Tired of the same old boring dinner ideas? Try this Non-Traditional Beef Stew and Spaghetti. A hearty beef stew served over spaghetti noodles is a satisfyingly delicious meal on a chilly weeknight.
It seems in every family there’s that one special recipe that’s treasured and passed along from generation to generation. Sometimes it’s a little tricky since it’s usually from a sweet grandma who insists you just use “a pinch of this, a dash of that, and cook until done.”.
In our family, that recipe was Beef Stew and Spaghetti. I actually had no clue that it was a non-traditional recipe until I was dating my now husband. When we served it up at our house, he questioned, “You eat stew…..on spaghetti?”. With a shrug, I replied, “Of course, doesn’t everyone?!”.
My grandma’s parents were both immigrants from Italy, which makes all of her recipes as delicious as they are authentic. Anyone I’ve ever served this dish to has raved about it afterward, and it’s my all time favorite comfort food for the chilly months!
While this recipe was indeed passed along as a “bit of this and dash of that” variety, I’ve narrowed it down to precise measurements in case those kinds of recipes intimidate you (as they used to intimidate me). One of the beautiful things about this recipe, however, is that it really is super forgiving and you can easily adjust measurements to help you make a little for a family of four, or a whole lot for an extended family gathering. Don’t be afraid to play with it until it’s just right, that’s what family recipes are meant for!
These measurements will serve a family of four, with plenty of leftovers.
Non-Traditional Beef Stew and Spaghetti
Ingredients:
- 1.25 lb Stew Meat
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Butter (divided)
- 1/2 Large Onion, Chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt & Pepper
- 2 Cups Hot Water
- 4 Beef Bullion Cubes
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
- 4 Medium Potatoes, Quartered
- 2 Cups Baby Carrots
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, Sliced Finely
- Spaghetti Noodles
Preheat oven to 325ºF.
First, you’ll need to create the base for the stew so you’re going to put the olive oil and butter in a stew pot and heat for a few minutes on medium. Add stew meat, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat up a bit and brown the meat on the stove. Once it’s browned, add in 1/2 cup flour and mix together well.
Next, to the meat mixture, you’ll add 2 cups of hot water, the beef bouillon cubes, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. If you have a garden where you grow herbs, add in some fresh rosemary. Give it all a good stir. At this point, your stew should be looking like this!
Cover the stock pot, place in the oven, and set your timer for 45 minutes.
When the timer goes off, that’s your cue that it’s time to cut up some veggies. Cut up your potatoes and green bell pepper. This is one of those areas where you can follow the measurements I’ve listed, or you can just go ahead and add as much as you want or have on hand. Also, this is an amazing meal to make when you have veggies that are getting a little old; you don’t even notice when they’re all cooked up. You’ll want to thinly slice the bell pepper so that it actually melts away into the stew as it cooks. Baby carrots and quartering medium-sized potatoes results in the perfect final sizes for these.
Once you’re done prepping the veggies, you dump them into the stew, give it a good stir, and pop it back in the oven. Cook it for 2-3 more hours, checking every 30 minutes or so to stir it and add a little extra water if necessary. I love to serve this thick and hearty, so I smash the potatoes up each time I stir to thicken it, and rarely add more than the initial two cups of water.
Start spaghetti 20 minutes before the stew is done. Cook according to the package. After it’s drained, add a tablespoon of butter to it and stir until it’s melted and the spaghetti is coated. This trick from my grandma adds the final delicious perfection to the meal!
Once the spaghetti is done, check the stew. You’ll know it’s perfect when the green pepper has melted mostly away and the carrots and potatoes are both fork tender. Ladle it over a pile of spaghetti noodles and enjoy your completely delicious non-traditional comfort food!
Here is the printable recipe to make it easy for you!
This delicious non-traditional Beef Stew and Spaghetti Recipe is a passed down heirloom that's sure to become a favorite in your family as well!
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb Stew Meat
- 4 TBSP Olive Oil
- 2 TSP Butter, Divided
- 1/2 Large Onion, Chopped
- 1 1/2 TBS Minced Garlic
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/4 Tsp Salt & Pepper
- 2 Cups Hot Water
- 4 Beef Bullion Cubes
- 2 TBSP Italian Seasoning
- 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
- 4 Medium Potatoes, Quartered
- 2 Cups Baby Carrots
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, Sliced Thinly
- Spaghetti Noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Put olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a stock pot and heat for a few minutes on medium on the stove top.
- Add stew meat, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat up a bit and brown the meat on the stove. Once it's browned, add in 1/2 cup flour and mix together well.
- Add 2 cups of hot water, beef bouillon cubes, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning, mix well.
- Cover the stew, place in the oven, set timer for 45 minutes.
- Cut potatoes, carrots, and green bell pepper when timer goes off and add to stew.
- Cook for 2-3 additional hours, checking every 30 minutes to stir and add water if needed.
- Start spaghetti 20-30 minutes before stew is done. Cook according to package.
- Serve stew on top of spaghetti.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Home Chef Tips: Use baby carrots instead of regular size to cut down on prep time. Add butter to spaghetti as soon as it's drained to enhance flavor and keep it from sticking to itself.
Do you have a family recipe passed along that you love? Have you ever tried stew with spaghetti? Leave us a comment and let us know!
We hope you love this Non-Traditional Beef Stew and Spaghetti recipe from SoFabFood Contributor, Nicole from Confident Foundation, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, be sure to check out our other stew recipes for more deliciously comforting meals to keep you warm on chilly days. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and stop by our Google+ Community to see all of the amazing recipes our community members are sharing. Enjoy!
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