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Oven Baked Beef Stew in blue casserole dish. — Oven Baked Beef Stew

Why make a crock pot stew when this Oven Baked Beef Stew is faster, easier and tastes better?

It’s the holidays. You’re busy planning your meal for Christmas or New Year’s, but there’s all those days in between! How do you focus on making something tasty with all the distractions surrounding you? Well, beef stew is an easy choice. But not just any beef stew. Try this Oven Baked Beef Stew. It cooks in just two hours (as opposed to EIGHT in the crock pot.) There’s no messy browning of the meat. And it makes it’s own gravy without mixes or salty bouillon cubes.

Even more important – it tastes better! When you simmer stew in a crock pot for 7 or 8 hours, the potatoes, celery – even the carrots go to mush. With this recipe, the vegetables are fully-cooked, but firm. Perfect.

Tips for Perfect Oven Baked Beef Stew

Veggies: I use the Big 4 – Potatoes, Celery, Carrots and Onions. But occasionally I’ll use a turnip in place of a potato or two. Turnips are much-maligned, but they have a great texture, don’t go mushy, and absorb the flavor of everything around them.

What Type of Meat to Use?

You can use beef stew meat, of course. That’s simple. But I found a 1.5 lb round steak on sale in the markdown bin a few weeks ago. I pulled it out of the freezer to let it thaw for an hour or two, then sliced it into 1″ cubes from partially frozen – a lot easier to cut that way – and it was perfect.

You can also use other meats like lamb, or game meats like venison.

I promise you will enjoy the results – tender meat, firm but cooked vegetables, and a flavorful thick gravy. All in two hours! Give it a try.

Take a look at my Irish Stew recipe, too. Authentic and delicious!

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Print Recipe

Baked Beef Stew

Why make a crock pot stew when an oven baked stew is faster, easier and tastes better?

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baked Beef Stew, Easy Beef Stew

Servings: Servings

Author: Don Herman

Ingredients

2 lbs Beef (stew meat or cubed round steak)
4 lg Carrots sliced
3 lg Potatoes peeled and cubed
2 stalks Celery sliced
1 med Onion sliced in chunks
1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Water
3 tbsp Tapioca, quick-cooking
2 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 dash Hot sauce (optional)
1 slice Bread torn to small bits

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Dig your hands right in and mix well.
Grease a large (3 qt.) baking dish. Pour the bowl contents into the dish. Cover and bake at 375F for 2 hours.