it two different ways (stovetop or oven), but I always use the oven method. When we had it last week, one of my kiddos had THREE BOWLS. I’m telling you, it’s delish! It’s also super easy too. We always add more meat to this recipe without changing up the amount of liquid we include, and it works just fine!

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
one pound or so stew meat or any lean beef you prefer cut into bite sized pieces (we use almost three pounds for our family)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried work)
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup baby carrots (or 2 large carrots chopped)
2 Idaho potatoes or a few new potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
1½ tablespoon corn starch
1½ tablespoon water

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Instructions

In a large (oven proof) Dutch oven, brown your meat in EVOO until brown all over (5-7 minutes).
Add in next 8 ingredients (plus plenty of salt and pepper), cover with lid and either cook at 275 degrees in the oven 5-6 hours or cook on top of stove about 2 hours (with the lid on as well).
If you’re cooking the stew all day in the oven, then about one hour before you’re ready to eat, add in the carrots and potatoes, cover and return to oven to finish cooking. If you’re cooking the stew on the stove top, then about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, add in the carrots and potatoes, cover and finish cooking on the stove.
Regardless which method you use, about 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve, stir the corn starch and water together in a little bowl until combined. Remove the pot from the oven (if it’s there) and set it back on the stove top. Uncover and add in corn starch mixture. Turn heat on stove up to medium-high and let the stew bubble away uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (the corn starch mixture will thicken the stew up).
Ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes

For my family of six, we always add more meat to this recipe without changing up the amount of liquid we include, and it works just fine! You really can’t mess this recipe up! Your house will smell amazing too!