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Italian Beef Stew (Spezzatino)

Italian beef stew (spezzatino) with tender chuck and potatoes simmered in a rosemary-scented red wine tomato sauce. Brown in batches, reduce the wine, then long-simmer until the meat turns fork-tender and the potatoes are creamy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef stew base
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 carrot finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk finely diced
  • 3 garlic minced
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
Potatoes and finish
  • 1.5 lb potatoes cubed
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Season the beef chuck with salt and black pepper, then dust with all-purpose flour. Brown the beef in batches in olive oil over medium-high heat until well browned, turning as needed.
  2. Keep the browned beef on the side while you brown the next batch. Avoid crowding so the meat sears instead of steams.
Build the stew base
  1. In the same Dutch oven, cook the onion, carrot, and celery for 8 minutes over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring so it doesn’t brown.
  2. Pour in the dry red wine and simmer until reduced by half, scraping the bottom of the pot to release browned bits. Continue simmering until you have a more concentrated wine layer.
Simmer until the meat is tender
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, fresh rosemary, bay leaves, and the browned beef. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, keeping a steady gentle bubble.
  2. Check occasionally and stir to prevent sticking on the bottom. The beef should be noticeably tender as the liquid thickens.
Cook the potatoes and peas
  1. Add the cubed potatoes and simmer for 40 minutes until tender. Stir gently so the potatoes cook evenly and don’t break apart.
  2. Stir in the frozen peas and simmer for the last 5 minutes until heated through. Keep the stew at a gentle simmer so the peas stay bright.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove the fresh rosemary and bay leaves from the stew. Serve hot with crusty Italian bread.

Notes

For the richest sauce, brown the beef in well-heated oil and reduce the wine until it’s clearly thickened before adding tomatoes. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (thaw and reheat gently). To make it lighter, use 1 tbsp olive oil and replace half the beef broth with low-sodium broth while keeping the simmer times the same.