Name: Spanish Beef Stew Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 45 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 3 lbs beef chuck roast; 3 tbsp flour; 1 tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion; 2 Carrot; 1 green bell pepper; 4 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp Spanish paprika; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 bay leaves; 28 oz diced tomatoes; 15 oz crushed tomatoes; ⅓ cup tomato paste; ½ cup green olives; 1 cup green peas

Spanish Beef Stew Recipe, homemade Spanish stew with beef chunks and bell peppers mixed with spices

Recently, my relatives came to town for a visit, so I figured, what better way to impress them than with a homemade Spanish beef stew? Made with the use of an oven, this Spanish style beef stew is different from any regular traditional beef stew recipe I’ve cooked before. It has a distinct rustic and savory taste that only comes from the flavorful combination of herbs and spices. In other words, this Spanish stew doesn’t just rely on the meat and tomato sauce for flavor, but also on the sofrito that enriches the whole Spanish stew dish.

The sofrito is one of the key ingredients to making this dish a hearty meal. Besides browning the meat and finishing it in the oven, this dish makes use of herbs and spices as well. Sofrito is basically a combination of aromatic vegetables and herbs that are sauteed in oil, and then used to flavor the stew. The diced onion, tomatoes, green bell peppers, and minced garlic cloves are mixed together with the Spanish paprika, oregano, and bay leaves to create a savory and slightly smoky flavored beef stew.

Other people would include white wine, red wine, or dry sherry wine, but I personally prefer the flavors that come with the herbs and seasonings. Moreover, these spices make for a more authentic Spanish beef stew. I also added diced potatoes into the stew so it’s even heartier and delicious. It’s best to use waxy, red-skinned, or fingerling potatoes that won’t break down when cooked in the stew.

While the dish was baking in the oven, I also made an arroz con gandules (or Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas) to serve alongside this delicious Spanish beef stew. You can eat it with plain rice, but I wanted an authentic Latin American food experience so I made this famous Puerto Rican rice dish to pair. And, let me tell you, the Spanish beef stew tastes amazing with the earthy flavor of the rice dish. I had a delicious time eating this meal, and you can recreate it too even if you don’t have an oven at hand. This Spanish beef stew recipe is also pressure cooker or instant pot friendly!

How To Make How To Make Spanish Beef Stew

Prepare a flavorful comfort meal with this Spanish beef stew made with chuck roast, then slow-cooked with tomatoes, bell pepper, and spices.

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking: 2 hours 45 minutes

Total: 3 hours 15 minutes

Serves:

Ingredients

3lbsbeef chuck roast,cut into 2-inch cubes
3tbspflour
1tspkosher salt
½tspcoarse ground black pepper
3tbspolive oil
1yellow onion,chopped
2carrot,peeled and cut into ½-inch thick coins
1green bell pepper,cut into ½-inch cubes
4clovesgarlic,minced
1tbspSpanish paprika
1tspdried oregano
2bay leaves
3medium-sized waxy potatoes,diced or roughly chopped
28ozdiced tomatoes
15ozcrushed tomatoes
⅓cuptomato paste
½cupgreen olives,sliced
1cupgreen peas

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and toss beef cubes with flour, salt, and pepper.
Heat oil in a large dutch oven on high heat and cook the beef on all sides until well browned, then remove from the pan.
Lower heat to medium, add in the onions and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes until translucent.
Add in the carrots, bell pepper, and garlic and stir well.
Add in the paprika, oregano, bay leaves, diced tomatoes, crushed tomato, tomato paste, and beef. Stir well.
Cook, covered in the oven, for 2 to 2½ hours.
Remove from the oven, add peas and olives, and stir well.
Place back in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Stir and serve.