This recipe for creamy mustard beef stew will warm you up on those chilly nights! It’s the classic comfort food supper favorite with an extra zing of flavor.
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Why we love this recipe
Oh, this creamy, dreamy mustard beef stew! It’s scrumptiously hearty with a thick creamy sauce, filled with tender chunks of beef and carrot, pieces of bacon, and just a hint of zesty mustard to give the whole thing a nice little zing.
AND, for something that is as creamy and dreamy as this stew, it has just the teeniest bit of cream in it. Two tablespoons in the whole glorious pot, which is just enough to give the sauce that silky texture.
The rest of it is a conglomeration of simmered beef and carrots and shallots and BACON, all finished off with a swirl of that cream and just enough mustard to give it a little sass.
And while the stew itself needs a good couple of hours to cook, the prep takes a speedy 20 minutes or so. The rest of the time all you need to do is sit back and inhale that comfort food aroma. Happy sigh.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Beef: You want beef chuck steak for this recipe. You can either buy a whole chuck steak and cut it up into bite sized pieces, or often you can find already cut up chuck steak (usually labeled as stew beef – makes sense!) in the meat section of your grocery store.
- Mustard: We love Dijon mustard for this recipe, but any kind of mustard is fine! Keep in mind that the flavor and heat of the mustard will impact the overall taste of the stew.
- Shallots: These are little pink veggies from the onion family. If you can’t find them, a peeled and chopped sweet onion will also work.
- Carrots: If you want to save a little prep work time, you can swap in baby cut carrots.
- Cream: Yep, you need that heavy cream for this recipe…just a tiny bit is going to have a big wonderful impact on the flavor and texture!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Cook some chopped bacon in a Dutch oven or other heavy large pot until it is crispy. Scoop it out and set it aside, leaving the drippings in the pan. Keep an eye out for bacon pilferers!
Step 2: Toss some cubed beef chuck steak with flour, salt and pepper until it is well coated.
PRO TIP: Make sure your beef is cut into roughly the same size pieces so it cooks evenly. Even the pre-cut variety might need some cutting here and there.
Step 3: Add the floured beef to the pot with the bacon drippings and cook over medium high heat until it is browned.
Step 4: Add some shallots, chopped carrots and tomato paste to the pot. Give it all a stir and then pour in some chicken broth. Bring it to a simmer and let it bubble away for about 90 minutes. If the sauce starts looking too dry towards the end, drizzle in a little more broth.
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Step 5: Once the meat is tender, stir in that cooked bacon, a couple tablespoons of mustard and a couple tablespoons of cream. I like to throw in some chopped parsley too. And…you’re done!
Recipe FAQs
I know, it sounds very fancy, but it’s any pot that is big, heavy (usually enameled cast iron) with a tight fitting lid. It’s ideal for cooking everything from stews to bread (yes, bread!). If you don’t have one, just use the heaviest, widest pot you have.
Beef broth has a pretty strong beefy flavor, so we prefer the lighter flavor of chicken broth which adds some seasoning without taking over. If you would prefer to use beef broth, try using half beef broth and half water.
In addition to helping your beef get a nice sear, the flour will also help thicken the sauce as the stew simmers away.
Yes! Most stews and soups (including this one) are actually even better the next day as the flavors have had a chance to meld together. Store it in the fridge, and heat it up over medium heat on the stove, drizzling in a little more chicken broth if you need to loosen it up.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
This scrumptious beef stew is a great all-in-one dinner, but we do love us some cream cheese stuffed biscuits on the side.
And how about some Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes for dessert?
Other beef stew recipes we love
Looking for more comfort food inspiration? Here is our complete collection of comfort food recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Creamy Mustard Beef Stew
This recipe for creamy mustard beef stew will warm you up on those chilly nights! It’s the classic supper favorite with an extra zing of flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 100 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 pound beef chuck, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- 6 shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook bacon over medium high heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Scoop out and drain on paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Shake beef in a plastic bag with flour, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Add to pot and cook over medium high heat until browned.
- Add shallots, carrots and tomato paste and stir. Pour in broth and simmer for 90 minutes.
- Stir in cooked bacon, mustard and cream. Serve with a scattering of parsley.
Notes
-
- Beef: You want beef chuck steak for this recipe. You can either buy a whole chuck steak and cut it up into bite sized pieces, or often you can find already cut up chuck steak (usually labeled as stew beef – makes sense!) in the meat section of your grocery store.
-
- Mustard: We love Dijon mustard for this recipe, but any kind of mustard is fine! Keep in mind that the flavor and heat of the mustard will impact the overall taste of the stew.
-
- Shallots: These are little pink veggies from the onion family. If you can’t find them, a peeled and chopped sweet onion will also work.
-
- Carrots: If you want to save a little prep work time, you can swap in baby cut carrots.
-
- Cream: Yep, you need that heavy cream for this recipe…just a tiny bit is going to have a big wonderful impact on the flavor and texture!
M.S. says
Excellent! Full of umami tang. I used Guldens spicy brown mustard, cutting the amount in half and it was perfect. Didnโt have chicken stock so I used beef stock. Added some petite green peas. Iโll serve the leftovers tomorrow with spaetzel. . I will definitely make this again
So glad you liked it! And love the addition of the peas – I will need to try that next time. :)
Bryan says
I made this and it was such a great, hearty stew! The flavors were amazing. Will definitely be making it again!
Thanks Bryan! Mustard can be magical, right? :)
Brandon says
Just made this for the first time tonight. The end results and the taste of the stew were exactly what I was hoping for – delicious! I did however run into some complications while cooking it…
Firstly, I don’t own a dutch oven so I attempted to make this in the biggest pot I own. Perhaps it was because I was using a pot or because the bacon dripping didn’t last very long but during the beef browning phase, my beef began to burn and I was forced to cook it in smaller portions. When the bacon drippings ran out, I used vegetable oil.
In step 3, I added some celery to the recipe to bring in some more veggies. Also threw in about 10 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce for good measure. Over the 90 minute simmer, I used a total of 5.5 cups of chicken broth (3.5 to start, 1 more added after 30 minutes of cooking and another cup at the 1 hour mark) as I found the liquid was getting evaporated super quickly. Because of this, my stew burned a little. Now I know for next time to be stirring regularly to prevent it from burning again.
Other than that, the stew came out amazing and wasn’t super difficult or complicated to make. My husband ate it right up and asked for seconds. He said it was the best stew he’d ever had. The dijon mustard and the cream at the end have such a big impact on the overall taste profile. Can’t wait to make it again
Hi Brandon and thanks for all this great detail and info! And yes, the great thing about a Dutch oven is that the pot walls and bottom are so thick that things are much less likely to burn. (I think since your husband liked the stew so much that he needs to get you a Dutch Oven for your birthday!) :) Meantime, sounds like you handled things just right – I especially love the Worcestershire sauce addition!