This recipe was a happy accident that turned into the most fork-tender braised beef stew with deep, rich flavor. The Italian twist comes from a braising mix of bold Chianti, beef stock, and herbs. It’s the kind of dish you pull out when the leaves start to fall with the best aroma that gobsmacks anyone who walks through the front door.
It’s a keeper, my friend.
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It’s so happy being spooned over pasta like I show here or what I really should have done was whip up a batch of my foolproof creamy polenta. The thought of all the beef and wine gravy settling into the curves of the butter polenta?
A bowl of this and a leafy green salad with some herby vinaigrette? The coziest Sunday supper ever.
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Beef cut for braised beef stew
A beef stew or this Italian one (known as spezzatino) typically starts with a marbled cut of beef. For this Italian stew, I recommend and like using a chuck roast because it has a ton of flavor (hello marbling!), has a super tender bite when braised and is reasonably priced and readily available.
Oodles of umami
While beef and tomato paste are umami superstars, an additional umami boost comes from some buttery browned portobello mushrooms. Try not and skip these because the flavor they add is amazing.
How to make Italian braised stew
Make a slurry
Add a bit of the braised beef liquid to a bowl with some cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Add this “slurry” back into the Dutch oven to thicken the beef stew.
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Italian Braised Beef Stew with Baby Portobellos
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Ingredients
- 1 lb baby portobello mushrooms
- 3 lb top round roast or stew meat, cubed
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 T olive oil, divided
- 1 T butter
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced (equal to 1 cup whole baby carrots)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 cups Chianti, or your favorite dry full- bodied red wine
- 4 stems fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 stem stem rosemary, large
- 4 sage leaves
- 2 cups beef stock, start with 1 cup?
- 1 tsp beef stock base
- 1 T cornstarch
Instructions
- Season the meat generously with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder.3 lb top round roast or stew meat, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Heat a 5 quart Dutch oven or stock pot over medium high. Add the olive oil and once shimmering, brown the chuck roast in batches, if needed, on all sides. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove the beef to a plate. Pour off or boil down any water/liquid remaining in the pot.3 T olive oil
- In the same Dutch oven, add the butter and 1 T olive oil. Saute mushrooms until crispy. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot, adding extra oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper. and cook for about 3 minutes.1 lb baby portobello mushrooms, 1 T butter, ½ cup onion, ½ cup carrots, ½ cup celery
- Pull the veggies to one side of the pan and use a wooden spoon to stir in and caramelize the tomato paste for about 2 minutes.6 oz tomato paste
- Pour in 2 cups red wine. Raise the heat and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beef and the mushrooms back to the pan along with fresh rosemary, 6 cloves peeled garlic, fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves.2 cups Chianti, 4 stems fresh thyme, 1 stem stem rosemary, 4 sage leaves
- Pour over beef stock and stir in stock base. Braise on simmer or low for about 2 hours until meat is fork tender. Simmer a bit longer if the meat needs a bit more time.2 cups beef stock, 1 tsp beef stock base
- Remove the meat, garlic cloves, herbs and bay leaves (discard the herbs).
- Take 1/4 cup of the gravy and place in a small bowl. Mix in 1 T of cornstarch until smooth. Add the slurry back into the stew gravy and continue simmering until slightly thickened. Return the beef back to the sauce.1 T cornstarch
- Serve over creamy polenta or pici pasta.
