If there was ever a meal that tasted like a big warm hug, this is it. Beef and Dumplings was one of my mom's go-to comfort dishes, and it's still one of my favorites to this day. The beef gets so tender it practically melts, and those fluffy dumplings soak up all that delicious gravy.
Why We Love This Recipe
- One Pot Recipe - Less cleanup is what I'm all about. This one pot beef dinner works for me!
- Budget Friendly - Stew meat and pantry staples. This is an easy and affordable way to feed the family.
- Family Recipe - The classic Beef Dumplings will always bring back memories of time spent with my mom.
Ingredients needed
- Stew Meat - Chuck roast cut into cubes also works great.
- Canola Oil - Or your preferred cooking oil.
- Onion - Yellow or white both work.
- Salt and Pepper
- Thyme and Rosemary - Fresh is best but dried works fine.
- Red Wine - Optional, but adds depth and helps tenderize the meat.
- Beef Stock - Or Beef Broth
- Worcestershire - Adds great flavor
- Bisquick - A simple way to make dumplings.
- Milk - Whole or 2% milk will work.
- Fresh Parsley - Something my mom always added. Made the dumplings a little bit fancier.
Mom Tip
To make this meal in less time, use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cook the meat. I do that occasionally, but I prefer using my Dutch Oven on the stove top for the dumplings. It's all about personal preference.
How to Make Beef and Dumplings
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the stew meat. Let it cook without stirring until the first side browns nicely. Flip and brown the other sides.
Stir in the chopped onion along with salt, pepper, and dried thyme and/or rosemary if using. Cook until the onion softens and any extra liquid has evaporated.
If the beef sticks at all while cooking, just let it be for a minute or two. It will loosen from the pot when it is time to stir.
Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and the red wine (or ½ cup of broth). Use a wooden spoon to scrape up every bit from the bottom, that's where the flavor lives.
Add the beef broth. Tie the fresh herbs, if using, together with some butchers twine and throw them into the broth. Bring everything to a boil, cover, and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook 1-2 hours, or until the beef is very tender. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the cut of the stew meat.
In a bowl, mix Bisquick, milk, and fresh parsley. Stir until just combined, do not overmix!
Bring the pot back to a gentle boil. Drop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto the simmering broth. Cook the dumplings for 10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered.
Tip
Don't lift the lid while the dumplings are cooking. Steam makes them fluffy!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Store leftover Beef and Dumplings in the refrigerator, in a covered container, for 2 to 3 days. We usually use the microwave to re-heat the leftovers, but stove top also works well.
FAQ's
Absolutely! It will greatly reduce the cooking time for this meal. Your appliance should have proper guidelines, time, and methods, on how to cook stew meat.
No problem, the beef broth will work just fine.
You may substitute dried herbs for the fresh. Use about a teaspoon of parsley for the dumplings and a teaspoon of each of the rosemary and thyme for the beef gravy base.
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Complete Recipe
Beef and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Stew Meat
- 2 tablespoons Canola Oil
- 1 Onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 sprigs Rosemary fresh
- 3 sprigs Thyme fresh
- ½ cup Red Wine optional
- 32 ounces Beef Broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cups Bisquick
- ⅔ cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the canola oil and the stew meat. Let the meat cook until nicely browned. The meat should release easily from the bottom of the pot when it is ready to turn.
- Stir the stew meat and add the onion along with the salt and pepper. Continue to cook until all sides of the meat have browned and all of the moisture has evaporated from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the Worcestershire Sauce and the *red wine to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon and scrape up all that good stuff on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beef broth and the fresh herbs. (Tie the herbs together with butcher string for easy removal later). Bring the broth to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer the stew meat for anywhere from 1 - 2 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
- Mix the Bisquick with the milk and fresh parsley. Stir only until combined. Drop by tablespoons full into the boiling broth. I usually get about 9 dumplings.
- Cook the dumplings for 10 minutes, then cover and cook another 10 minutes. And that is it, dinner is done!
Gayle Asano says
Easy comfort food. Will be making often
J says
Wow this was a great recipe... so easy and wow the flavor
Sheri Edmondson says
I made this a couple of times and my kids love it. My daughter even asked me to make it for her birthday this year!
Cook This Again, Mom! says
That is awesome! This recipe was one of my favorites that my mom made for us. Glad you all like it too!
Carlee Scharnhorst says
Oh yum! I love chicken and dumplings, but have never had it with beef. I don't know why I never thought of that!
Cook This Again says
When I was a kid my mom usually made Beef 'n Dumplings. She may have made them with chicken a time or two,but I really don't remember. Next to her spaghetti sauce, this was my favorite thing she made. 🙂