Gone All Day Beef Stew is a recipe our grandpa first made over 30 years ago. It’s a comfort food classic that feeds 12 people, making it perfect for Sunday family dinners.
If you make the full recipe that serves 12 people, it will cost $28.25 to make. You can halve the recipe and make it in a slow cooker for $13.80, and it serves 6 people.
Make a batch of our One-Hour Dinner Rolls or our One-Hour French Bread to go along with the stew, and you will have a complete meal.
Gone All Day Stew
The recipe we are sharing with you today comes from Jill’s grandfather, also known as Papa. We love that we even have a copy of the recipe in his handwriting.
Jill and her siblings remember being gone all day at various sporting events and coming home to a Heavenly-smelling kitchen with warm stew waiting for them to devour. Don’t you love meals like this?
We knew we had to share this melt in your mouth, hearty, filling family recipe with you because it is just too good not to share. The tender beef with the veggies and tomato base sauce is comfort food at its finest.
Over the years, we’ve tweaked the recipe by increasing a few ingredients and streamlining the cooking process. We even added a Crockpot method for a smaller 6-person portion.
The oven method allows you to put everything in a large roasting pan and leave it all day (hence the name Gone All Day Stew). This recipe makes a ton, and it’s great for leftovers because it tastes even better the next day!
Either way, you make it, the results are the same. A delicious and cozy beef stew, everyone will love!
Do I have to brown the meat for beef stew?
You do not need to brown the meat first before placing it in the roaster pan or the slow cooker. That is just another reason this recipe is so darn easy!
What does stew mean?
The definition of stew is to cook food slowly. This results in a soup-like meal that typically has chunky ingredients such as vegetables and beef.
What is the difference between a soup and a stew?
One major difference between soup and stew is the liquid the dish contains. Soups typically have more liquid, causing the ingredients to float in the bowl. While stews typically have just enough liquid for cooking the ingredients within the dish.
How to make Gone All Day Beef Stew recipe:
Oven Method:
Make sure you check out our VIDEO recipe in the recipe card below!
STEP ONE: First, preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Then, place the stew meat and veggies in a large roasting pan.
STEP TWO: Next, using a large bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Pour the sauce mixture over the meat and veggies.
STEP THREE: Place the beef bouillon cubes and bay leaves into the mixture. Cover the pan with foil.
STEP FOUR: Finally, cook for 4-5 hours.
How to Make Easy Beef Stew in a Slow Cooker:
We made a few recipe tweaks to ensure this recipe cooks up perfectly in the Crockpot.
STEW MIXTURE:
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 2 large celery stalks, sliced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pound petite red, yellow, or white potatoes; cut in half
SAUCE:
- 23.2 oz can Campbell’s Tomato Condensed Soup
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup red cooking wine or beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 bay leaf
MIX TOGETHER STEW:
- Place the stew meat and all of the vegetables in a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker.
- In a large bowl, whisk together tomato condensed soup, water, cooking wine, salt, pepper, and cornstarch.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the meat and vegetables.
- Stir until the meat and vegetables are coated in the sauce.
- Nestle the beef bouillon cubes and bay leaves into the mixture.
COOK:
- Cover and cook for 9-10 hours on LOW or 5-6 hours on HIGH.
TO FINISH:
- Stir the stew and remove the bay leaf. Serve.
Cook’s Tools:
- slow cooker
- roasting pan
- whisk
- mixing bowl
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- knife
The Flavor and Recipe Variations
Pretty much anything goes with this stew. Any potato or yam will work in this recipe. Also, you can use a variety of vegetables like parsnips or fennel too.
How much will this Beef Stew recipe cost to make:
RECIPE COST: $28.25
PRICE PER SERVING: $2.36
- 2 pounds beef stew meat – $11.96
- 5 large carrots – $0.96
- 2 large onions – $0.96
- 4 large celery stalks – $0.36
- 2 beef bullion cubes – $0.16
- 16 ounces button mushrooms – $3.78
- 2 large sweet potatoes – $1.56
- 23.2 oz can Campbell’s Tomato Condensed Soup – $2.69
- 2 pounds petite red, yellow, or white potatoes – $5.00
- 15 oz can tomato sauce – $0.64
- 2 cups water – $0.00
- 1/2 cup red cooking wine or beef broth – $0.24
- 2 bay leaves – $0.06
- 1 teaspoon salt – $0.01
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch – $0.06
To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.
How long is it good for:
Serve: You can keep this out for about 2 hours before it will need to be refrigerated.
Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze this recipe either before or after cooking. We prefer to freeze it before cooking. That way, we just thaw it and cook it as per the recipe card below.
How to get the kids involved with this recipe:
Ages 2-3: Have your little one help you mix the sauce ingredients. They can then help you pour it over the meat and veggies.
Ages 4-5: Let your little one put the stew meat and veggies into the slow cooker.
Ages 6-8: Teach your child how to properly and safely peel the carrots. You can then also teach him/her how to properly and safely cut the carrots and celery.
Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe.
Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!
More +$15 recipes:
- Beef Chuck Roast
- Easy Oven Baked Salmon
- Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
- Easy Taco Pizza
- Energy Balls
- Flank Steak Pinwheels
- Foolproof Grilled Ribs
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Machaca Burritos
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Gone All Day Stew
Recipe Cost 28.25 Serving Cost 2.36Equipment
- Roasting pan
- whisk
- mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- knife
Ingredients
STEW MIXTURE:
- 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large onions roughly chopped and pieces separated
- 5 large carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 4 large celery stalks sliced
- 16 ounces button mushrooms sliced
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 pounds petite red, yellow, or white potatoes cut into quarters
SAUCE:
- 23.2 oz can Campbell’s Tomato Condensed Soup
- 2 cups water
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- ½ cup red cooking wine or beef broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
PREP OVEN:
- Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
MIX TOGETHER STEW:
- In a large roasting pan, place the stew meat and all of the vegetables.
- In a large bowl, whisk together tomato condensed soup, water, tomato sauce, cooking wine, salt, pepper, and cornstarch.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the meat and vegetables.
- Stir until the meat and vegetables are coated in the sauce.
- Nestle the beef bouillon cubes and bay leaves into the mixture.
- Cover the roasting pan with foil.
COOK:
- Cook for 4-5 hours.
SERVE:
- Remove the foil and stir. Remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with bread.
Noelle says
This was the perfect winter stew! Loved all the flavors and how easy it was to make 🙂
Jess Jankowski says
Thanks Noelle!
Nellie Tracy says
Such a great soup recipe! LOVE it for cold nights
Jess Jankowski says
It really is perfect for cold nights. Thanks Nellie!
Matej says
Beef stews are pretty high on my list of favorite things to cook and this one of yours looks nothing short of amazing!
Jess Jankowski says
Thank you!
Connie says
Quick question. To make it in a crock pot, you left out the tomato sauce but you had it for the oven recipe. Was it a mistake or is it not needed for the crock pot?
Thanks,
Connie
Jess Jankowski says
Hi yes, the tomato sauce is not used in the crock pot version, because it does not cook off in the crockpot as it does in the oven version so it becomes too soupy in the crockpot. Thanks for asking! Enjoy!