What Vegetables Go with Beef Stew? 17 Best Veggies – Happy Muncher (2024)

Potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms are some of the most common vegetables that go with beef stew. Other vegetables that go well include broccoli, green beans, green peas and corn.

Beef stew is a classic comfort food with a rich, rustic flavor.

But what vegetables go well with beef stew?

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You want to choose vegetables that will complement the beef without overpowering it.

We recommend carrots, mushrooms, celery, and parsnips.

Feel free to play around with your own personal preferences, but if you’re looking for some ideas on what vegetables go well with beef stew, try these:

What Vegetables Go with Beef Stew? 17 Best Veggies

Beef stew is a hearty, no-fuss dish that’s perfect for the cold weather.

If you’re looking to make your beef stew even heartier, try adding some vegetables to it!

Here are 17 vegetables that go great with beef stew:

1. Mushrooms

It’s not beef stew without mushrooms!

They’re easy to throw in at any point during cooking, so if you want them to be more tender just add them early on and let them simmer for a while.

See Also: 15 Best Substitutes for Celery in Stew Recipes

2. Carrots

Carrots are great in beef stew.

They add sweetness and delicate crunch.

They also give you vitamin A and several antioxidants like beta carotene, which helps maintain healthy skin and eyesight.

3. Peas

We should start with the obvious—peas. Not only do peas add a great texture to beef stew, they add a nice, bright green color.

Peas are typically frozen when added to stews and soups, so they don’t take very long to cook.

Just drop them in at the end and let them heat through for about two minutes before serving.

4. Celery

Celery adds a subtle herbal note to beef stew that’s reminiscent of the herbs used in many traditional recipes.

Like carrots, celery also adds a nice crunchy texture that helps balance the softness of the meat and potatoes in most stews.

5. Leeks

This vegetable is in the onion family, and it’s great for your heart and immune system, so it will help combat the calories in your beef stew.

We recommend adding chopped leeks to your stew at the beginning of the cooking process so they can soften up and mix their flavors with those of the meat and broth.

6. Onions

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Onions are the perfect complement to beef stew because they can be used in so many different forms.

Dice up some sweet onions and sauté them in butter to add them to your stew as is, chop up green onions for a milder flavor, or caramelize your onions for an even sweeter taste!

7. Garlic

Like onions, garlic can be added to beef stew raw or cooked before being added.

For the most potent garlic flavor, crush the cloves first before adding them to your stew.

8. Green Beans

Canned green beans are a classic beef stew ingredient!

They’re the perfect size for beef stew and add another layer of flavor and texture to the mix.

9. Tomatoes

Whether it’s a few tomato slices, diced tomatoes, or tomato paste, adding tomatoes to your beef stew will give it a nice tangy flavor.

10. Parsnips

These root veggies are hearty enough to stand up to the meaty dish, but also delicate enough that they don’t overpower the flavor of other ingredients.

If you’re cooking your stew in a crock pot overnight, then you’ll want to add these in at the beginning so they cook thoroughly and break down completely.

Otherwise, they should be added about 20 minutes before serving if cooked on the stovetop.

11. Yellow Squash

Yellow squash adds some summery flavors and colors to your winter stew.

You can also use zucchini or summer squash if that’s what you have on hand!

12. Lima Beans

Its distinct taste and texture make it a perfect complement to the rich beefy flavors of stew.

Lima beans also have a lot of fiber, which is great for your digestive system.

They are also loaded with iron, helping you to replenish those nutrients that you lose during a cold winter day running around in the snow!

13. Broccoli

Broccoli is an obvious choice, but that’s because it’s a classic for a reason.

Broccoli goes well with beef stew because of its mildly peppery, slightly nutty flavor profile that complements the rich meatiness of beef.

It also adds a vibrant green pop of color to the stew and provides a good source of vitamins C and K, and potassium.

We recommend adding it at the end of cooking time, so the broccoli is tender but still crisp.

14. Artichoke Hearts

Artichoke hearts are packed with flavor and have a creamy texture that contrasts beautifully with the hearty chunks of beef in stew.

They are super easy to prepare—just boil them for 12 minutes and then add them to your slow cooker.

We like to put them in about half an hour before the stew is done cooking so that they can soak up all the delicious broth.

15. Cauliflower

This is another great option if you’re looking for something lighter to balance out your stew.

Not only does cauliflower have a lot of vitamin C, but it also takes on the flavor of other foods around it quite well.

We recommend chopping up florets and adding them to your stew about 15 minutes before it’s done cooking so that they don’t get too soft while they heat up.

16. Cabbage

Cabbage is a great vegetable for adding some crunch to your meal, and it’s also full of Vitamin C and antioxidants—so it’s good for you too!

It’s also got a wonderful, delicate flavor that works well with the hearty richness of beef stew.

17. Rutabaga

You might not have heard of rutabaga before, but you definitely should have!

This root vegetable has a mild, sweet taste similar to turnips and potatoes, but rutabagas are even better for you than your favorite starchy potato—they’re packed with vitamins C and B6, as well as manganese.

Add rutabagas to your beef stew near the end of cooking time; they’ll add a delicate sweetness that will make this dish even more delicious.

Why Serve Vegetables with Beef Stew?

Are you a little skeptical of serving vegetables with beef stew?

Don’t be—we’ve got 4 reasons why doing so not only makes sense, but also can up your overall stew-making game in a major way.

1. The nutrition

We all know that vegetables are good for us, and that’s true even when they’re cooked in stew.

The longer the stew cooks, the more nutrients leach out of the vegetables and into the broth.

This means you’re getting some major nutrition from those veggies, as well as from the meat.

So if you don’t mind having some more fiber in your diet (and really, who doesn’t?), then this is a great way to get more veggies into your life.

2. The flavor

Stews are all about layering flavors, so adding some extra veggies gives you more options for bringing in additional flavors to create depth and complexity.

Single-flavored stews can get boring fast, but by adding onions, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and other veggies to beef stew you are creating a complex mix of tastes that keep every bite interesting and delicious.

3. The Texture

When you add vegetables to beef stew, you’re adding texture.

This can be a great thing!

A variety of textures is what makes any stew interesting and keeps the diner coming back for more.

You can go with soft and silky (think cauliflower or eggplant), crunchy and crisp (celery or green beans), or even mushy and savory (parsnips or potatoes).

Texture alone should be enough to make you include vegetables in your beef stew, but we also have two more compelling reasons.

4. The Color

One of the things that makes beef stew so appealing is its rich, meaty color.

It’s red and hearty, like the perfect fall day on a plate.

But there’s a problem: without the addition of some veggies to your beef stew, it’ll just look like a big bowl of meat with some broth in it.

Adding some colorful veggies will give your dish some much-needed interest for the eyes, especially if you opt for contrasting colors.