Beef Lentil Stew
Beef Lentil Stew: Rustic, packed with flavor, and so comforting. Our Beef and Lentil Stew is just the dish to fill and warm your belly this season!
Nostalgic Beef Stew
Stews remind me of my childhood… Of coming in from the blustering outdoors with ruby cheeks and a smile.
Stew reminds me of shedding my gloves and scarf at our hall tree, and then eagerly sitting around our family table for a filling meal.
Mom’s Beef Stew
Stew reminds me of my mom, always smiling, and always a wonderful cook; although she still won’t admit to it.
Mom had a way of drawing us into the kitchen.
She would make up funny stories about the origins of our food and allow us to whittle our fruits and veggies into amusing shapes. Even when life was hectic for her, she made our time together light, memorable, and full of teachable moments.
If only I can make such an impact on my babies.
Beef Lentil Stew Recipe
Today’s Beef and Lentil Stew is a true family favorite.
It’s a play-off of my mom’s classic beef stew, substituting brown lentils for potatoes to enhance its nutritional value.
Although I love the classic version and make it regularly, this lentil stew recipe offers an extra level of texture and depth of flavor.
Healthy Lentil Stew Recipe
It’s hearty and filling with a robust beefy flavor.
Yet this lentil stew is lean and packed with nutrients, for those on a clean diet, or who are just generally watching their waistlines.
Although I wouldn’t call this low-carb, it is a very well-balanced meal.
Beef and Lentil Stew is a marvelous meal to warm you up on cool evenings. It’s guilt-free, gluten-free, and fabulous as leftovers.
Beef Lentil Stew Ingredients
- Olive Oil – To saute the onions, garlic, and beef.
- Beef Chuck – A fabulous stew meat for flavor and texture.
- Onion – For depth of flavor.
- Garlic Cloves– For depth of flavor.
- Carrots – To add sweetness and color.
- Celery – To offer texture and herby essence.
- Dried Lentils – Use brown or green lentils, because they hold their shape after cooking.
- Crushed Tomatoes – For tangy flavor and thickening.
- Beef Stock – To intensify the beefy flavor. (You can use vegetable broth if that is what you have on hand)
- Red Wine – To balance the heavy ingredients.
- Bay Leaves – To offer deep herby notes.
- Thyme – You can use a few tablespoons of fresh or dried thyme.
- Cayenne Pepper – For a little kick!
- Tarragon – To offer a fresh pop of sweetness at the end.
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
How To Make Lentil Stew
Instructions…
1. Sauté. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for a few minutes, then add the beef and garlic.
2. Brown. Brown the meat, stirring regularly, until the pieces are caramelized on all sides.
3. Dump. Add the vegetables, carrots, celery, lentils, tomatoes, beef stock, wine, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper.
4. Simmer. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer, until the lentils are tender. Then stir in the tarragon and taste for salt and pepper.
5. Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Get the Full (Printable) Beef Lentil Stew Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- For ease, you can use canned lentils! Add them once the beef is tender and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
- The wine adds a depth of flavor that you will otherwise not get, but you can omit it if you prefer not to cook with alcohol! Replace that liquid with extra broth, instead.
- Add extra veggies like broccoli, mushrooms or leeks!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! While lentil beef stew doesn’t take that long on the stove top, you can certainly make it in a pressure cooker if you prefer!
Simple sear the beef, sauté the veggies, and then put everything in the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes with a natural release!
If you taste the beef stew and the beef is not as tender as you would like, let it cook on low heat a little longer. This will tenderize the beef while it simmers in all of the delicious flavors!
Store any leftover beef and lentil stew in the fridge for up to 3 days! Reheat in the microwave until it is heated through.
More Cozy Fall & Winter Recipes
- Nana’s Epic Navy Bean Soup
- Red Posole with Pork
- Japanese Clear Soup
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Buffalo Cauliflower Soup Recipe
- Perfect Pumpkin Chili
- Ethiopian Red Lentils (Mesir Wat)
- Everyone’s Favorite Chili
- Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew
- Perfect New England Clam Chowder
- Creamy French Onion Soup
- Homemade Copycat Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread
- Roasted Red Pepper Marinara
Check the printable recipe card below of this soup recipe for the nutritional information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, sodium, potassium, fiber, and vitamin percentages.
Beef Lentil Stew Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 3 large celery stalks, sliced
- 1 1/2 cup dried lentils, green or brown
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 6 cups beef stock
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, then add the beef and garlic.
- Brown the meat, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes. All sides of the beef chunks should be browned.
- Add the carrots, celery, lentils, tomatoes, beef stock, wine, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper.
- Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for about 60-75 minutes, until the lentils and beef are tender. Stir in the tarragon. Then taste for salt and pepper.
This was my first time ever using lentils in a recipe and I loved the result! This was nice and hearty which was what I was wanting. Will make again for sure.
So yummy! Love the addition of lentils in this classic dish.
My husband loves a good hearty stew, I made this for him, and he LOVED it! Such a great balance of flavors.
Wondering if this recipe is good to use for diabetics. Just want to make sure we don’t get any blood sugar spikes. Thank you
Calories must be wrong? Made recipe without wine. Came out delicious. I loved it, however I am calorie conscious and 524 calories a cup seems to high. Anyone else notice that?
Well I noticed that the calories are quoted for a 1.5cup serving as 524kcal, so is that 524,000 calories per serving??
Hi Ama,
No, sorry for the confusion. Kcalorie (or kilocalorie) is the scientific term for one plain old calorie. It’s just 524 calories for each portion. The tool we use for nutritional facts does not allow me to adjust the text in the form.
Made it exactly to the recipe. Just spicy enough and great flavor.
I was suspicious of the 06-75 minute cooking time for chuck; it seemed too short. I left the veggies and lentils out for 60 minutes, then added them and cooked for another 60 minutes. It came out perfect! The beef was fork tender and the veggies and lentils had a nice level of firmness.
I’m not a big fan of tarragon, but in this recipe it was quite subtle; a nice addition.
Made this stew last night and it was delicious!
I am now eating leftovers for lunch and it’s even better – which is always the case with soups/stews. I did add some Worcestershire sauce to my stew as I always like that flavor in beef stews. I’ve never made anything with lentils or tarragon so I was a bit nervous but they did not disappoint! This was a great recipe and it made a LOT of stew. 10/10 will make again. :)
Made this according to the recipe but without the wine as I didn’t have any to hand. It’s really tasty and hearty. Great variety of healthy goodness.
This is delish and as typical of soups better the next day. I did use additional cabbage. I also added beef bouillon with extra water because the soup was quite thick early on. I used 5 oz of finely chopped fresh spinach as I decided the whole 10 oz bag was just too much. Perhaps if I had used less cabbage I would have used the entire bag.
It was great! My family gobbled it up!
Delicious! Was out of marjoram, but plenty of rosemary at home. Wonderfully aromatic and filling cold night stew with plenty of leftovers. A Really perfect set of ingredients. Big thx for sharing!