In Good FlavorBeef stew gets a makeover with gnocchi! This Beef and Gnocchi Stew is a hearty and comforting meal that your entire family will love!
One of the best jobs I have ever had was as an usher at a concert arena after I graduated from high school. I continued to work there every summer while attending college. It was a fun job with lasting memories.
Needless to say, I have been to many concerts. There are a few performers I have seen about a dozen times. Tom Petty was one of them. He performed multiple shows when he was in town. From what I remember, all his concerts started with the same song, “Breakdown”. It had such a beautiful melodic guitar intro that resonated throughout the arena. When you hear that riff, you know that a Tom Petty concert has just begun.
Sadly, we just lost him this week, but I want to thank him for being part of the fabric of my life that I fondly look back on. RIP.
Now, about this stew…it’s meaty, hearty, satisfying, and comforting, all of the things I’m looking for in a fall and winter dish. When the weather is cooler and the days are shorter, I crave slow-cooked meat simmering on the stovetop. It’s early October, but I have already made this beef stew twice.
I like to add a secret ingredient to my beef stew…molasses. It adds richness depth of flavor, and deepens the color. Molasses is an underused ingredient I am trying to incorporate more into my cooking. It is a wonderful flavoring agent in meat dishes.
I love the convenience of packaged gnocchi. Anything that is fuss-free and cooks up in no time is a keeper in my kitchen! Gnocchi is potato-based, and using it in place of regular potatoes is an updated and delicious way to switch up beef stew. I add it to the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Then it’s ready to enjoy!
Since we’re talking about concerts, I would like to close this post by acknowledging this week’s national tragedy. I feel remiss not doing so. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were affected. I hope someday we will be able to live in unity and harmony and without fear of senseless acts of violence.
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable rest of the week, friends!
Recommended supplies:
(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)
- This Dutch oven is perfect for making this stew, and it’s so pretty, you can bring it straight to the table.
- A wooden spatula is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It is ideal for cooking on surfaces that scratch easily, too!
- Molasses is this stew’s secret ingredient.
- Ready made gnocchi is a great convenience ingredient. They are tender and delicious!
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Beef and Gnocchi Stew
Description
Beef stew gets a makeover with gnocchi! This Beef and Gnocchi Stew is a hearty and comforting meal that your entire family will love!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan to medium.
- Place beef chuck in a large bowl. Add flour. Toss to coat.
- Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add half of the meat. Brown on all sides (about 5 minutes per batch), turning meat over to cook evenly. Transfer meat to a plate. Add oil, if necessary, to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining meat and brown. Transfer to the plate.
- Scrape and discard any large black chunks off the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 cup beef broth. Use a wooden spatula to loosen up the bits. Add onion and garlic, stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in beef broth, tomato paste, and molasses, stirring to incorporate. Return meat and any juices back into the pan. Add salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Allow to come to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
- Add carrots. Simmer, covered, for 50 minutes or until meat is fork tender. Stir in gnocchi. Simmer for 10 additional minutes or until gnocchi is tender and cooked through. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Before serving, remove thyme and rosemary stems.
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Beef stew was a staple in our house growing up and to this day it's one of my favorite comfort foods. I love your addition of molasses and gnocchi! I'll have to try that! Have a great rest of your week, Thao 🙂
Oh gosh – gnocchi is one of my favorites. And of course beef stew, what a great comfort food. I never thought of combining them – such a great idea. I love this!
There's nothing better in the fall than a good stew simmering on the stove – I'm not surprised you've made this twice! I'll have to add it to my list!
Beef stew is truly a universal dish, isn't it? It's so well loved. Enjoy the rest of the week too, Kelsie!
Thanks Danielle! What's also great about using the gnocchi is less work than using potatoes—you just open the packet and dump it into the stew 🙂
I just love how the smell permeates the house. I'm so glad to hear you are adding this to your list, Liz!
Oh my goodness! This looks so yummy and hearty. I've never thought of using gnocchi or molasses in beef stew before, but it sounds so good! Also, I may be blind, but I don't see gnocchi in your Ingredients list.
I've never had gnocchi in a stew before and your recipe sounds terrific.
Thank you so much, Karen! I hope you give it a try!
OMG! Thanks for catching that, Marie!! I forgot one of the main ingredients! I just added to the recipe. 🙂
Aw, rest in peace Tom Petty! It was a sad day losing such a wonderful artist. Beef stew was definitely a staple in our house growing up, and I love the addition of gnocchi here. It would have made it 10 times more appealing when I was a kid!
He had a distinct sound. I'm glad that this beef stew is approved by both the child and grownup you! 🙂
I absolutely love gnocchi, but for some reason I've never had it in a stew!! This is genius, girlfriend!! This looks so flavorful and perfectly comforting!! Cheers!
Thanks Chey! Gnocchi is so easy to use, I'm beginning to throw it in everything! 🙂
I've always wanted to see Tom Petty and never did. You are so lucky to have seen him multiple times!
Combining beef stew & gnocchi is brilliant! It's a little warm in NH right now (as you know) but as soon as stew weather hits again, I'll be making this ASAP 🙂
It hasn't been beef stew weather the last few days. I just came home from an hour walk, the house feels like a sauna. I need to go outside to cool off! ???? That job was, without a doubt, a great gig. Saw James Taylor just as many times and got to meet him in person too! ????????
I love beef recipe. This is amazing when you combine beef and gnocchi perfectly.
Thank you, Tiana! It is an easy and tasty change from the traditional regular potato.
being an usher sounds like so much fun! i have a problem with impulsively buying concert tickets, so i bet it would be a good way to save myself from that (; this stew looks so cozy, especially with the gnocchi! i normally don't add grains or pasta or gnocchi to my stews (not sure why!), but it sounds so tasty and i'll have to add some next time i make stew (:
Being an usher is a job and entertainment in one. It was the perfect job at the time for me. Do try the stew with gnocchi for a change of pace 🙂
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This turned out really well! It was even better than I expected for something so easy. I used Beef Chuck Cross rib "steaks" so my beef pieces were a little smaller. I only had to stew the beef for about 30 minutes and then the carrots about 30 more minutes. I did add a lot more beef broth to mine for a total of 4 cups. The beef was tender and it was delicious!
I’m so glad it turned out well for you and that you customized it to your liking!! The beef chuck cross rib sounds like a great substitution. Thank you for letting me know how yours came out!