Then once the meat is cooked, it is flavored with mushrooms and tomatoes for a delicious stick-to-your-ribs stew soup. I served it with bulgur pilaf on the side, but any of our side dishes would work.
My mother worked all her life. I was one of those kids, who had a key to the house, instead of my mother opening the door, when I come back from school. Up until I was in middle school, I had a caregiver but after then I did not.

I know a lot of working mothers, who feel guilty because they cannot meet their kids at the door when they come back from school.
If you are one of those mothers, who feel (or felt) guilty, please hear me out.

I am so happy that she worked. Coming home from school and having the house (and the kitchen) all to myself thought me that I am okay to be by myself. I had learned to enjoy the time I spent being alone.
I am not saying that you should leave your kids all alone, all day long. What I am saying is that we all need to learn and love (or at least like) to be alone.
Again, I am so happy that she built a career when I was growing up because when the day came and I left the house, she had her career to hold on to.
I would come home from school around 4:30 pm and she would come home around 6pm. That hour and a half was my time to experiment in the kitchen. By the time she came home, salad and dinner table would be ready. Together we would heat the food, she made on the weekend, for the week ahead.

Years later, when I started working, and with my busy schedule, not being able to find time to cook, I did the same thing; cook on the weekends for the whole week ahead.
This Beef Stew was one of those staple dishes that I would ask her to make all the time. You have to make it on a day that you are home because it takes time and patience to make it. With this way of cooking, the meat becomes so tender and soft; it falls apart as soon as you give it the slightest nudge.
I know a lot of people make Beef Stews in pressure cookers or slow cookers. I have never tried either of those, simply because I do not own them. This is how my mom made it and now, how I make it. I swear, to this day, every time I make it, the house smells so familiar, I feel like my mom is going to walk in the kitchen.
Or maybe, she is in the kitchen with me but I can’t see her…
Maybe…who knows???

The recipe below makes a big pot of beef stew. I like it because it freezes very well. I usually divide it in to 2 serving sizes and freeze them. I thaw it in the fridge a night before we plan to eat it for dinner.
I, personally, like to eat it with bulgur, mainly because it reminds me home, but any whole grain and vegetable side dishes on the side would work just fine.
Other Similar Recipes You Might Also Like:
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Pot Roast
- Vegetable Beef Soup recipe
- Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
- Beef Stroganoff
Beef Stew with bulgur wheat (Mom's Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 lb. Beef Stew Meat cut in 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 big or 2 medium Onion peeled and cut in half
- 1 lb. Button or Cremini Mushrooms
- 1 green Pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 14.5 oz. can Tomatoes
- 3/4 cup Vegetable Stock
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoon All-Purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon Italian Parsley freshly chopped
Instructions
- Using paper towels, pad-dry the meat as much as you can.
- Place meat in a Dutch oven with onions in the lowest heat setting that your stove allows. Close the lid. Let it cook for an hour, without opening the lid.
- At the end of an hour give it a stir and close the lid again. Do not open for another hour. At the end of two hours you will see that the meat releases all its juices.
- Continue to cook for 2.5 to 3 more hours, giving it a stir at end of each hour mark.
- At the end, you will see that it absorbed almost all of its juices.
- Place the cooked beef and onions in a bowl and cover it with aluminum foil. Set aside.
- Do not wash the dutch oven.
- In the same dutch oven,in medium heat, heat olive oil and add the green peppers.
- Cook them for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, for about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, vegetable stock, bay leaf, black pepper and salt. Give it a stir. Cover with the lid and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the beef stew and onions in the pot and sprinkle it with the flour. Give it a big stir. Cover the lid and cook it in medium low heat for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
- When ready to serve make sure to take out the bay leaf.
- Garnish it with parsley and serve.
Alisha Ross
I tasked the hubby with throwing this in the crockpot the other day for dinner. It turned out so good! I wouldn’t change a thing. I also shared it on my blog today — linking back to you of course 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Aysegul Sanford
YAY! I am so glad you liked it Alisha. Thanks for sharing it too. Cheers!
Rachel
Hello! I currently have this beef stew cooking- it’s on hour three with the meat and onions (smells heavenly already). A couple of questions- If I wanted to throw in some potatoes and carrots, at what step would I do that to make sure the potatoes were cooked enough? I cut them in little half-inch pieces. I am definitely new at stews, but I loved the excuse to break out my grandmother’s dutch oven.
Someone also mentioned red wine in place of broth- do you think a half broth, half wine mixture would give good flavor? I am such a spice fanatic that I am worried this will be a little bland for my husband and I (not to knock your recipe at all- we just always seem to be adding spices and sauces to our recipes!)- but at the same time, it looks and smells heavenly and I trust yours and your mom’s recipe 🙂 I cannot wait to try this, thank you so much for sharing!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Rachel,
I am sorry I just saw this. I just came home from work….
If you are planning to put carrots and potatoes, I’d say cook them with the onions. Instead of mushrooms just use small diced carrots and potatoes. I’d still flavor them with tomatoes though.
However, one thing you should know is that potatoes and carrots will take longer time to cook compared to the mushrooms. So just keep that in mind. Once they are cooked with tomatoes, just add the meat and continue to simmer until everything is warm and cooked throughly.
In terms of red wine, you certainly can try with red wine. I have done half red wine and half chicken stock in the past and it was pretty good.
The only thing I wouldn’t change about this recipe is the way you cook the meat. As long as you allow the meat cook slowly with no water added, you should be good to go.
You can add whatever spices you want to the mushroom (or in your case, carrot and potato) mixture you want. I usually add lots of red pepper flakes, but spices like cumin, paprika, coriander,etc. would work really well.
I hope this all helps. If you have any more questions I am always here.
Cheers from the Caribbean Rachel!
Aysegul – “Ice”
verda
She should be together with you…
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Verda,
I know for a fact that she is.
It is just a little hard to get used to it. That is all..
Aysegul
NinaN
We just finished eating this and it was delicious!! The beef was so tender!
I swapped out the vegetable broth for red wine. It had amazing flavour!
Ruzy
Hi Aysegul! I would like to try this recipe, it sounds so delicious. I am new to cooking so please bear with my questions :
1) In step 2, do I need to put any oil in with the meat and onions?
2) Will the taste change a lot if I do not put in the bay leaf?
Thanks!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Ruzy,
Happy to hear that you are going to try this great beef stew recipe.
Here are my answers to your questions:
1. No. I know it sounds weird but the beef stew meat itself has enough fat on it. You do not even need to put any seasoning in it at that stage. There are 2 important things here. (1) Cook it in the heaviest pot you have (preferably a dutch oven) and make sure that the lid is on the whole time. (2)Do not be attempted to crank up the heat. Just let it cook in its slow way. Low and slow. Patience is really what pays of in this recipe.
2. I think you should be fine without a bay leaf. I do not think that it will change the taste that much. Also you can always use some other spices you like (like cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder…etc)
My husband and I love black pepper. I sometimes put a little bit of black peppercorns just to give it a kick. It is totally up to you.
I hope it works out well for you. I usually am on the computer during the day time. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. I am always here to help.
Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!
Ice
LaTonya Iskan
Wow, this looks sooo delicious. I did not know that the juices would be released and then reabsorbed during this process. I can’t wait to try it out. I think this recipe will be a hit and its very comforting. I will use bulgur instead of rice, yum. I definitely can identify with the guilty mom syndrome. Its interesting cause my mom was a working mom and I did not feel any less loved because she was working, I just became more independent. Thanks Aysegul!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi,
I totally agree on the confidence part.
You should definitely try the recipe. Let me know if you have any questions and how it turns out at the end.
Keep in touch.. Cheers! Ice