This Oven Baked Stew is a comfort meal all in one pan. This hearty stew is filled with carrots, potatoes, stew meat, and a delicious gravy!
There’s something so special about a homemade stew. It’s a meal that feels like a warm hug, bringing comfort with every bite. My Oven Baked Stew is no exception. This recipe has become a favorite in my household, and I’m confident it will be a favorite in yours as well. Filled with tender beef, hearty potatoes, sweet carrots, and onion seasoning, this stew is the ultimate comfort food. The long, slow bake ensures that everything comes out perfectly tender and flavorful, with no need for constant attention or stirring.
OVEN BAKED STEW
One of the standout features of this stew is its simplicity. Everything comes together in one pan, making it not only convenient but also a breeze to clean up. The ingredients are straightforward and easy to find, yet the flavors are rich and complex. The combination of beef stew meat, russet potatoes, and carrots creates a classic base, while the addition of a creamy, seasoned sauce elevates the dish to a whole new level.
While this stew is perfect for the cooler months, it’s so delicious you’ll find yourself wanting to make it year-round. Even if it’s warm outside, there’s something about the comforting aroma of a slow-cooked stew that feels just right. Give this recipe a try today and discover the joys of a homemade, oven-baked stew that’s as delicious as it is easy to make.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds lean beef stew meat (should be cut up into bite size pieces)
- 2 packets (1 ounce, each) dry onion soup mix
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 6 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cans (10.75 ounces, each) condensed cream of celery soup
- 1 cup ketchup (or tomato sauce)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish or Dutch oven with nonstick spray. Spread beef stew meat out evenly in a single layer in a prepared dish.
Sprinkle paprika and dry onion soup mixed evenly over meat. Top meat evenly with diced potatoes, carrots, and onion.
Whisk together the cream of celery soups and ketchup (or tomato sauce) in a medium bowl. Pour this mixture all over the meat and vegetables, spreading out evenly.
Cover the pan with a lid or tightly with foil. Bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Carefully remove from the oven and then remove lid or foil. (*Be careful steam will be released when you uncover it!)
Allow to stand for about 5 minutes with the lid off before serving. Enjoy!
LEFTOVERS AS GOOD AS THE DAY THEY WERE MADE
One of the best things about this recipe is how well it holds up as leftovers. If you find yourself with extra stew after dinner, consider it a win! The magic of this dish is that the flavors only get better with time. As the stew sits in the refrigerator, the rich, savory ingredients have more time to mingle, creating an even deeper, more complex flavor profile. The beef becomes incredibly tender, soaking up the essence of the spices and vegetables, while the potatoes and carrots retain their texture and sweetness. Reheating is a breeze, too.
You can easily warm up a portion in the microwave for a quick lunch or pop the whole dish back into the oven for a more traditional reheating. The stew doesn’t lose its hearty consistency or flavor during reheating, making it just as satisfying the next day—or even two days later. This makes it perfect for meal prepping, too. Cook it on the weekend, and enjoy effortless, homemade dinners throughout the week. Leftovers from this stew are a prime example of how some dishes truly improve with age, allowing you to savor every bite.
SERVINGS: FEEDING A CROWD
This recipe yields enough to serve at least 6 to 8 people, depending on portion sizes. Each serving is hearty and filling, packed with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, and a rich, flavorful sauce that satisfies even the biggest appetites. The stew’s ability to comfortably feed a large group makes it a go-to recipe for those occasions when you need something reliable, delicious, and easy to scale.
A simple salad and some crusty breads are all you need to complement the rich, savory flavors of the stew. In addition to its crowd-pleasing qualities, the stew’s simplicity means you can spend more time with your guests and less time in the kitchen. Just pop it in the oven, let it bake, and enjoy the warm, comforting aroma that fills your home as you prepare for a meal that’s sure to be a hit with everyone at the table.
CUSTOMIZE TO MEET YOUR NEEDS
One of the great things about this recipe is its versatility. While the classic combination of beef, potatoes, and carrots is hard to beat, you can easily customize the stew to suit your tastes. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Vegetable Additions: Feel free to add other vegetables to the mix, such as mushrooms, green beans, or peas. Just make sure they’re cut into bite-sized pieces, so they cook evenly with the rest of the stew.
Spice It Up: If you like a little heat, try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce to the sauce mixture. It will give the stew a subtle kick that’s sure to please spice lovers.
Different Cuts of Meat: While stew meat is the most common choice for this dish, you can also use other cuts of beef, such as chuck roast or short ribs. Just make sure the meat is cut into bite-sized pieces and allow for a longer cooking time if needed.
ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE OVEN BAKED RECIPES!
Baked Soft Tacos – A dinner everyone will ask for! Seasoned ground beef loaded up in soft taco shells, then warmed all together in the oven to perfection.
Chili Cheese Dogs – Hot dogs loaded with chili, cheese, and onion, then baked to perfection! They are so delicious and perfect for game day!
Chicken Fajitas – Bring this sizzling sensation off the platter and right from your kitchen! Tender chicken, veggies, served warm with tortillas.
Honey Lime Chicken Tacos – Simple and delicious! The honey and lime flavors pair perfectly with the seasoned chicken and pepper-jack cheese!
Oven Baked Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean beef stew meat (should be cut up into bite size pieces)
- 2 packets (1 ounce, each) dry onion soup mix
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 5 medium russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 6 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 cans (10.75 ounces, each) condensed cream of celery soup
- 1 cup ketchup (or tomato sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish or Dutch oven with nonstick spray. Spread beef stew meat out evenly in a single layer in prepared dish. Sprinkle paprika and dry onion soup mixes evenly over meat. Top meat evenly with diced potatoes, carrots and onion.
- Whisk together the cream of celery soups and ketchup in a medium bowl. Pour this mixture all over the meat and vegetables, spreading out evenly.
- Cover pan with lid or tightly with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Carefully remove dish from oven and then remove lid or foil. (*Be careful, steam will be released when you uncover it!) Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
That looks so yummy..Love to have with crusty bread..Thanks for the recipe
I just bookmarked this! Yum looks so good, thanks for sharing!
This looks DIVINE! I love me a good beef stew! I wonder, do you think you could do it in the crockpot?
Easy and all in one dish, what’s not to love! For our house recipe will be doubled, will DEF be making this and soon, thx:)
Your stew looks nice and hearty… I love dishes like this!
I LOVE this stew! Perfect dish for fall! Your photo is makin me hungry!
Looks Yummy!
Yum! Looks like a perfect fall dinner!
I didn’t have beef stew so I used plain old hamburger…the boyfriend ate it all up! He loved it! I’ll definately make it again!
Hi Stranger, it’s been AGES since I’ve popped over to say hi. I blame end of the summer, back to school craziness and before that, a 2 week Florida vaca. This stew sounds great, I have been on the hunt for a good one for years….printing and adding this to my fall line up! You had me at Dry Onion Soup mix….love that stuff! ๐ Hugs, Tonya
This is crazy. I was itching to use my slow cooker last week even though it’s still hot as all heck here. I guess we’re all feeling ready for fall these days, huh? This stew looks great!
Oh, and please don’t hate me too much, but I tagged you in the seven links project. You can visit my blog for more details. ๐
This stew is so good, Holly! I made it last night as I was canning peaches and I was trying to be efficient with my time, it smelled so good and tonight I just reheated and away we went with supper! I just make a few changes for me! Thanks again for a great recipe!
What a great recipe for fall weather ๐ Can’t wait to try it out!
I want to add frozen peas and corn, when would you suggest me adding those?
@ Anonymous- I would add those in when you add the carrots, potatoes and onion. They should cook up fine along with the entire stew.
I just found your blog and I’am having so much fun finding new recipes! So far we have had the taco soup, it’s good! Tonight we had the oven baked stew, it’s fabulous, we seriously loved it. Next up is the tollhouse pie! Thanks for the recipes! ๐
Wow, this seems less labor intensive than most stews and looks awesome! I am sure it tastes awesome just how you described it! I just found your blog through another blog and love the recipes you have. Please stop by my blog if you’d like and join. Thanks for sharing great recipes!
Have A Happy Halloween!
Annamaria
We made your beef stew for supper and it was FABULOUS! My picky husband and ten year old son loved it! I omitted the salt as I think onion soup mix is salty enough and added a stalk of celery. I really like your blog, and I love your photography!
Kristin- I’m so happy you loved it! I’m also glad you told me about omitting the salt. I agree with you 100% so I decided to delete the salt out of the recipe. I agree the onion soup mix has enough in it. ๐
You lost me at onion soup mix ๐
I saw this on pinterest and had to check it out. It was the “Oven Baked” & “Stew” that had my interest peaked. This stew is not “oven baked”. It’s Braised.
@ Anonymous- To ‘Braise’ means to brown meat in hot fat first, then cook at a low temperature in a covered pot. Sorry, there is nowhere in the directions where I state to ‘brown’ the meat first. You simply throw all of the ingredients in a baking dish, cover and then BAKE. As in OVEN BAKED! Thanks ๐
Thanks for your amazing recipes! All of my meals for this week are from recipes on your blog, and I’m very excited to try them. ๐
My recipe ingredients for your BAKED Beef Stew is all here on my kitchen counter. Do I add the required amount of water for the condensed canned soup and the ketchup, or do I use just whats in the can and add it with the ketchup? Your recipe looks delicious…thank you ๐
Jax, no need to add the water. Just add whats in the can! Hope you like it! ๐
I tried this a few weeks ago & it is delicious! I’m making it again tonight!
This is the best stew I have ever had in my entire life!! I was afraid that it would end up to salty, so I used some salt-free ketchup. It also tastes great reheated in the microwave.
Hi! I have been following your blog for a while now, and love all your recipes! I was wondering if you think it could be put into a slow-cooker and how long would you cook the stew for then? Thanks for some awesome recipes!
Hi Caroline! I definitely think you could do this in a slow cooker. I would maybe cook it on low for about 6-7 hours. The meat pieces are pretty small, so it shouldnt take too long to cook. Let me know if you try it! ๐
Hi, I have dethawed chicken I need to use. Can I substitute chicken breasts, and if so, how will that change the cooking time?
Thank you! Michelle
I’ve not tried it with chicken breasts, but I imagine it would work great. I would only bake it for 1 1/2 hours.
Hello from iowa ๐ this beef stew is wonderful.. I make it with chuck roast… yum !!!!
MMmmm again, what a great recipe. I was going to do a stew this week as well, now I think I’ll do this one.
Try doing your stew in the oven like this in a Tagine for a very moist rich stew.
…or if you have an earthen pot with a lid for the oven, slow cook it for 2 hours, then take off the lid for last half hour (turn up the heat) and “crisp” up the potatos on top. (I only top it with potatoes)
Do this in single serving pots and you have an English ‘Hotpot’ found in many working mans pubs as cheap hot grub. Well at least here in the midlands ๐
Can this be frozen and then baked and/or put in the crock pot? Also, if your freezer recipes need to be cooked from frozen state, do you have modified oven instructions? Thanks!
This is absolutely the best beef stew i’ve ever made! I’ve been trying (and failing miserably) to find a good stew recipe and after trying this one I will never make it any other way. I didn’t (and wouldn’t) change a thing. my hubby was also happy because he was the poor soul who had to try and gag down all my failed stew attempts! I thank you and my sweet husband thanks you too!
So easy to make and Absolutely delicious!!!
Love this stew! Made multiple times. Wondering if there’s any suggestions on adapting it to an instant pot/pressure cooker?
Hi, I love ur recipes. I was just was curious, my hubby doesn’t care for ketchup, is there something I can use in its place? tyvm
Yes, you can use tomato sauce to replace the ketchup. Use the same amount. ๐
I made this stew for my husband and he loved it. His comment was “Do not lose this recipe.” The only ingredient I swapped was the cream of celery soup for cream of broccoli, only because that was what I had on hand. I also included a layer of sliced mushrooms. This is a 5 star recipe.