There’s little as comforting as a pot of stew or soup gently simmering while you go about your day. Beef Curry Stew — a curried beef oven stew — ranks high on the comfort-food list.
Tender cubes of beef mingle with potatoes, carrots, and onions, all slow-cooked in a rich, fragrant gravy seasoned with warming curry spices. While slow-cooker stews are convenient, baking this stew in the oven concentrates the flavours and yields a deeper, more beefy taste.
Baking the stew in the oven is no less convenient than using a slow-cooker, and you’ll enjoy added benefits: the dry heat helps reduce and intensify the sauce, and the oven gives your home a cozy warmth as it cooks.
Beef Stew In Dutch Oven
The cut of beef you choose affects the finished dish, and I prefer top round or bottom round. These leaner cuts soften and become meltingly tender during a long, slow braise and are often economical choices. Most importantly, people at my table appreciate the satisfying, hearty nature of a classic beef stew any time of year.
Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.
Beef Stew in Oven
This one-pot dish goes from browning the beef on the stovetop to finishing in the oven. The oven’s dry heat concentrates the flavours, making the finished stew richer and more savoury. If you’re trying to keep the house warm on chilly days, the oven method offers a bit of extra warmth while the stew cooks.
This stew is a dish you’ll look forward to all day, and it improves the next day, making it ideal for batch cooking on weekends. It freezes and reheats well, so keeping a couple of containers in the freezer is a practical solution for busy evenings.
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
The recipe is straightforward, but don’t skip browning the meat — it’s essential for flavour development. The browned bits that build up on the bottom of the pot (the fond) dissolve into the sauce and add depth. Just avoid burning the flour coating on the meat by stirring as needed.
Use a heavy, oven-safe dutch oven or soup pot with a lid. A capacity of at least 5 quarts is useful to allow the stew to bubble and expand as it cooks.
Use these to make Curried Beef Oven Stew
- Dutch Oven. A large, enameled dutch oven (around 5–9 quarts) works well.
- Slotted Spatula
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
Beef Curry Stew
Beef Curry Stew – Beef Stew in Oven
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 2 pounds top round beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil plus a little more if needed
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
- 1 quart beef stock
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 2 cups fresh, peeled or frozen pearl onions
- 3 large carrots, peeled or scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 ribs celery, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2 pounds golden potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the beef cubes and toss to coat evenly.
Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add enough beef cubes to cover the pan bottom without crowding and let them brown on the first side for about 3 minutes before flipping. Continue until the pieces are browned on all sides, transferring each batch to a plate to hold juices. Repeat with additional oil and beef as needed.
Return all the beef to the pot. Sprinkle the curry powder, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger over the meat and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the curry is fragrant, about 1–2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices and the beef stock, then raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to release browned bits into the sauce.
Stir in the pearl onions, carrots, celery, soy sauce, fish sauce, and bay leaves. Cover the pot and place it on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven. Bake, covered, for 2 hours, stirring at the one-hour mark. After 2 hours, stir in the potatoes, re-cover, and bake for another 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the beef and vegetables are very tender.
Remove the bay leaves and serve the stew on its own or over rice. Garnish with chopped parsley, cilantro, or green onions if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. Calculate precise nutrition using the exact ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Looking for more great homemade recipes like this Dutch-oven beef stew? Try these!
- Oven Fried Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Boneless Buffalo Wings
- Slow-Cooker Honey Mustard Pulled Pork
- Guaranteed Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Kielbasa and Pierogies Sheet Pan Meal
- Oven Baked Spicy Chicken Tacos
- Parmesan Oven Roasted Tomatoes
- Easy Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
- Oven Baked Cilantro Lime Rice
This post was originally published October 22, 2017, revised for clarity and republished April 2021.