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!
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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
You can garnish it with some freshly chopped parsley and serve it with chunks of bread.
Because the stew’s sauce is particularly rich, you need something that’s not overpowering to serve with it — hence, a plain (or toasted) bread would be excellent.
Looks absolutely delicious right? So, get all the ingredients ready and give Spanish beef stew a try tomorrow! 🙂
Spanish Beef Stew Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef ribs (about 910 grams to 1 kilo)
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly or minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped thinly
- 2 medium carrots, chopped roughly
- 1 stick celery, chopped thinly
- 2 medium potatoes, chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped roughly
- 2 & 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup sweet sherry, like Pedro Ximenez
- 1/2 cup red wine, dry
- 2 pcs bay leaf, dried
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
- 6 to 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Start preparing your Spanish stew by generously seasoning the ribs with salt and pepper.
- Dust the ribs with some flour, making sure that all sides are coated.
- Heat the olive oil on a medium to a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is ready, add the ribs carefully and brown them on all sides.
- Remove the ribs from the pan and set them aside.
- Using the same pan and oil, add the garlic and onion.
- Cook until the onions turn soft, then add the celery and carrots.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the: chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, chili flakes, cloves, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, mixing frequently.
- Add the browned ribs back into the pan and pour the red wine and sherry directly into it.
- Mix and let the wine and sherry reduce — the sauce would turn noticeably thicker at this point.
- Pour the stock, then mix to combine.
- Cover the pan with a lid, then bring to a boil.
- Adjust the heat and let your Spanish stew simmer for about 2 hours or until the beef becomes tender.
- On the last 45 minutes of cooking, add the potatoes, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
- Place the lid back and continue simmering.
- Transfer your Spanish beef stew into serving plates and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: Wipe the ribs with a kitchen towel (or paper) to ensure that they are dry before seasoning.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Shake any excess flour from the ribs before placing them into the pan for browning.
- Cook’s Tip #3: Do not hesitate to adjust the heat to medium when browning the meat, to get better control in browning them.
- Cook’s Tip #4: Take out some of the oil if you think there’s too much before adding the garlic and onion. For reference, I generally remove two to three tablespoons of oil every time I make this Spanish stew recipe.
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto says
Wow dark by 3pm?! That’s nuts!!! At least you have this super comforting and delicious sound beef stew to curl up with!!
Neriz says
Hahah! Yep, 3 pm — and the exact opposite during summer, you only get a few hours of darkness. Absolute comfort food is needed for times like these 😉
Pamela Nelson-Kimball says
Delicious! Rave reviews
Neriz says
Thanks Pamela! I’m glad you liked it. 🙂