PJ's Red Wine Beef Stew

I've been craving beef stew and since we had a 40 degree temperature change from yesterday to today I thought today would be perfect for it. And I was right, it was perfect. It turned out so good and the gravy was nice and smooth with just the right flavor. I will definitely be making this again. I didn't have any actual red wine on hand so I used my red cooking wine and it turned out great.


1 1/2 lbs stew meat
1/3 cup all purpose flour, plus more for coating the meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 medium carrots, cut into 1" chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into 1" chunks
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cup red wine
3 cups water
3 teaspoons beef Better than Bullion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and pepper to taste


1. Toss the beef with the flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook undisturbed until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, turning the beef as needed until the beef is mostly browned.

2. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the beef into a 6 quart slow cooker, add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery and stir to combine.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat and add the tomato paste. Stir until the oil begins to turn brick red which takes about 1 minute. Add the wine and flour and whisk until it's thick and don't worry if it's lumpy, that will come out in end. Add the water, Better than Bullion, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently until the gravy is smooth and thickened which takes about 5 minutes or so.

4. Pour the gravy into the slow cooker and stir everything up. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours until the meat and veggies are tender.

BAM! Done.