Hearty Spanish Beef Stew with Potatoes Recipe

The best thing about the holiday season is being able to spend more time with the family, and another great side to it is that you have more free time to cook and try new Spanish recipes.

Today we bring you the Spanish beef stew with potatoes, a true fan favorite among other easy beef recipes (and it is delicious by the way).

If you continue reading you will be able to learn how to make it step by step, the tweaks that you can do to the ingredients or the cooking method, and the best ways to store and serve it.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish soup recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Cocido Madrileno
• Spanish lentil soup with potatoes
• Homemade Spanish chicken soup

Background of the Dish

The Spanish beef stew always stood out from other recipes for carne guisada, such as the Spanish pork stew or the Spanish seafood stew because it was cheaper to make.

Besides that, in its early years, it was established as a holiday season dish, so the Andalusians became emotionally attached to this fantastic dish.

Nowadays, you can find it all year round in restaurants in the south of Spain.

We encourage you to make easy Spanish dishes like this one at home at least once during this winter (we assure you that it will become an instant classic).

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Beef Stew with Potatoes

To make this Spanish beef stew you just need two main ingredients: meat and potatoes.

Of course, broth and vegetables are important, but you can make modifications to them and still have a delicious stew.

Ingredients

• 500g beef
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 clove garlic
• 6 potatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup (100ml) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup (100ml) white wine
• 1 cup (240ml) beef broth

How to Make Spanish Beef Stew with Potatoes – Step by Step Guide

1. To make this traditional beef stew recipe you have to cut the beef into cubes with the help of a chef’s knife (or you can ask the butcher to do that while buying the beef). Then season with a little paprika, salt, and pepper. Coat the beef pieces in a little flour (removing any excess).

2. Now grab a large pot and take it to the stove over high heat, pour some olive oil and add the meat and seal it until golden (approximately 10 minutes).

3. In the meantime, cut the onion and garlic into small pieces and add them next to the meat. Let cook for 5 minutes along with the meat.

4. Then add the tomato sauce. Stir everything together and let cook for about 10 minutes.

5. Now you can add the white wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.

6. This is the moment to add the sliced carrots, bay leaf, and beef broth, and cook for another 30 minutes.

7. After that, peel and cut the potatoes, and add them to the pot. You can cover it with more water if necessary, but not too much so as not to water your Spanish beef stew. 

8. For the final step let the Carne Guisada cook for 20 or 30 more minutes until it reaches the point you want (it will be properly cooked at any of those times).

Substitution of Ingredients

In theory, the ingredients that you cannot miss to make this beef stew with potatoes are some type of meat, potatoes, and other vegetables that help to give it flavor.

Although beef broth is listed, you can replace it with the same amount of water and bouillon.

The important thing is that you do not go too far in the amount of liquid, since otherwise, you may end up with a very liquid stew (although it is solved by separating the potatoes and meat from the watery sauce).

The best beef for stew is the Bone-in short rib, although the chuck is not far behind (thanks to its amount of fat it becomes super tender).

Another beef stew meat that can work and do the trick is the oxtail or brisket.

Other than that, you can use sweet potatoes or squash instead of the potatoes, you can also add peppers, remove the onion and garlic, basically any change you want.

Try the instant oxtail recipe and the oxtail casserole for inspiration.

Tips on Serving Spanish Beef Stew with Potatoes

This stew beef with potatoes can be the perfect dish for your Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas lunch.

Not only because the old-fashioned beef stew recipe has a holiday feeling, but also because you just have to take everything out of the pot and serve on plates, saving you time on plating.

If you serve it on large plates it is the main dish, if you opt for smaller ones you will have Spanish beef stew as a starter (or you can serve it with other sides such as vegetable roast).

You could also make other carne guisada recipes, such as Spanish chicken stew, and place them in trays on the table, then the guests can grab as much as they like.

When it comes to stew, the Spaniards know what they are doing and we can start with the delicious oxtail stew with vegetables.

This is why you must also try the traditional Spanish Lamb Stew, the best Spanish oxtail stew with potatoes, and let’s not forget the Comforting Fabada Asturiana Recipe.

How to Store Spanish Beef Stew with Potatoes

If you plan to store this stew, then as soon as you finish making the Spanish beef stew recipe, you should let it come to room temperature.

Then, put the Spanish beef stew in a Tupper or covered plate (this is important so it doesn’t get other odors from the fridge).

After that, you can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days and heat it up before serving (in the microwave, a pot, and stove, or even in the oven).

Like other beef recipes, you can also freeze it. Just take it to the freezer, where it can be up to 40 days, to defrost you must leave it in the fridge overnight before eating.

Recipe Card: Spanish Beef Stew with Potatoes

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