Green Bean Stew

A hearty stew that's chock full of meat and veggies in a rich and flavorful sauce.

2 hours, 30 minutes

Serves: 10-12

Medium

Parsley is way more than a garnish in this unique Green Bean Stew. A Grandma Jackie classic, it makes a big pot full of meat and veggies.

This Green Bean Stew is an easy-to-make, delicious stew that will feed an army! The ingredients are very simple but come together to make a truly unique stew with a very strong parsley flavor. The best part is, it’s so easy to make. The only challenge really is chopping veggies. If you can do that, making this will be a breeze. It does take a while to make however, so it’s great for a Sunday dinner.

For most recipes, I’d recommend prepping and chopping all your ingredients at the very beginning. This makes it easy to keep up with timing through the whole recipe so you don’t overcook anything. For this recipe however, you can totally just get started and prep and chop as you go as there is so much time between each step. And if any step goes a little long, it’s no big deal at all.

Since this is a stew, you can swap out ingredients pretty easily and still have a great meal, but to make THIS dish – stick to exactly what’s called for. For the meat, our grocery store had pre diced stew beef so we just used that and it was great (and convenient!). Fresh green beans are a must and we used baby carrots. The next time I make this though, I think I’ll opt for getting full size carrots and cutting into medallions. The potatoes we used were Yukon Gold and they worked great – and cook a little faster. Their buttery taste and soft texture went well with the stew, but you could use any type of potato you have on hand.

This green bean stew recipe makes a TON so make it when you have a crowd to feed. OR, have some containers ready cause it freezes really well too. I hope you give it a try and if you do, please don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comments or share a picture with me on Instagram (@bdhbakes).

Steps:

Brown Meat
Preheat the 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a VERY large pot. Add the meat and brown on all sides, turning every 2-3 minutes until the meat has taken on good color. Depending on the size of the pot, you might need to do this in batches so that the bottom of the pot isn't over crowded.
Cut Onion & Add
As the meat is browning, roughly chop the onion into large dices and add to the meat. Continue cooking until the meat is nicely browned. Salt and pepper generously.
Add Broth and Parsely
Once the meat is nicely and evenly browned, add 6 Cups of water and beef bouillon cube OR 1 Cup of beef broth and 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Also, add the first bunch of parsley tied up with string. Make sure the parsley doesn't have a rubber band or paper coated wire tie around it as you don't want either in your stew. The best option is to separate the parsley, wash it and retie it with string so you can easily take it out as a big bunch later. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes but not longer than an hour.
Clean, Cut and Add Green Beans & Carrots
While the stew is simmering, clean your green beans and carrots. Cut your the tips off of your green beans and snap into bite sized pieces. If you are using baby carrots, simply wash and drain. If you are using full size carrots, wash them and chop into disks. Once the stew has simmered for at least 20 minutes (or longer), then add the green beans and carrots. Season again with salt and pepper - generously! Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the Potatoes & Parsely
In the meantime, wash, peel and chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. Also, wash the 2nd batch of parsley and roughly chop.
Add Potatoes and 1/2 the Parsely
After the beef, beans and carrots have simmered for their additional 30 minutes (at least), take out the tied up batch of parsley and discard. Add the chopped potatoes and half of the chopped up parsley (save the remainder for later). Salt and pepper again. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Mix Slurry and Add
Once the potatoes are tender, mix the softened butter and flour until it makes a smooth paste. Add this slurry into the stew one tablespoon at a time, stirring well between each addition. Keep adding until the stew is as thick as you'd like.
Add Remaining Parsley and Serve
Right before you are ready to serve, add the remaining 1/2 bunch of chopped parsley and stir well to distribute throughout. Ladle into big bowls and enjoy!