A Traditional Beef Stew with Suet Dumplings is a much loved British Classic – and for good reason! Delicious pieces of meltingly tender beef and root vegetables, slow-cooked in a rich beef gravy and topped with pillowy soft – and unbelievably moreish – suet dumplings. What could be better?
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A British food classic!
There are not many dishes more ‘British’ than a Traditional Beef Stew and Suet Dumplings. Growing up, we ate this regularly at home and it was always a favourite!
It’s not hard to see why, either… The beef is meltingly tender, the root vegetables are flavoured wonderfully with the rich beef gravy and then the whole thing is topped with pillowy soft suet dumplings.
As a child I could not get enough of this… and to be honest, adult me can’t get enough of this either!
How to make Traditional Beef Stew and Suet Dumplings
This Traditional Beef Stew with Suet Dumplings recipe is so easy to make! All you need to do is fry onions, mushrooms, swede and carrots. Then, make a simple beef gravy. Next, add the gravy into the pan, along with the diced beef and some bay leaves.
Cook the stew in the oven for a couple of hours. Meanwhile make the dumplings by mixing together flour, suet, salt and water. Roll into balls and pop on top of the stew for the last 20 minutes of cooking time. Easy Peasy!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
To brown the beef… or not?
There is a huge debate over whether or not you need to brown the beef for a slow cooked beef stew. To find out whether this step is strictly necessary, I have done multiple tests both ways and lots of research!
One theory is that the beef needs to be browned to ‘seal in the juices’ before it goes into the stew… but that is actually a myth. Browning the meat before putting it in a stew actually makes the beef LESS juicy.
The other reason people brown beef before putting it in a stew is to give the stew more flavour. But honestly, after several experiments I have come to the conclusion that it really makes very little difference to the flavour and texture of the beef in a slow cooked stew. (Though it obviously makes a BIG difference with something fast-cooked, like a steak!)
And just in case you think something might be wrong with my tastebuds… I used to be a wine buyer – tasting wine on a daily basis. My tastebuds even have qualifications! As a result of all that training and practice, I have hypersensitive tastebuds that can taste really subtle variations… If I can’t taste the difference, there really is no difference!
And I am in great company, Jamie Oliver did the same experiment and came to the same conclusion. In Jamie’s Dinners*, above his recipe for Jool’s Favourite Beef Stew, he writes that, as a result of his experiments, “I’ve stopped browning the meat for most of my stews these days.”
This is great news as it means your beef stew takes even less time to prepare!
To brown the mushrooms or not?
One thing that DOES make a big difference, however, is browning the mushrooms. This improves both the flavour and the texture of the mushrooms, which is why I fry the mushrooms properly before adding the rest of the ingredients. Don’t be tempted to skip this step!
A great way to make a small amount of beef go a long way!
One of the things I love about beef stew and dumplings is it’s a great way to make a small amount of beef go a long way. You can get away with only using 400g (14oz) diced beef in this recipe because you bulk it out with lots of vegetables and those big, fluffy dumplings. Particularly useful these days when beef is expensive!
This is of course why meals like this were invented – root vegetables and dumplings are a cheap way to fill hungry tummies, but by cooking them in a delicious beef gravy, everything gets flavoured with the beef and you don’t really notice there’s not a huge amount of (much more expensive) beef!
What cut of beef to use for beef stew and dumplings?
Continuing the frugal theme, I recommend using beef sold as ‘stewing beef’ or ‘diced beef’ in this stew. Not only is it usually much cheaper than beef sold as a whole steak, but the end result is much better too – these cheaper cuts really benefit from the longer slower cook, as they become more tender and they have a better flavour.
Make it your own!
There are lots of ways to adapt this easy beef stew and dumplings recipe.
My two favourite additions are bacon and red wine. Either or both add a lot of extra flavour to this stew.
I recommend adding the bacon in at the same time as the mushrooms as, like the mushrooms, bacon really benefits from being browned over a high heat. (Yes, I’ve done that experiment too!) For best results, I recommend using bacon lardons – which are chunkier that diced regular bacon. 200g / 7oz is a good quantity for this amount of stew.
I recommend adding the wine in just before the gravy, bringing the stew to the boil and then adding in the gravy. Use 250ml / 1cup red wine and reduce the amount of gravy by the same amount.
If you want, you could swap the onions/mushrooms for leeks, or you could swap the carrots/swede for other root vegetables (parsnips, turnips and waxy potatoes all work well).
You could also use diced lamb or diced chicken thigh instead of the diced beef. (Make sure you use lamb gravy / chicken gravy, as appropriate.)
Finally, you could make a vegetarian/vegan version of this by swapping the meat for the same quantity of vegetables (I like to use a mix of mushrooms, leek, carrots, parsnips and swede), and using vegetable gravy and Atora Vegetable Suet.
What to serve with Beef Stew and Dumplings
This classic beef stew and dumplings recipe is a meal in its own right. But if you want to add extra veg, I recommend serving with green vegetables, such as cabbage, green beans, broccoli or peas.
If you feel the need for extra carbs in your life, you could add mashed potato and/or crusty white bread… but honestly, the root veg and dumpling are pretty filling on their own!
What to drink with Beef Stew and Dumplings
Beef stew is very wine friendly, and it works well with lots of different wines.
Good options include Côtes-du-Rhône (or other Syrah / Grenache based wines), Bordeaux reds, Rioja and similar Spanish reds, Duoro reds, Argeninian Malbec or US Zinfandel.
However, I definitely do not recommend pairing beef stew with white or rosé wines!
Can you reheat stew and dumplings?
Absolutely! Simply place the cooked and cooled stew and dumplings in separate airtight containers in the fridge, where they will keep for up to 3 days. (Ideally keep the stew and dumplings in separate containers, so the dumplings don’t go too soggy.)
To reheat, tip the leftover stew into a saucepan with a splash of cold water, bring to the boil, then pop the dumplings on top, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the stew and dumplings are piping hot all the way through.
You can also reheat the stew and dumplings in the microwave, if you prefer.
Can you freeze stew and dumplings?
Yes, you can! Place the cooked and cooled stew and dumplings in separate airtight containers in the freezer, where they will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Traditional Beef Stew and Suet Dumplings (Made with Atora Beef Suet)
Ingredients
Beef Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms quartered
- 300 g swede (US - rutabaga) peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks (roughly 1cm/½inch)
- 300 g carrots peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks (roughly 1cm/½inch)
- 400 g diced beef (usually sold as ‘diced beef’ or ‘stewing beef’ in supermarkets)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 beef stock cube (I use Kallo Organic)
- 750 ml boiling water
- 2 bay leaves
Suet Dumplings
- 200 g self-raising flour (US - self-rising flour)
- 100 g shredded suet (I use Atora Beef Suet)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Cold water
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F.
- Place the olive oil and onions in a flameproof, ovenproof pan. (See Notes 1 & 2.) Fry over a low heat, with the lid on, for 3 minutes, or until the onions are softened but not brown.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms and onions are lightly browned.
- Add the swede and carrots and fry for 2 more minutes on high, stirring frequently.
- Meanwhile, make a quick gravy by putting the 2 tablespoons of cornflour and the crumbled beef stock cube into a large jug. Add a splash of cold water and stir to make a smooth paste. Then add the boiling water slowly, stirring to ensure there are no lumps.
- Pour the gravy into the pan, and then add the diced beef and the bay leaves. Stir and bring to the boil.
- Put the lid on the pan and put the stew into your preheated oven. Cook for a total of 2 hours. (Check halfway through to ensure there is enough liquid in the pan – top up if necessary. See Note 3.)
- 30 minutes before the stew is ready, make the dumplings. Put the flour, suet and salt in a bowl. Stir to ensure the salt and suet are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
- Add just enough cold water to make the mixture come together into a firm dough. (Add a little at a time to ensure the dough does not get too wet. The dough should be firm, but not crumbly or sticky.)
- Divide the dough into 16 roughly even sized pieces (it doesn’t have to be perfect!) and roll each piece into a ball with your hands.
- Place the dumplings on top of your stew in a single layer and put the lid back on. Cook for 20 minutes, by which time both the stew and the dumplings should be cooked.
- Serve with green vegetables.
Notes
- I use a Le Creuset-style cast iron casserole dish, (AKA dutch oven) which can go on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have a pan that can go on the hob and in the oven, simply start this stew in a regular saucepan and then tip it into an ovenproof dish to go into the oven.
- I use a 4 litres capacity / 24cm diameter dutch oven. (4.25 quarts / 9.5 inches) There is certainly some flexibility with this stew, however, so a slightly smaller or larger dutch oven / saucepan / ovenproof dish would still work just fine. However, you should make sure the pot you use for the stew is wide enough to fit the dumplings in a single layer. I suggest a minimum of 20cm / 8inches diameter.
- Depending on the kind of oven dish you use, you may find that some of the liquid from the stew is lost through evaporation. The first time you make this stew, you should check on your stew about 1 hour into the cooking, and again just before you add the dumplings to ensure there is enough gravy. There should be enough liquid that the meat and vegetables are almost completely submerged in the gravy. If you find some of the liquid has evaporated, simply add some more boiling water from the kettle and give the stew a good stir before returning to the oven. Make a note of how much you add, and in future you can add the extra in from the beginning.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
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