French Onion Beef Stew
A slow-simmered beef stew with deeply browned onions, beef stock and thyme, topped with sourdough and broiled Gruyère like French onion soup.
Want This Recipe Later?
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
There is no onion soup mix in this recipe. The cook time uses the 3-hour minimum for the onions; browning them longer adds to the total.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 693kcalCarbohydrates: 38.3gProtein: 43.4gFat: 40.3gSodium: 1760mgFiber: 3.1gSugar: 7g
Made this recipe? Tap a star to rate it.