Lazy Man's Beef Stew

Lazy man’s beef stew earns its name. Everything goes into the Dutch oven raw, the lid goes on, and three hours later you’ve got a deeply flavored stew with no browning, no flour-coating, and no babysitting required.

The quiet hero here is tapioca. Two tablespoons sprinkled in with the rest of the ingredients silently thicken the broth as the beef and vegetables release their juices, so the stew finishes glossy and clingy without a roux or cornstarch slurry.

Onion soup mix and Worcestershire do the seasoning lift. Round steak, while leaner than chuck, breaks down into tender bites over three slow hours. The potatoes and carrots hold their shape just enough so each spoonful gives you stew, not mush.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut the beef into uniform half-inch pieces. Mixed sizes mean some cubes turn to rags while others stay tough.
• Leave the potato skins on. They hold the chunks together during the long bake and add fibre and flavor.
• Tapioca needs liquid to do its job. If your pot looks dry at the 90-minute check, splash in a half cup of water or beef broth.
• This stew tastes even better the next day. Make it ahead and reheat gently on the stovetop.

Variations

• Add a cup of quartered mushrooms or a handful of frozen peas in the last 30 minutes for color and texture.
• Swap round steak for beef chuck for a richer, fattier version that’s even more forgiving.
• Stir in a half cup of red wine in place of some water for deeper flavor and a stew closer to a French daube.