33 Hearty Stew Recipes (2024)

Stews are the ultimate cold-weather comfort food. Whether you prefer something classic, like a hearty beef stew in red wine sauce, or something lighter, like Gail Simmons' chicken stew, these recipes are our heartiest stews to warm you up.

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Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (1)

Sop up this Vietnamese beef stew's fragrant broth — flavored with lemongrass, ginger, star anise, and plenty of fresh herbs — with a chewy baguette or ladle over noodles.

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02of 33

Seafood Gumbo

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (2)

Tiffany Derry, of Roots Southern Table in Dallas, grew up with gumbo. Her version includes chicken breasts and thighs, andouille sausage, blue crabs, shrimp, and a generous amount of okra.

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03of 33

Short Rib Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (3)

When chef Ethan Stowell was growing up, his father was the family cook; beef stew was one of his specialties. Unlike his dad, who favored rump roast, Stowell uses short ribs, a marbled cut that turns fabulously succulent and tender when slow-simmered.

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04of 33

Kale and White Bean Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (4)

Combining two Portuguese favorites — kale-and-sausage soup and a bean, sausage, and tomato stew — makes a simple, sensational one-pot meal. To keep the focus on the vegetables, we've used just a tiny amount of fresh sausage; you can add more, if you like, or substitute dried chorizo or pepperoni.

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05of 33

Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (5)

For this beef stew, chef Jacques Pépin uses a special piece of the shoulder called the flatiron steak. This long, narrow piece is extremely lean, tender, and moist, and it makes an ideal stew. He does not use stock, demiglace or even water. He makes his stew strictly with a robust red wine. This rich, winey beef stew is always a hit with his chef friends.

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06of 33

Oven-Braised Veal Stew with Black Pepper and Cherries

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (6)

A rich, wintry stew with a tart, slightly sweet bite from sour cherries gets its deep flavor from tender veal.

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07of 33

Julia Child's Best Beef Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (7)

This beef stew is from Julia Child's first column in Food & Wine, and is a classic deeply flavorful long-simmered dish.

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08of 33

Creamy Chicken Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (8)

On those hectic chilly weeknights when all you want is something quick, warm, and comforting, this refined creamy chicken stew is all you need.

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09of 33

Green Curry Lobster Stew with Sweet Potato and Mushrooms

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (9)

A pillar of Maine cooking, this aromatic lobster stew is enriched with umami-heavy Golden Mountain sauce and hen-of-the-woods mushroom confit.

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10of 33

Brunswick Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (10)

A beloved comfort dish with roots in traditional Southern cuisine, this sweet-savory stew features tender braised pork shoulder and vegetables.

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Swiss Army Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (11)

This dish is simple, utilitarian fare meant for feeding a large group, and it’s deeply nourishing.

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Caribbean-Style Fish Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (12)

This bright, flavorful stew features a whole red snapper and is seasoned with thyme, garlic, ginger, lime, and Scotch bonnet peppers.

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13of 33

Lamb Tagine with Green Olives and Lemon

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (13)

When making most stews, cooks typically brown the meat before braising it; here, chef Ethan Stowell skips that step, which simplifies the Moroccan recipe and gives the lamb a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The dish is vibrantly flavored with ginger, cumin, coriander, olives, and lemon; the broth is delicious over couscous.

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14of 33

Yucatán Pork Stew with Ancho Chiles and Lime Juice

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (14)

Chef and butcher Tia Harrison breaks down a pig each week at San Francisco butcher shop Avedano's. She finds stew is a versatile way to use cuts like pork shoulder, shanks, and belly. Here, she cooks the stew with pleasantly bitter ancho chiles.

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15of 33

Spicy Coconut Chicken Stew with Corn

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (15)

This sweet and spicy coconut milk–based stew gets lots of bright flavor from spinach, basil, chiles, and lime juice.

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16of 33

Chickpea Stew with Spinach and Chorizo

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (16)

This stew, like all those in Catalonia, starts with sofrito, a thick sauce made with sautéed onions and tomatoes. Once you get all the ingredients in the pot, there's not much to do besides enjoy the aroma wafting from this hearty, spicy, soupy stew as it slowly cooks.

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Ed's Portuguese Fish Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (17)

This flavorful stew, named after chef Michael Cimarusti's Portuguese uncle, is loaded with clams, mussels, and cod as well as chunks of linguiça, a smoky, mildly hot, cured Portuguese sausage.

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18of 33

Carbonnade à la Flamande (Flemish Beef Stew)

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (18)

This classic Belgian beef stew is known for its sweet-sour combination of caramelized onions and beer. Any dark Belgian-style ale would be a good choice here. As with most stews, the dish will taste even better a day or two after it's made.

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Pork-and-Green-Chile Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (19)

A mix of mild chiles (poblano, Anaheim) and hot ones (serrano) gives body and heat to this quick braise made with boneless pork shoulder (ask your butcher to trim it for you).

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20of 33

Giant Lima Beans with Stewed Tomatoes and Oregano Pesto

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (20)

Tangy feta cheese, a bright herbal pesto and a crisp bread crumb topping all elevate this tomato-bean stew. It's sensational made with meaty Rancho Gordo giant limas from Peru, silky gigantes, or large limas from the grocery store.

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21of 33

Chicken and Barley Stew with Dill and Lemon

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (21)

This one-pot dinner from Top Chef judge Gail Simmons is an enriched take on classic chicken soup with rice; at once flavorful, hearty, and comforting.

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22of 33

Hunter's Stew with Braised Beef and Wild Rice

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (22)

David Ansel makes this stew with venison and venison stock, but it's equally delicious prepared with beef chuck. The meat is slowly braised in Madeira to bring out its rich flavor, then it's combined with beef-based broth and nutty, slightly crunchy wild rice.

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23of 33

Oxtail and White Sweet Potato Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (23)

A red wine braise, complete with other mulling ingredients like fresh orange and whole spices, makes the oxtails in this stew fall-apart tender and flavorful. The longer the braise, the better, says New York chef JJ Johnson. "I forgot about it in the oven and returned to find it perfectly cooked," he says.

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24of 33

Hunter's Sausage-and-Sauerkraut Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (24)

This Polish "hunter's stew" typically combines at least three different meats, from wild game to pork ribs, sausages, and veal. Chef Andrew Zimmern uses lightly smoked bacon, chicken thighs, and kielbasa in his version. He also adds roasted bell peppers for depth, buttery chanterelles, and crisp-tender fennel. The stew simmers with fermented sauerkraut, another traditional element. "Thankfully," says Zimmern, "[the sauerkraut] is available in almost any supermarket you walk into."

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25of 33

Fisherman's-Style Seafood Stew

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Chef Fabio Trabocchi of Casa Luca in Washington, D.C., says the key to this brodetto-inspired recipe is to cook the fish and shellfish in stages. The crusty ciabatta toasts make this stew a warming winter meal.

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26of 33

Shrimp-and-Sausage Stew

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Even though chef Linton Hopkins's stew is full of shrimp and sausage, the best part is the delicate lima beans, a Southern staple.

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27of 33

Lamb Stew with Root Vegetables

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Jim Clendenen's version of this classic French stew, called navarin d'agneau, was inspired by vegetables from an extraordinary organic produce purveyor, the Chef's Garden, in his native Ohio.

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28of 33

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (28)

Top Chef judge Gail Simmons skips soaking beans, instead opting for black-eyed peas in this thick and luscious stew, which gets cooked right in the pot alongside spicy Italian sausage.

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29of 33

Pork and Wild Mushroom Daube

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The Provençal stews called daubes are cooked in wide-bellied, narrow-necked earthenware pots (daubières). The lids are specifically designed to trap moisture during cooking. A Dutch oven or a bean pot is a perfect stand-in for a daubière.

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30of 33

Awaze Tibs (Ethiopian Spiced Lamb Stew)

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (30)

Made with tender, boneless leg of lamb, this quick-cooking staple of Ethiopian home cooking is flavored with awaze sauce, a kicky blend of berbere spices, smoked paprika, lemon juice, and wine. Some cooks like it dry, but chef Hiyaw Gebreyohannes prefers it saucy — all the better for mopping up with Ethiopia's crêpe-like bread, injera.

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31of 33

Lecsó (Hungarian Sausage Stew) with Ale

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (31)

This recipe for lecsó, a traditional sausage, tomato, and bell pepper stew from Hungary, is made with beer for a deep, rich flavor.

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32of 33

Beef Rib Eye and Vegetable Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (32)

This incredibly hearty stew can be on the table in less than half an hour.

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33of 33

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

33 Hearty Stew Recipes (33)

This spicy stew is loaded with pork and plenty of vegetables. California winemaker Andrew Murray makes it for his employees around harvest time. "It's our comfort food at the winery," he says. "And it's a nice excuse to stop for a few minutes and eat together, even when we're busy."

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33 Hearty Stew Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why put vinegar in stews? ›

Vinegar can add depth of flavour to soups, sauces, and stews. Especially great for tomato-based recipes, you can add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar towards the end of the cooking process to amplify the flavours of your other ingredients.

What is the longest going perpetual stew? ›

In Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), there is an award-winning restaurant called Wattana Panich, where you can order and then eat a beef and goat soup that is 49 years old.

How do perpetual stews not go bad? ›

The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. Such foods can continue cooking for decades or longer, if properly maintained." Fans of medieval history will know that perpetual stews are a mainstay in descriptions of inns.

What are the best things to put in a stew? ›

Onions, carrots and celery (mirepoix vegetables) are classic for a reason, but don't be afraid to stray and get creative. Try using roasted garlic instead of regular garlic, or caramelize your onions before moving on to the next step. You can also add an incredible depth of flavor by adding dried mushrooms to the mix.

Why put tomato paste in beef stew? ›

A bit of tomato paste amps up the flavor of beef stew, giving it a richness and a punch of umami that makes the stew truly memorable.

Is it better to use beef broth or stock for stew? ›

Ideally, you'll use beef stock, but beef broth is fine too. Veal stock would be divine. Instant bouillon paste will add flavor and is perfectly acceptable. Indeed, even if all you have is chicken stock, it will still be better than water and won't make your beef stew taste like chicken soup.

What is a soup that never stops cooking? ›

A perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter's pot, or hunter's stew, is a pot into which foodstuffs are placed and cooked, continuously. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary.

What is a soup that never ends? ›

“Perpetual stew,” also called “hunter's pot,” refers to the practice of keeping a pot of soup slowly simmering at all times, wherein ingredients, such as meats, vegetables and liquids are replenished — but never tossed — as the pot gets low. But is it safe?

What is a stew that never ends? ›

Perpetual stew is essentially a stew that transcends time. Essentially, people turn on their crockpots to make a stew that keeps cooking, eating some of it, replenishing the leftovers with additional ingredients, and, well, you get the idea. A kind of bottomless, never-ending-stew.

Is perpetual stew sanitary? ›

And yes, because it's always kept at boiling temperature (there was a close call on June 14 when Shayne briefly blew a fuse making toast), and the ingredients are cycled out at a fast pace, it should be safe to eat. Perpetual stews have been around for a while and “have simmered for years on end!” she notes.

Can I leave stew out overnight to cool? ›

Food should not be at room temperature for more than two hours. Shallow containers or small amounts of hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating.

Can I leave stew in the crockpot overnight? ›

The short answer: Yes. slow cookers are made to cook food for extensive periods of time (some can be left up to 24 hours). But, of course, follow safe practices outlined in your instruction manual, and keep the appliance on low or warm, as opposed to high, overnight.

What gives beef stew the best flavor? ›

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

What kind of potatoes are best in beef stew? ›

Yukon Golds have a creamy texture and slightly waxy consistency that holds up well in stews without becoming overly mushy. They add a nice richness to the stew. Red potatoes have a smooth, thin skin and a waxy texture, red potatoes hold their shape nicely during cooking.

What does vinegar do in beef stew? ›

The vinegar will loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add flavor. Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef back into the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir until the flour is dissolved.

Does vinegar make stew meat tender? ›

Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt and wine weaken collagen and protein in meat. Once the proteins are broken by acid, one loose protein can bond with another and trap liquid in the meat, making it juicy and tender. Yay!

Does vinegar make beef more tender? ›

Balsamic vinegar is a good marinade for red meats because it helps to tenderize them. The acid in the vinegar helps to break down some of the protein and fat in the beef, which makes it softer. The balsamic vinegar also adds a sweet flavor while tenderizing, without having to add any sugar.

What does vinegar do for beef? ›

Tenderizing: Vinegar has acidic properties that can help break down the meat's proteins, making it more tender. This is particularly useful for tougher cuts of meat. When used as a marinade, the acidic content in vinegar can penetrate the meat and tenderize it over time.

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