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Why we love this recipe
I figure at this point I have made beef stew about 683,944 times, and in so many different ways, so it’s a wonder it took me this long to get to figure out a beef dumpling stew recipe.
I’ve made a beef stew with a mustard sauce, a tropical tasting beef stew with coconut, and you KNOW I have made a beef stew with spiced red wine.
And I do love a good old-fashioned chicken with dumplings recipe! And that is basically what this super simple beef stew with dumplings is like.
You cook the beef with some veggies and spices low and slow in the oven, and then during the last ten minutes you pop it on the stovetop and drop some easy dumpling dough on top.
Fifteen minutes later you and your loved ones are sitting down to a hearty beef stew covered in tender puffy dumplings, and life is feeling pretty dang good.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Beef Chuck Roast: You can buy a whole roast, or some supermarkets will sell it already cut up (labeled as stew meat).
- Onion: We love sweet onions best for this recipe but you can also use regular white onions.
- Baby Carrots: You can also use regular carrots cut into two inch pieces.
- Chicken Broth: Don’t be tempted to use beef broth – the flavor is too strong.
- Milk: Any kind except skim.
- Parsley (optional, for garnish)
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Here’s how to make this recipe
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350. Put a little olive oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over high heat. Add two pounds of chopped beef chuck roast in a single layer and sear on all sides. (You may need to do this in a couple of batches.) Scoop it out and set aside, leaving any drippings in the pot.
STEP 2: Add a chopped onion and some baby carrots and stir for a couple of minutes.
STEP 3: Add a pinch of thyme and 1/3 cup flour and stir again. Add some tomato paste and stir again.
STEP 4: Pour in four cups of chicken broth, add a little salt and pepper and the seared beef with any juices. Give it all a good stir, bring it to a simmer, cover the pot and pop it in the oven until the beef is tender, about two hours or so. Your kitchen is going to smell all KINDS of delicious.
STEP 5: When the beef is done, put the Dutch oven back on the stovetop and make the dumpling mixture by adding flour, baking powder, butter and a pinch of salt to your food processor. Pulse a few times until the butter is mixed throughout the flour. Now add some milk and pulse a few more times until you have sticky dough.
STEP 6: Bring the beef stew to a simmer and drop generous tablespoons of the dumpling dough into the stew. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are double their size, about ten minutes.
Season the stew with salt and pepper as needed, scoop into soup bowls, garnish with parsley if you want to be extra fancy and serve!
Recipe FAQs
A Dutch oven refers to a heavy large pot with a cover. They are perfect for making all kinds of soups and stews, and I even make homemade bread in mine!
Chuck roast comes from the beef shoulder and is a thick, dense cut that has a rich beef flavor. It needs to be cooked for long periods of time in liquid, making it perfect for recipes like beef stew and pot roast. You can find it in the meat section of your supermarket, either as a full roast or already cut into chunks (this is usually labeled as stew meat).
You can make the whole thing ahead except for the dumplings – do those right before you are planning to serve it up. Beef stews of all kinds are one of those recipes that get even MORE flavorful the next day!
Pop it in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
This delectable beef stew with dumplings is a meal all on its delicious own what with the meat and the veggies and the dumplings! So what we really need is a dessert that you can put together while the beef is cooking…how about some easy mini apple pies?
Other beef stew recipes we love
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.
Beef Dumpling Stew
This one pot recipe for beef dumpling stew pairs tender beef and veggies with tender dumplings for the perfect comfort food supper.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 1/3 cups flour
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup milk
- Chopped parsley for garnish (optional!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Put the olive oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and sear on all sides. (You may need to do this in a couple of batches.) Scoop it out and set aside.
- Add the onion and carrots and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the thyme and 1/3 cup flour and stir again. Add the tomato paste and stir again.
- Pour in the broth, add the salt and pepper and the seared beef with any juices. Give it all a good stir, bring it to a simmer, cover the pot and pop it in the oven until the beef is tender, about 2 hours or so.
- When the beef is done, put the Dutch oven back on the stovetop and make the dumpling mixture by adding the rest of the flour, the baking powder, the butter and a pinch of salt to your food processor. Pulse a few times until the butter is mixed throughout the flour. Now add the milk and pulse a few more times until you have sticky dough.
- Bring the beef stew to a simmer and drop generous tablespoons of the dumpling dough into the stew. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are double their size, about 10 minutes.
- Season the stew with salt and pepper as needed, scoop into soup bowls, garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
Beef: We use beef chuck roast for this recipe – it is an affordable cut of beef that needs that long cooking time to become tender, but boy is it worth the wait! It is sometimes packaged under the label “Stew Beef” in your supermarket – this means it is already cut up! Or you can buy a whole chuck roast and cut it up yourself.
Monica says
Such a delicious comfort food for a cold night. The dumplings came out so perfect! Thank you!
Yay for dumplings! They do add that special something. :)