Beef Stew with Bacon

Beef Stew with Bacon is full of tender meat, colorful veggies and plenty of smoky bacon. A one pot meal that’s perfect for cold weather!

Hi, it’s Sara from Dinner at the Zoo coming to you with my family’s very favorite recipe for beef stew. This isn’t your ordinary beef stew; it’s got a generous amount of bacon in it that adds a ton of rich and savory flavor! Because bacon makes everything better, right?

This beef stew with bacon recipe is pretty straightforward. The chunks of beef are browned in bacon fat and slow cooked in the oven with potatoes and carrots for a hearty one pot meal that will satisfy even the largest appetites. The meat and veggies come out super tender and are packed with flavor. I add bacon during the cooking process, as well as a sprinkling at the end to preserve its crispy texture.

I use the classic carrots and potatoes for the veggies in this stew, but you can change it up and add celery, sweet potatoes or even frozen pearl onions if you prefer. I often make a double batch of this stew and put half in the freezer for another night. If you’d like to freeze it, simply put the cooled stew into resealable freezer bags, flatten to remove the air, then seal and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

What I love about this dish is its simplicity. A handful of basic ingredients come together to make a comfort food classic that’s been a favorite in my family for many years, and is sure to be a hit with your family too!

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Beef Stew with Bacon

5 from 1 vote

By: Sara Welch

This beef stew is full of tender meat, colorful veggies and plenty of smoky bacon. A one pot meal that's perfect for cold weather!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• 1 large oven-safe pot

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 ounces chopped bacon
• ▢ 2 ½ pounds beef stew meat
• ▢ salt, to taste
• ▢ ground black pepper, to taste
• ▢ 1 ½ cup diced onion, about 1 medium onion
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds small potatoes, cut in half
• ▢ 2 cups carrots, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large pot on the stove over medium heat.
• Add 8 ounces chopped bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pot and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan.
• Season 2 ½ pounds beef stew meat generously with salt,and ground black pepper, and add half of the meat to the bacon fat in the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown.
• Remove the beef from the pot and repeat the browning process with the remaining ½ of the meat. Remove the second batch of meat from the pot.
• Add 1 ½ cup diced onion, to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally, approximately 4-5 minutes.
• Return the meat to the pot. Add ¼ cup all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the meat.
• Add 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 4 cups beef broth to the pot. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, remove the pot from the oven and stir in 1 ½ pounds small potatoes, 2 cups carrots, and half of the bacon. Return the pot to the oven and bake for an additional hour for a total of 3 hours of cooking in the oven.
• After the last hour of cooking, serve the stew topped with the remaining half of the bacon and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 578kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 53gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 1032mgPotassium: 1543mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 7289IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner, entree, Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!