Savory Beef Stew with Herbs de Provence
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This savory beef stew with Herbes de Provence is a French-inspired twist on the classic beef stew recipe. It’s filled with tender beef, vegetables, and a rich, herb-infused red wine broth. It’s perfect for chilly nights, make-ahead meals, or when you just need comfort in a bowl.
Updated December 2025 for clarity and tips.
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Beef Stew Recipe Highlights
⏱️Prep Time: 30 minutes (prep + stovetop sear)
⏱️Cook Time: 2 hours oven
🍽️Serves: 8 (easy to scale)
✔️Swap wine for beef broth or grape juice for an alcohol-free version.
✔️Don’t have Herbes de Provence? swap in Italian seasoning.
✔️This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker.
What is Herbes de Provence?
Herbes de Provence is a fragrant blend of dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, savory, and sometimes lavender. It adds a subtle floral, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with beef, lamb, poultry, or seafood.
Savory Beef Stew Ingredient List
- Beef Round Cubes
- Carrots
- Onion or onion powder
- Garlic or garlic powder
- Bay leaf
- Tomato paste
- Herbes de Provence
- Beef broth (chicken or veggie broth will work too)
- Red wine (more beef broth or grape juice for an alchohol-free version.)
Missing an ingredient? Find a substitute with the ingredient swap assistant!
How to make beef stew with Herbes de Provence
- Prep the Ingredients: Season the beef with salt and pepper. Slice the onions, chop the garlic and carrots, and measure out the tomato paste, wine, and broth. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brown the Beef: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium‑high heat. Brown the beef on all sides, then remove and set aside.
- Cook the Aromatics: Add onions and garlic to the pot and cook until softened.
- Build the Flavor Base: Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, stirring to loosen the browned bits. Stir in tomato paste and Herbes de Provence.
- Deglaze with Wine: Pour in half the wine and simmer until reduced, about 8 minutes.
- Add Liquids: Stir in the remaining wine and broth.
- Braise: Return the beef to the pot, add bay leaves, cover, and bake at 350°F for about 2½ hours, until tender.
Recipe Variations
- Add more vegetables – Use any combination of 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, 1/2 pound parsnips, turnips or potatoes.
- Add more broth – If you like your stew with a lot of sauce, increase the amount of broth by 1 cup.
- Italian – Replace the Herbes de Provence with a blend of dried Italian herbs such as basil, oregano, and thyme.
- Spicy – Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a punch of heat.
Serving suggestions
This cozy stew is delicious on its own, topped with fresh parsley or tarragon, but it also pairs perfectly with:
Storage tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 4 months once cooled.
To reheat, thaw frozen stew overnight in the fridge. Warm gently on the stove, in the oven (covered), or in the microwave, whatever’s easiest.
Frequently Asked Questions about Beef Stew with Herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence is a dried herb blend that comes from the southeastern region of France. It usually includes thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf, and sometimes lavender. In this beef stew, the blend adds a slightly floral, earthy flavor that balances the richness of the beef, red wine, and broth, and gives the stew a French-inspired taste.
Yes, you can substitute fresh herbs for dried herbes de provence. Use three times the amount of fresh herbs as the recipe calls for dried and add the herbs during the last hour of cooking.
The best cuts of beef for this stew are chuck or bottom round, cut into cubes. These cuts have enough fat and connective tissue to become very tender when cooked low and slow in the oven. If pre-cut stew meat is not available, you can buy a whole chuck roast or round roast and cut it into 1-inch cubes yourself, which is usually more economical.
Yes, you can make this beef stew without wine. Replace the red wine with an equal amount of beef broth, red grape juice, or cranberry juice. You will still get a rich, flavorful sauce, and the stew will be alcohol-free, which is helpful if you are cooking for kids or anyone avoiding alcohol.
To make this beef stew in a slow cooker, follow the same steps to brown the beef and sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and tomato paste in a pan first. Transfer everything to a slow cooker, add the Herbes de Provence, bay leaves, wine or broth, and remaining liquid, then cook on low for about 5 hours. This method gives you the same tender meat and deep flavor without using the oven.
Store leftover beef stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 4 months after it cools to room temperature. To reheat, warm the stew in a saucepan on the stove, in a covered dish in the oven, or in the microwave until it is heated through. The flavors develop as it rests, so leftovers often taste even better the next day.
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Click on serving size to scale this recipe
Beef and Vegetable Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef cubes chuck or bottom round
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 medium onion sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
- 3 cups red wine
- 1 1/2 cups Beef Broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat, once the pan is hot, add the 2 pounds beef cubes and brown the beef on each side; remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Add 1 medium onion sliced thin, 2 cloves garlic, chopped to the pan and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.2 pounds beef cubes
- Reduce the heat to medium-low heat; stir in 1 pound carrots and cook them while stirring occasionally to loosen up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence into the carrots; cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of red wine and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the wine reduces and has a syrupy consistency.
- Add 2 bay leaves, remaining wine, and beef back to the pan and cover.
- Place the stew in the preheated oven and cook for 2 hours. Remove the cover and cook for 20 minutes longer.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving. Thicken the sauce if needed by mixing together 1 teaspoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water and gradually adding it to the stew.
Video
Notes
- Instead of paying extra for pre-cut beef cubes, buy a whole chuck roast, rump roast, or round and cut the meat yourself into 1-inch cubes.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, mix 1 teaspoon flour or corn starch with a tablespoon of water and gradually stir it into the stew.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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Love all your meals, New year new goals. Would love to see more vegetarian meals.
Meatless meals to keep my colesterol down. Thank you for all you do Anne and Happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you for your comment Donald! More plant-based meals are coming soon. Happy New Year!
I’ve tried many beef stew recipes. This one turns out to have the best flavor! Delicious!
Thank you Susan! I am glad you like it.