Spanish Beef Stew (Easy Stovetop Recipe!)

Looking for absolute comfort food? This Spanish Beef Stew ticks all the boxes – rich, intensely flavored sauce, fall-off-the-bone ribs, and completely cooked on the stovetop!

(*This post contains some affiliate links)

Out of all the stew recipes in this blog, this Spanish stew is my go-to dish when I’m craving some sweet, incredibly thick sauce in my meal.

What makes it different?  It’s the sweet sherry.  

Combined with the reduced red wine, tomato paste, herbs, and spices — and you’re in for a dish that’s packed with deliciously deep flavors.

And don’t let the number of ingredients overwhelm you.  I promise it’s all worth it!

IF YOU WANT MORE TRADITIONAL SPANISH RECIPES, THEN YOU WILL LOVE THESE POSTS!

Ingredients

• Beef ribs – make sure you dry them with a kitchen cloth before seasoning.

• Flour – you only need this for preparing the ribs for browning.

• Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil, if possible.

• Garlic – you can slice them thinly on mince them for this Spanish beef stew recipe.

• Onion – thinly sliced.

• Celery – thinly chopped.

• Carrots – peeled, rinsed, and roughly chopped.

• Potatoes – use waxy potatoes if you can; peeled and chopped.

• Tomatoes – roughly chopped, and yes, cherry tomatoes would be great too.

• Tomato paste – use your favorite brand.

• Red wine – dry red wine.

• Sherry – use sweet sherry, like Pedro Ximenez.

• Stock – I always use beef stock for this Spanish stew recipe.

• Herbs – Thyme and dried bay leaf.

• Seasoning and spices – Peppercorns, cloves, chili flakes, salt, and ground black pepper.

Preparation

Start preparing your Spanish beef stew by seasoning the ribs with salt and pepper.

Dust them with some flour, making sure that all sides are evenly coated (photo 1).

Heat the oil on a medium to a large pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is ready, add the ribs and brown them on all sides (photo 2).

Remove the ribs from the pan and set them aside.

Using the same pan and oil, add the chopped garlic and onion (photo 3).

Cook until the onions turn soft, add the celery and carrots, and cook for about three minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, chili flakes, cloves, salt, and pepper (photo 4).

Cook for about five minutes, mixing frequently.

Add the browned ribs into the pan and pour the red wine and sherry (photo 5).

Mix and let the wine and sherry reduce — the sauce would turn noticeably thicker at this point.

Pour the stock (photo 6).

Mix, then cover with a lid and bring your Spanish stew to boil.

Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about two hours, or until the beef becomes tender.

On the last forty-five minutes of cooking, add the potatoes, adjust the seasoning, place back the lid, and continue simmering.

Transfer your Spanish beef stew into plates and serve.

Helpful tips

• Make sure you dry the ribs with kitchen paper (or towel) before seasoning.

• Shake any excess flour from the ribs before placing them into the pan for browning.

• To get better control, do not hesitate to adjust the heat to medium when browning the meat.

• Remove some of the oil if you think there’s too much before adding the garlic and onion.  

For reference, I usually take out two to three tablespoons of oil every time I make this recipe.

Recipe variation

• Stock.  If you don’t have any beef stock on hand, chicken stock is an excellent alternative for this Spanish stew recipe.

• Oven.  If you prefer to cook it in the oven, it’s completely fine.  

Set your oven to 180°C (350°F) and proceed as indicated in the recipe — taking it out to add the potatoes and placing it back inside to finish cooking.

FAQ

Looks absolutely delicious right?  So, get all the ingredients ready and give Spanish beef stew a try tomorrow! 🙂