Beef Stew and Dumplings Recipe
When you’re in need of a comfort food dinner, especially in the middle of winter, and you want something to warm you up from the inside out, this easy beef stew and dumplings recipe is just what the doctor ordered. Bites of fork-tender beef, along with onions, carrots, potatoes, and more all simmer together in a rich and savory beef broth, plus some red wine, to create the most flavorful beef stew recipe.
As if that wasn’t already enough comfort, cheesy warm drop dumplings top the stew and give it all the comfort food nostalgic feels that classic beef stew is known for. Trust me, no one’s leaving the table still hungry after enjoying a big bowl of this beef stew with dumplings! Cheesy dumplings with beef stew is a hearty, filling, flavorful, and delightfully simple yet rustic recipe that checks all of the right boxes.
Ingredients in Beef Stew with Dumplings
The ingredients for beef stew with dumplings are common, easy to find fridge and pantry ingredients from your local supermarket. Here’s what you’ll want to have on hand to make beef stew and dumplings: Beef Stew:
Olive oil Chuck roast OR beef stew meat Yellow onion Garlic Carrots Yukon gold potatoes Tomato paste Reduced sodium beef broth Dry red wine Lite soy sauce Worcestershire sauce Salt Black pepper Bay leaves Thyme
Dumplings:
Bisquick OR canned biscuit dough OR your favorite scratch recipe Shredded cheddar cheese Whole or 2% milk
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Beef Stew with Drop Dumplings
Your kitchen will smell like absolute heaven as this stew slowly cooks. Be ready to answer the classic question “what are you making?” many times while this is on your stovetop!
Follow these easy and straightforward directions for easy beef stew with dumplings. Step 1: Add olive oil to a large stock pot or Dutch oven and brown the meat.
Step 2: Add the the onions, garlic, and sauté for a couple more minutes. Step 3: Add the carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and mix in the tomato paste well before adding all remaining ingredients.
Step 4: Simmer over medium-low heat for about 1 hour. Step 5: After an hour, mix together the Bisquick, cheese, and milk until combined to form the dumpling dough.
Step 6: Stir the stew and add more broth if needed. Tip: The broth level will seem to reduce even more after you add the dumpling dough because it’ll soak it up. So if you think you need more broth, add it now. Step 7: Drop in the dumpling dough by rounded tablespoons over the top of the stew.
Step 8: Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked, remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig, and serve!
What Cut of Beef is Best for Beef Stew?
For my beef stew recipe, I use Chuck roast. I use it because the fat content and internal marbling creates finished beef that is just so tender and juicy. Plus, it tends to be a pretty inexpensive cut of beef which is always nice since beef can get expensive in a hurry! Sometimes you can find beef that’s labeled as ‘stew meat’ and can be a mixture of Chuck roast with other cuts of meat. This is also fine.
Can I Make This Recipe in a Slow Cooker
Yes you sure can! I have an excellent recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Stew. I suggest following that recipe as written, and towards the end, you can add the dough for the biscuits, noting they’ll take at least an hour or so to fully set and cook through.
Do I Have to Make Beef Stew with Red Wine?
Technically, no you don’t need to use red wine. However, anything hearty, and that simmers for a long time like this stew, tastes better with the addition of red wine. It’s only 1/2 cup in the entire big batch recipe so no one is going to end up with more than a tablespoon, max. Plus the alcohol content burns off in the long simmering process.
What Can I Substitute for the Red Wine?
Not a wine fan but prefer beer? Great! Because almost any beer, but especially a heavier beef like an Irish Stout (hello, Guinness!) are perfect in this beef and dumplings stew recipe. If you’re someone who doesn’t drink alcohol or are serving it to those who don’t, just omit the alcohol. Instead, substitute the one-half cup wine (or beer) with an extra one-half cup of beef broth.
Serving Suggestions for Beef Stew and Bisquick Dumplings
This hearty beef stew and dumplings recipe truly doesn’t need anything else! It’s so filling and comforting on its own.
Storing Beef Stew
Your big pot of beef stew with cheesy dumplings will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. And you can freeze it for up to 4 months. Note that the dumplings will get soggy and potentially disintegrate a bit into the stew itself so don’t be surprised if your leftovers are even thicker. Tip: If you know you’re going to store this and are making it so you have planned leftovers, I suggest baking biscuits separately and then topping the stew with warm, oven-fresh biscuits before serving. Use canned biscuit dough to save time!
Tips for the Best Beef Stew and Dumplings
Potatoes – I used Yukon gold potatoes that I diced into bite-sized pieces. Baby Yukon gold are also fine. I peeled mine but you can leave them unpeeled if you prefer. Or try baby red potatoes. They’re waxier and will hold their shape during the long slow cooking process. I do not recommend using Russet potatoes or any type of high starch potato which will get mushy and disintegrate. Make sure to cut them into bite-sized pieces or about 1-inch chunks. Not too big (they won’t soften up nicely) and not too small (they’ll fall apart more easily).
Dumplings – There are a few ways to make dumplings on beef stew: Beef Broth – You may need to add more broth to your stew, especially after the dumplings are added. As they cook, the dumplings will thicken the stew, so add more broth now if desired. I also recommend reduced sodium beef broth so that as it evaporates and concentrates while it cooks, and naturally become saltier, that your finished stew isn’t too salty. You can always add more salt, but can’t take it out.
Dried vs. Fresh Herbs –This recipe calls for two bay leaves and sprig of fresh thyme. If you want to use dried thyme instead, use about 1/2 teaspoon. It may not seem like a lot, but it’s equivalent to a sprig of fresh thyme since fresh herbs aren’t quite as potent as dried herbs are. Also, if you’d prefer an even more herbaceous flavor profile here, feel free to sprinkle in some rosemary as well. Red Wine – I recommend a dry red wine such as:
Cabernet sauvignon Merlot Syrah Pinot Noir
As I mentioned in a previous section, alternatively you can:
Use 1/2 cup dark beer instead of red wine Use 1/2 cup extra beef broth instead of any alcohol
More Easy Comfort Food Beef Recipes:
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew — Comfort food at its finest with thick and tender chunks of beef, buttery soft potatoes, and mixed vegetables. The broth is rich, deep, and exquisite thanks to a mixture of beef broth, red wine, and a mixture of herbs and spices. IMPRESS your family and friends with this CLASSIC beef stew recipe! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Slow Cooker Beef Chili — Easy, hearty comfort food that’s packed with flavor that develops beautifully as the beef chili simmers away in your slow cooker!
Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup – A decadent dish that’s like eating a loaded cheeseburger, but in soup form! Ground beef, bacon, cheese, and an array of vegetables give fantastic depth of flavor. SO EASY because your slow cooker does ALL the work! A guaranteed family favorite especially when it’s chilly.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup — This stuffed pepper soup is packed with bell peppers, onion, and ground beef and is simmered in a tomatoey broth. Serve with rice for an easy weeknight meal!
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup – Hearty comfort food complete with savory corned beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, and more! It’s the EASIEST soup you’ll ever make and will become a family FAVORITE especially when the weather is chilly! Stovetop cooking instructions also provided.
30-Minute One-Pot Beef and Bowtie Soup – EASY, hearty, comfort food that’s full of flavor!! A FAST and tasty soup the whole family will LOVE! It will keep your warm on chilly winter nights!!
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff – A comfort food classic that everyone in the family LOVES! Hearty chunks of beef, rich and flavorful beef gravy, and served over a bed of warm noodles to soak up all that goodness! The EASIEST recipe for beef stroganoff ever because your Crock-Pot truly does all the work! Set it and forget it!
Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast — A foolproof recipe for tender, juicy pot roast with just FIVE main ingredients! Your slow cooker does all the work in this comfort food classic pot roast that the whole family will adore! EASIER than any pot roast you will ever make and with more robust flavor!
Instant Pot Beef Tips — Tender, juicy beef tips smothered in loads of savory mushroom gravy! So much hearty flavor and just PERFECT for piling over mashed potatoes or noodles! An EASY family-favorite comfort food recipe made entirely in your Instant Pot in about 30 minutes!
