my grandpa's beef vegetable stew

a recipe for when you need something easy and comforting

hello, everyone. as the fires in LA continue to burn, i thought i’d share the recipe for the dinner i made that felt like the warm hug my friends and i needed while staying in my parents cabin in northern california during our evacuation.

speaking of my parents, i cannot glaze over their incredible generosity to myself, my friends, and all of our pets. they have allowed 11 people, 4 cats and a dog to take over their cabin without a blink of an eye. not only that, but they drove 2 hours over here to deliver the most insane grocery haul i’ve ever seen. hanging out for the day, cooking us dinner, and giving a hug goodbye. thanks, mom & dad, for providing us a safe and well equipped home to stay in. it means a lot to everyone.

back to the stew. this recipe has been in my family a looooong time. it’s my grandpa’s recipe on my dad’s side. as a kid, my mom made it every year during halloween (back when halloween nights were extremely chilly). sometimes during our annual camping trip to pismo beach, my mom makes it for nearly 30 people!! it’s especially great then because we are both freezing and exhausted. this stew hits the spot every time. it’s extremely simple, using affordable ingredients, and majority of the cook time is hands off. make this when you have a few hours to let something simmer on the stove.

stew is stewing

this is a no-recipe recipe. you can scale it up or down, but this is how i made it for 11 people (serves 12).

set a large dutch oven over medium heat, add a couple tbsp of olive oil and brown a large pack of cubed stew meat seasoned with salt & pepper. the meat should NOT be cooked through, just browned on the sides. add in 4 standard cans of tomato sauce and an equal amount of water. season with salt, pepper, dried oregano/italian seasoning and 2 bay leaves. add in 2 pounds of peeled + halved/quartered russet potatoes, and 4 large carrots cut into 1”-2” chunks. bring up to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour. at this point, taste the broth. does it need more salt? add in 1 can of peas or some frozen peas. if you’re using frozen peas, add in 1 tbsp of sugar as well. continue simmering, with the lid ajar for another hour, or until the potatoes are at a texture you like and the stew is at your desired thickness. if it’s too thin for your liking, simmer with the lid off for the last 20 or so minutes. taste before serving, and add more salt if needed, or sugar if it’s too acidic. serve in large bowls with big spoons!

kind of feels illegal to share an extremely zoomed in photo of stew, but here you go