Chef Jack Ovens shared a comforting beef stew recipe served with a rich gravy - perfect for family dinners and colder evenings
10:13, 15 Jan 2026
This beef stew recipe from chef Jack Ovens is a warming, slow-cooked favourite featuring succulent beef pieces, tender vegetables, and a deeply flavoured, hearty gravy. It's the sort of dish that fills your home with inviting aromas and guarantees a proper satisfying meal when dinnertime arrives, reports the Express.
The taste is rich and savoury without feeling too heavy, making it ideal for family gatherings, chilly evenings, or leisurely weekend cooking sessions. With only ten minutes of preparation time, you can let the stew bubble away gently on the hob and return to it after two and a half hours.
The chef suggests serving the stew alongside some velvety mashed potatoes, though it pairs equally well with fluffy rice or thick slices of crusty sourdough bread.
Speaking about the dish, Jack said: "This slow-cooked beef stew is the ultimate comfort food - tender chunks of beef simmered with vegetables in a rich, herby gravy, served over smooth, buttery mash.
"Perfect for colder nights, meal prep, or feeding the family with something hearty and homemade."
Slow Cooked Hearty Beef Stew
Ingredients (serves six)
For the meat
- 1kg of beef chuck steak, diced
- Two tablespoons of plain flour
- Salt and Pepper
For the stew
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- Two large brown onions, diced
- Two carrots, roughly chopped
- Five garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
- One litre of beef stock
- 6g of concentrated tomato paste
- Two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
- Four bay leaves
- Eight thyme sprigs
- 5g of flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper
Method
Begin by patting the chuck steak dry using paper towels before transferring it to a bowl. Coat with plain flour and season generously with salt. Toss to combine thoroughly.
Set a large pot over medium-high heat, pour in olive oil, and once it's lightly smoking, add the beef pieces. Brown on all sides until golden.
Work in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan. Remove the seared beef from the pot.
Reduce the heat slightly. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the pot.
Cook the onion for three to four minutes until softened. Toss in the garlic and let it sizzle for another minute until its aroma fills the air.
Mix in the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute or two to achieve a slight caramelisation.
Pour roughly half a cup of the beef stock into the pot, making sure to scrape the bottom to release all those tasty bits. Reintroduce the beef to the pot.
Add in the carrots, potatoes, bouquet garni, and the remaining beef stock.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then dial down the heat to low. Pop on the lid and let it cook slowly for about two and a half to three hours, giving it an occasional stir, until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened just a touch.