How to Make the Best Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew

Julia and Bridget uncover the secrets to the perfect Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew.
Get the recipe for Hearty Beef and Vegetable Stew: cooks.io/3bNMGZD
Buy our winning Dutch oven: cooks.io/38J5sQ7
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America's Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
cooksillustrated.com
/ americastestkitchen
/ testkitchen
/ testkitchen
/ testkitchen

[@himguydude]

these women did not mince words. truly top 3 stew i've ever tasted. i just polished off my third bowl and came here to say thank you julia, bridget and the fine people at america's test kitchen. well done

[@curiouslyme524]

I omitted the kale & used leeks, parsnips, carrots, onions, shallots, celery, peas, mushrooms, & potatoes, in addition to garlic, tomato paste, Sherry wine, salt & pepper to taste, etc. I served it with garlic bread. When I serve it over mashed potatoes, I leave the potatoes out from the stew. Everything is done on the stove top. Delicious! A comfort food!

[@maryellennorcross5195]

I TRULY "LOVE" WATCHING YOU TWO LADIES EVERY SATURDAY ON PBS ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE GREAT KITCHEN CREW, BUT WISH YOU WERE ON MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK. ANY HOW......THANKS FOR MAKING COOKING LOOK SO EASY AND FUN.

[@jeanettanorton5646]

7:39 I use cabbage instead of the kale or Chard in my cooking. Thanks for sharing this with me 😊. Hello from Indiana USA and this 62 year old lady.

[@waterchild83]

Oh that cabbage is a great idea! Thanks!

[@bartlett454]

This Canadian loves America's Test Kitchen! Excellent recipes by terrific instructors. Oh, and kale is a good, hearty, power-packed ingredient for these colder months to add to one's stew. Kale, Swiss chard, Chinese broccoli, collard greens, or rapini. Your stew; your choice. More vegetables; the better, I say to get through Autumn and Winter. Serve with a nice, fresh, crusty loaf of bread to soak up every drop of that beautiful broth and there is no better dinner. C'est très bien. Délicieux!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

J'espair qu'il est tres bon pour manger. (I hope my French isn't too mangled. This dish seems to call for some French.)

[@nighthawk_predator1877]

too bad we have to pay for the recipes from them though. Jeez

[@joannesmith2484]

@@nighthawk_predator1877 You could probably borrow their cookbook from the local library.

[@drizzledrain8426]

Making this for a picky family? Just blend the mushrooms and sauce towards the end of the cooking process. This is one of those meals, where every bite makes you pause, as your eyes roll back in your head and you groan from delight and disbelief. This is in my top 5 comfort foods, unbelievably good!

[@getdean1]

Making this now, 1 1/2 hours to go until chow is ready! All steps followed , should come out good! Thanks for this simple no nonsense cooking show

[@protocolofficer2629]

A humble beef stew can be the most magnificent meal if done properly. You did it properly and more! I play around with beef stew in order to get the most beefy flavour. I begin by sautéing two grapefruit sized diced onions for about ten minutes then adding beef chunks, mushrooms and grated garlic and thoroughly browning it all. This gets me the unique intense flavour of beef that I like. I then go on to add liquids, veggies and thickener. I love that you added kale so am going to add it to my next stew. Thanks for this incredible recipe. Cheers, Colin.

[@elizabethdiblasio7825]

You are both adorable Chefs, I truly enjoy watching your shows... I watched you 10 years ago... very inspirational!

[@farhorizons3901]

Have wondered about other recipes which put the veg in at the beginning, resulting in mushy texture. Have modified my technique as per the ATK recipe which results in a one-pot meal with fresh-tasting veg! Thanks.

[@judygravelle3570]

Loved the new twist on making stew. I always followed my moms hearty stew on the farm

[@countalucard4226]

I wish these 2 ladies would open a take out order restaurant in my neighborhood.

[@peaceandlove7824]

I’m cooking your stew recipe right now. Thank you so much 😊

[@Paelorian]

This video convinced me that making this stew would be worth a couple hours of my time. These ingredients will be going on my shopping list! Thanks, ATK! And I always smile at Julia's enduring love for kale every time it comes up, a recurring theme over the years. So charming.

[@hollym5873]

Love these recipes. Thanks

[@brt929]

I made this tonight. I really liked the flavor, but next time I’m leaving out the kale. Oh, and I didn’t have a whole cup of red wine- next time I’ll make sure I have the full cup and a half.

[@2020Dreamlife]

Yes. No kale please.

[@emotionalfish1181]

One of my favs of all time, thank you ATK!

[@MrAshhoe]

You ladies rock. That stew looks amazing.

[@edmundkonkolich8743]

Always enjoy learning from ATK. You two wonderfully personable ladies, Cook's Kitchen, Gearheads, the Taste Test episodes, & especially your Test Kitchen segments. All of the on-camera ATK Crew is top notch. My Dad taught me his Beef Stew 40 years ago, but I'll try yours, as ATK has yet to let me down. Cheers & God Bless.

[@blueriver8708]

oh so good, I just made it and I could not believe how kale goes so well in this soup, love love love it, thank you.

[@davidwilliams7935]

But does it go well in this stew?

[@blueriver8708]

@@davidwilliams7935 yes, it does, I made this soup 2 times already.

[@gennettekadri6251]

Love just about every recipe you all present to us and the many cookbooks and magazine articles you write. Thanks and I must keep on learning a lot from you thanks.

[@rhodaprayer3216]

soo good. left out the kale, instead of added greens...Love your Soups & Stew book. Must have......

[@annebooyse1112]

Love, love, love this. Want to make it.☺☺☺

[@tawpgk]

Looks delicious, I will try in the summertime.

[@judygravelle3570]

But I am making stew this weekend I will make your way loved the greens sooooo. healthy too. Luv ya guys

[@josephrodrick6451]

Never had kale in my stew, but I am excited to put this recipe together . . . Thank you for all you at ATK do. I Love ATK

[@don.kowalski]

loved this on the eve of thanksgiving. so satisfying. reminds of my childhood, dad would make oxtail soup with parsnips carrots and turnips. gallons of it and the neighbors would come over for a bowl!

[@troutfitter547]

I haven't had Ox tail stew in years, My mom would make it when I was a kid. I can remember the look on my friends face when I said "ox tail"

[@rachray83]

I made a combo of their recipe and Tyler Florence's recipe. Used Pinot Noir red wine. Veggies were onion, red potatoes, carrots green peas. I browned with salt, pepper and flower. I used button mushrooms, fresh tyme, shaved orange peels. I did on the stove top and in the oven. I am making again now and will add celery rhis time and use a portobello mushroom instead. I also did their chicken broth and beef combo. I did not use kale. I took to work and shared, everyone said it was awesome. It did not last long. After prep work I found this pretty easy to make. I will do the flour roue this time and tomato paste. Also my red wine wasn't and isn't a blend. Im using pearl onions this time. I cooked on the stove 1hr 45 mins with all veggies except peas and potatoes and added the potatoes then went into the oven for 1 hour. When it came out i added the peas and parsley and they bathed for about 15-20 mins. Also I did 750ml of wine, the whole bottole

[@joetaylor486]

Sounds like the best of stews, and I am no slouch. Love the idea of adding greens in the last minutes! 😊

[@cathygas5415]

You are amazing, both girls! I lime you very much. Always smiling, laughing. Thanks.

[@Rdasboss]

pro tip, if you're planning for leftovers leave the greens and peas out and add them next day when its reheating.

[@hestergreen2031]

Oh so very tasty. Love it. Beef is always a good choice.. keep your program coming. We need more incentives. ..

[@voz805]

Thank you, can almost smell it!

[@allangardiner2515]

I love these guys.

[@Sueprises]

That looks super delicious .. thank you

[@laurafitzgerald3293]

Love you guys!!!!!!!!

[@conradkappel9426]

I followed this recipe precisely. It's now in the oven. If it tastes nearly as great as my kitchen does, it should be a winner. Thanks guys!!

[@tazman572]

Your kitchen tastes good ?

[@bettyjohnson7762]

I'm making this now. It's a long process but I'm sure it will taste delicious

[@lidiakuhn6505]

It looks delicious 😋

[@crimsonfancy]

Julia cooks like I do. She's my #1

[@Ghanshyam00000]

Tomato paste is not part of this beef stew recipe but many people add it to that because the taste becomes succulent and delicious however you both are awesome chefs you made exceptionally great beef stew with mushrooms and kale that I haven't eaten that I had heard of mushrooms but I didn't know kale before this video is very helpful for everyone thanks.

[@ejhayden6878]

I changed a couple of ingredients, excellent recipe!

[@Qsv7RQ3ovB]

I've seen many channels in utube claimed their beef stew is the best one, but after I've gone through your video, now I knew what is " BEST OF THE BEST".. supposed to be‼️ FIVE 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS ✨TOP NOTCH ✨ 🕊️ CHEF 🕊️ No 1

[@MichaelDucharme1]

Amazing recipe. I'm not a fan of a few ingredients so I swapped parsnips with celery and peas with leeks.

[@melaniebrantner6844]

This was delicious. The kale is an excellent addition.

[@Passionforfoodrecipes]

I was gonna write another beef pun for this one... But that would be *Stew*-pid of me!

[@sullivanspapa1505]

GROAN!

[@aloras405]

😂🤣😂

[@rachelsweets]

Hehe

[@jamesgoacher1606]

It's OK he has a day job.

[@ralphcraig5816]

Don't pork it up!

[@Avacarho]

Great video, which makes me want try kale and parsnips in a recipe, but the recipe link goes to a page where a membership is required, which has not happened before when coming from the KZbin video description. Fortunately, I’ve got the ATK seasons 1-19 cookbook and I’m hoping the recipe is in it.

[@comesahorseman]

Scratch the kale, I say. Substitute chard or beet greens. Also, check the parsnips you use; some may have a woody core that should be trimmed out before cooking.

[@msnannybean]

I ran to the grocery today and I grabbed all the ingredients except the mushroom..the store was out of mushrooms..haven’t heard of a run on mushrooms, but there you go.

[@iluminameluna]

You can use dry, reconstituted, mushrooms from the Asian grocery, and include the water in the recipe. You won't regret it!

[@Mark_Mars]

I'll trade you one portobello for two rolls of toilet paper

[@sunflowerbaby1853]

I went to three grocery stores & could not find garlic or ginger. What? Really? The strange things that have dissapeared during this quarantine.

[@brt929]

I couldn’t get just one portobello, I had to get a tray of 4. I took one and coated it in an Asian style marinade and grilled it with a little cheese and put it on sourdough bread with Japanese mayonnaise and it was delicious. I wish some of the burger joints offered a portobello “burger.”

[@harryhagman6063]

@@Mark_Mars IT IS ABOUT THAT TIME AGAIN WITH THE SECOND WAVE

[@emmanouelpassas5741]

Excellent stew

[@patrickmcneil4214]

I made it for company, and it got raves! Thank you.

[@mikefredd3390]

Haven’t made it yet but I was skeptical about the vegetables. After watching video I changed my mind. I’ll make it as presented. Red wine and mushrooms check and check.

[@lolacat2420]

P.S. Before 2012, the biggest buyers of kale were caterers who used the cruciferous greenery to line food displays. Kale has been around for a long time, but never before has it been consumed so ravenously, or served as a symbol of pop culture. And Kale is rough on the digestive tract. And Kale is on the way out. I suggest Turnip Greens which are yummy, or Spinach, or Collard Greens. All three have been enjoyed for decades, if not longer.

[@sunrae7680]

I grew up on Southern - Soul Food. We ate all kind of greens including kale. People complain about how long we cook greens, but I believe it helps to avoid complications of excessive oxalates and the harshness on the digestive system. So, I've been eating kale, collards, turnip, rabe, mustard....greens, all of my life- long time. 😀

[@chrisjenkins9978]

Kale taste like green-pot-scrubbies.

[@lolacat2420]

@@sunrae7680 I'm Southern too! It's a long tale, but my love of turnip greens started as a baby who wasn't yet allowed food! According to my grandmother, Froggie, "the baby asked for 'em." The reason I cook them so long is for flavor. No matter what you season them with, the true turnip green taste only comes out with time. I love STRONG GREENS! Being a true southerner, I season with pork. The best greens and pork comes from the farmer's markets! Just last weekend I bought 6 lbs. of turnip greens!

[@lolacat2420]

@@sunrae7680 PS... Soul Food is the best!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Those would be good instead of kale. You might try Swiss chard - its flavor is very mild.

[@dorothycrabtree9035]

Wow, this was delicious! The only thing was, despite putting it in our gas oven at 350F for an extra 2 hours after adding the veg, all of them were still completely raw! I ended up having to bring to a boil on the stove for an additional 20 min before the potatoes were only just done. Not sure what went wrong, but despite taking six hours to make (start to finish), it was delicious! Gobbled up in appreciative silence by the whole family! (Also, I love how friendly and nice you 2 are, with each other. Lovely dynamic!)

[@larrytemp3063]

DID YOU USE A DUTCH OVEN POT?

[@roseobloy7978]

Same thing happened to me ... I left in oven for some more time... then removed the vegetables and microwaved them ... it was ok ... weird. Assuming today all will be fine ... because I’m not giving any away. Lol that was 2nd time ... first time was great.

[@annaeeee7516]

I thought she said it should go into a 300 degree oven. Maybe that was the issue? I hope you figure it out cuz this looks too good! 😄

[@roseobloy7978]

So the third time it was perfect. Like first time. Since it was too warm to put in fridge I put it outside on deck ... it was well below freezing . Next day it was frozen thru. Reheated in 300 oven when ready to serve it. Got a rave review. All times I’ve left the kale out.

[@FVWhimsy2010]

maybe get an oven thermometer to verify the temperature?

[@janie7242]

Nice hair cut! Dear Julia! New idea using kale in stew.... looked delicious! 😉👍

[@trusarmor4957]

monthly Stew segments please! 9:25 oh, and Hello from Quarantine

[@drwoodwork1]

I will never use anything this channel presents. I tried one thing and it was false. They want money from you.

[@drwoodwork1]

Add multiple hours to this recipe.

[@capricornqueen3139]

Yummy

[@maryallen1017]

That's an all day job in the kitchen to make this stew. Hard to make this recipe when you get home at 6 and everyone is hungry. Gonna make it in my Instant-Pot.

[@guymessier728]

Tricycle

[@s.d.berquist6866]

How did it taste from the instant pot?

[@suelifossey7710]

Trying your beef stew today hope I can make good. You ladies are great.😊

[@troutfitter547]

How did it turn out? I'm making it right now for dinner tonight. My wife is out Christmas shopping so by the time she gets home she will be tired and hungry!

[@suelifossey7710]

Was really good 👍

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

Now that looks like how a delicious stew should look.

[@iceblue1457]

Yummy.

[@TheRayfield77]

Great looking stew. I was thinking of instead of braising in the oven, if I could move over to a crock pot for that step of cooking and simmer it for the day.

[@curiouslyme524]

I was thinking the very same thing.

[@TheRayfield77]

@@curiouslyme524 it works just fine.

[@tomwestbrook]

Thanks! Made this tonight here is Minnesota (made it all the way to -1ºF today) and this stew really hit the spot! It's in my go-to soup/stew list. I think I'll skip the peas next time--I don't like peas all that much, unless it's split pea and smoked ham hock soup :^) I find the pea flavor doesn't go well with the stew flavor. The kale works perfect, to me.

[@broccolihart1]

Made this last night and it came out flawless !! Thanks ATK.

[@kimberlymartin7640]

What temperature do you set the oven?

[@harryhthenorwegian476]

Here in Norway we call this stew "LAPSKAUS " and it's very common here :-)

[@jtking76]

I thought I was the only person in the world who mixed beef and chicken broth together. Now I no I am not alone on this planet.

[@quedizzle7378]

I'm suing for a sample of this stew.

[@michellejoy6752]

I would substitute the kale for mustard greens. (Love these ladies)

[@technoforever888]

Love you ladies!!!

[@ralphcraig5816]

Don't they, especially in the new outfits, and the HD! Yummy...

[@sabaof8]

How to adjust for the slow cooker?

[@dubaigeek1988]

And now am hungry

[@LauraLakov]

This looks DELICIOUS!!

[@OHBuckNow]

Thank you.

[@wallypizza323]

Great stew despite not having portabella or parsnips. Kale was good. Took about an hour extra to cook potatoes. All in all, very good.

[@elizabethgraham9711]

Made this today. Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day I added Guinness instead of the wine.

[@H.R.H-Amina_Bin_Shafiq-SHAKTI]

🤤🤤🤤🤤 YUMMY

[@effielarkin3044]

It takes around 4 hours to make this Stew. Really impressed with how delicious and tender the meat is. I only had regular sliced mushrooms and not Portabella. Next time I would use Portabella I did not have red wine and so used the recommended broths and tomato paste. It was o.k. But was missing that punch..I The addition of the other vegetables was good. The gravy could be a bit thicker and easy to make this happen. Overall I give his recipe 7 out of 10.

[@keithfreitas2983]

You needed the red wine

[@husqvarna17]

Looks very yummy, I love stew. No kale for me though too much vitamin k in it.

[@claudiaherndon9729]

What can you substitute for the wine?

[@baire702]

Just curious, why do you use vegetable oil and not olive oil?

[@SugarPilz]

That bay leaf comment was diced at you, Mr. Kimball ; 0

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Did she add bay leaf? I'd leave out the bay leaf and the kale but add instead red chard. I would do exactly what she did for the rest of the stew. It looks fantastic. I love that she added parsnips. They add such flavor. I think I'll make this this weekend.

[@s1nd3r3llee]

Looks so good! Question: WHAT if one cannot have red wine? Would pomegranate juice substitute well for the red wine? Thanks so much! Looks amazing!

[@curiouslyme524]

Sherry can be used. It's made from white grapes.

[@rickgarza2979]

Can your show add graphics saying what you're doing. Ex: spelling out what ingredients, temps, etc.

[@sferris33]

There are 2 stews I want to learn how to make. I hope Americas Test Kitchen will undertake and show how to make it the best. The first is a pork ribs with lotus root. The second is Bouillabaisse, I really want to know how to make this soup.

[@CDawg]

They made a Chicken Bouillabaise: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJi8fWSceNFpkLc

[@oneitalia2312]

It's all over KZbin

[@rudeboymon3177]

Gave your video a like even though there was kale 😝

[@brendafain9962]

Too funny.

[@ralphcraig5816]

If you want to have sex when you're pushing 100, EAT YOUR KALE...

[@user-wb9cj7gb9o]

😋😋😋😋

[@tracyherwigdoodle8177]

Stewlia😃

[@user-yc4fp6ij8l]

How all do you cook in stove for

[@pagerus]

I made this exact meal in my slow cooker crock pot. I. Downed the meat first and then did all the rest.

[@andreaoliverio5451]

Great recipe and beef stew is not one of my favs, though I do like chicken stew!

[@nofaceshadow3106]

🤤🤤😁

[@milfordcivic6755]

ATK is the best cooking show ever to be on TV. They show you correct techniques and teach you about the science of cooking without making home cooks feel inferior. Food Network is a joke and has been for the past 15 years, nothing but competition/reality shows and reruns from the year 2003.

[@alicerobinson1173]

No salt or pepper? Looks good!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

She added salt and pepper to the meat before she browned it. I would taste to see if it needs more.

[@amandajayne6947]

Great dish. What's the difference between a stock and a broth. ?

[@ralphcraig5816]

Three letters, S, C, K...

[@linkinsam1796]

Stock is made from the bones and broth is made from the meat of the animal. In my opinion stock tastes better, it has a cleaner less muddled flavor.

[@brt929]

@@linkinsam1796 Not according to Campbell’s. Both stock and broth are made from simmering bones with vegetables. The real difference is that stock is simmered for a much longer time. www.campbells.com/swanson/broth-vs-stock-vs-bone-broth/

[@Night_Owl292]

Could you tell me what Chalk beef is known as in UK? Thank you.

[@jenniferbrdar4605]

Ask for beef blade shoulder roasts.

[@lss714]

It's chuck not chalk if that helps.

[@titania145]

Chuck, shoulder blade 👍

[@stevenl5411]

Doesn't matter what you use. They cook with a kiln in the UK and ruin everything.

[@alxbl324]

Any recommendations for the red wine?

[@kailexx1962]

My gf (caterer) always tells me, "If you can't stand to drink it, don't stand to cook with it."

[@musicbreath6757]

Cabernet. Pretty much any harvest will do, so don't use your pricey bottle. The flavor it adds is unreal.

[@alanvonau278]

The older portobello mushrooms are, the darker are their gills. I have once bought some with beige/hazelnut gills from a farmers' market.

[@gr8tgee]

The only way to make this better is to give me a bowl and a beer😆

[@HeidiJohnson01]

I’m going to try this! But I’ll fry it in bacon fat to start.