Irish stew recipes

With its combination of tender meat, sweet root vegetables, and a hearty beer broth, this Irish Stew is a delicious and comforting meal for any time of year.

Nothing beats a piping hot bowl of Irish Stew during cold winter days such as our Slow Cooked Chili Irish Stew and this hearty traditional Style Beef Irish Stew.

A hearty, meaty stew made from tender pieces of meat and lots of veggies is always a winner! This Irish Stew has delicate pieces of meat and veggies flavoured with stout beer and loads of spices.

What is Irish Stew?

This traditional Irish stew contains beef, onions, carrots, celery, parsnip, potato, tomato, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. You may substitute any combination of these ingredients for the ones listed above, depending on what you have. For example, you could use chicken or tender lamb instead of beef or omit one or two veggies.

How do you make Irish Stew?

Irish Stew begins with cubed stew meat, sautéed in a skillet or frying pan. Once the meat is golden-coloured, it’s time to chop onions and garlic. Add to the skillet, slow cooker, dutch oven or frying pan along with carrots, celery, potato, tomato sauce, beef stock, beer and spices. Cover the mixture, then simmer in the oven on medium heat for 1 hour until the meat is tender. Garnish with parsley and bay leaves, then serve. Enjoy!

Tips for the perfect Stew

You can save on prep times by using pre-packaged Irish beef stew meats, but you can always get a chuck roast and chop it up yourself.
Make sure to chop up your vegetables and potatoes into big chunks so they don’t turn mushy during the long simmering time.
If you want to drink an Irish beer, choose one of your favorites. Typically, I prefer Guinness.
You can freeze beef stews in airtight containers or resealable bags and keep them in the freezer for up to three days. To reheated, just defrost overnight in the refrigerator and heat on the stovetop.

Stew Variations

You can use any ingredients to create your unique version of the original recipe.

Vegetable: Add other veggies such as peas, green beans, mushrooms, butternut squash or parsnip.
Try using red potatoes instead of small yellow potatoes. Or use Russet potatoes or even sweet potatoes.
Add 1/2 cup of cooked bacon to the soup during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
If you’re not into stew meat, try cooked cubed or crumbled pieces of lean (not fatty) meat instead.

Slow Cooker Irish Stew

Slow cooker Irish stew is an excellent alternative to cooking in the oven or on the hob. Its how I generally make it if I know I’ll be pushed for time around dinner. Slow cooker Irish stew is very similar to traditional Irish stew recipe prep. After browning the beef in a large frying pan along with onion, add garlic and freshly ground black pepper, add everything else into a slow cooker machine except for the parsley. Set the temperature to low, and cook for about six hours. Add the parsley, then serve.

If you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this Irish Stew is sure to be a great option.

Irish Stew recipes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds of beef chuck stew meat
1 cup onion coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Irish stout beer
4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 pounds small yellow starchy potatoes halved
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups carrots peeled, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper to taste.
Add half the beef cubes to the pot in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. Remove the beef from the pot and repeat with the remaining meat. Remove all the browned meat from the pot.
Add the onions to the pot and cook for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Return the meat to the pot. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat and onions.
Add the beer, beef broth, tomato paste, potatoes, thyme and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and bring the pot to a simmer.
Cover the pot. Place it in the oven and bake for 2 1/2 – 3 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.