Onion soup beef stew, or French onion beef stew, brings two classics into one bowl: the deeply browned, sweet onions and bubbling cheese toast of French onion soup, and the tender chunks of beef from a slow-simmered stew. Two pounds of onions are cooked down in butter until dark and jammy, beef chuck is simmered in beef stock with thyme until very tender, and each crock is topped with sourdough and melted Gruyère under the broiler. It is a slow, weekend project, and it is worth every hour.
How to make onion soup beef stew: Toss 1 1/2 pounds of cubed beef chuck in seasoned flour and sear it. Cook 2 pounds of thinly sliced onions with garlic in butter for at least 3 hours, until deeply brown. Stir in 1 cup of beef stock and Worcestershire and cook until nearly dry. Add the beef, 2 quarts of stock, thyme and bay leaves and simmer about 3 hours. Top crocks with sourdough and Gruyère and broil 3 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Two favorites in one. French onion soup and beef stew together.
- Real onion flavor. From slowly browned onions, not a packet.
- Tender beef. Chuck simmered until it falls apart.
- A cheesy lid. Toasted bread and blistered Gruyère on every bowl.
- Feeds eight. A big pot for a cold day.
Ingredient Notes
Beef chuck roast. One and a half pounds, or stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes.
Flour, salt and pepper. A 1/2 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon of fine kosher salt and 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper, to coat the beef.
Olive oil. Three tablespoons, used as needed for searing.
Butter. A 1/2 cup, which is 1 stick, for the onions.
Yellow onions. Two pounds, very thinly sliced.
Garlic. Three cloves, minced.
Beef stock. One cup to deglaze the pot, in place of brandy or sherry, and 2 quarts for the simmer.
Worcestershire sauce. Two tablespoons.
Thyme and bay. Five to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves.
Sourdough bread. Eight cups, cubed and staled or toasted.
Gruyère cheese. One pound, sliced thin or shredded. Comté or Swiss can stand in.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fine kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 pounds yellow onions, very thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup beef stock, for deglazing
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 quarts beef stock, for simmering
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups sourdough bread, cubed and staled or toasted
- 1 pound Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced or shredded
How to Make French Onion Beef Stew
1. Coat the beef. Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Keep any excess flour mixture in the bowl.
2. Sear the beef. Heat a splash of the olive oil in a large pot or 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches on all sides, using the oil as needed. Return it to the bowl with the reserved flour mixture, toss, and refrigerate while the onions cook.
3. Brown the onions. Lower the heat to medium. Add the butter and scrape the browned bits from the pot. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 3 and up to 6 hours, until the onions have shrunk considerably and are deeply brown. Lower the heat or stir more often if spots begin to burn.
4. Add the liquid. Stir in the 1 cup of beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce a splash at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the pot is nearly dry.
5. Simmer the stew. Add the beef and stir. Slowly stir in the 2 quarts of beef stock, then add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours, until the beef is very tender.
6. Finish in crocks. Ladle the hot stew into oven-safe crocks. Top with the sourdough cubes and cheese. Broil for 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to blister. Let cool briefly before serving.
Onion Soup Mix or Real Onions?
Real onions. There is no packet of onion soup mix in this stew. Its onion soup flavor comes the slow way, from two pounds of sliced onions cooked in butter until they are dark, sweet and reduced to a fraction of their size.
There is another dish with a similar name: a slow cooker beef stew made with an envelope of dry onion soup mix, potatoes and carrots. That is a good, easy dinner, but it is built differently. Do not add a packet to this pot. Between the salted beef, the stock and the cheese, it would be far too salty.
| This stew | Packet-style stew | |
|---|---|---|
| Onion flavor from | Fresh onions, browned for hours | Dry onion soup mix |
| Cooked in | A pot or Dutch oven on the stove | Usually a slow cooker |
| Vegetables | Onions only | Potatoes and carrots |
| Finish | Sourdough and broiled Gruyère | Served as it is |
How brown should the onions be?
Very brown. At first the pot looks impossibly full. As the onions cook, they wilt, turn golden, then amber, and finally a deep, even brown, like dark caramel. They will have shrunk to a small, soft, jammy layer at the bottom of the pot. Golden is not far enough. Pale onions give a thin, sweet broth without the rich flavor that makes the dish.
It takes at least 3 hours, and you can let them go for as long as 6. The heat should be gentle enough that they color slowly. If dark spots appear on the bottom of the pot, lower the heat and stir more often.
Tips for Success
Why refrigerate the seared beef?
The onions take hours. The beef is only seared, not cooked through, so it waits in the fridge until it goes back into the pot.
How thin should I slice the onions?
As thin as you can. Thin slices soften and brown evenly.
Why add the first cup of stock a splash at a time?
Each splash loosens the browned layer on the bottom of the pot and works it into the onions. That is where a great deal of the flavor is.
What if I do not have oven-safe crocks?
Toast the bread and cheese on a baking sheet under the broiler, and float a piece on each bowl of stew.
Which cheese melts best?
Gruyère is the classic. Comté and Swiss also melt well.
Storage and Reheating
Store the stew without the bread and cheese. Divide it into shallow, covered containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. It keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove until boiling, to 165°F, then add fresh bread and cheese and broil.
What to Serve With It
With bread and cheese on top, the stew needs only a green salad. For more beef in a bowl, try the Instant Pot beef stew, the beef and barley soup or the slow cooker beef stew noodles. For more onion and beef, there is the slow cooker onion beef brisket and the slow cooker Amish beef and noodles. And for the same flavors with chicken, make the 4-ingredient French onion chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use onion soup mix for beef stew?
Yes, in a slow cooker stew made for it. This one uses fresh onions and no packet.
What ingredient makes beef stew taste better?
Here, it is the onions. Hours of slow browning give the broth its depth.
Can you put French onion soup in a stew?
This stew is built like French onion soup from the start, with beef added.
How long does it take?
About 390 minutes, most of it unattended: at least 3 hours for the onions and about 3 hours for the simmer.
Final Notes
I start the onions right after breakfast and let them go while I get on with the day, giving the pot a stir whenever I pass. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
French Onion Beef Stew
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast or stew meat; trim excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fine kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper freshly ground; plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided as needed for searing
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 2 pounds yellow onions very thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup beef stock for deglazing; an alternative to brandy or sherry
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 quarts beef stock for simmering the stew
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 8 cups sourdough bread cubed and staled or toasted
- 1 pound Gruyère cheese thinly sliced or shredded; Comté or Swiss also work
Instructions
- Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Keep any excess flour mixture in the bowl.
- Heat a splash of the olive oil in a large pot or 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches on all sides, using the oil as needed. Return it to the bowl with the reserved flour mixture, toss, and refrigerate while the onions cook.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the butter and scrape the browned bits from the pot. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 3 and up to 6 hours, until the onions have shrunk considerably and are deeply brown. Lower the heat or stir more often if spots begin to burn.
- Stir in the 1 cup of beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce a splash at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the pot is nearly dry.
- Add the beef and stir. Slowly stir in the 2 quarts of beef stock, then add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours, until the beef is very tender.
- Ladle the hot stew into oven-safe crocks. Top with the sourdough cubes and cheese. Broil for 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to blister. Let cool briefly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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