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    Home » Recipes » Main dishes & sides

    Pot au feu recipe (classic French beef stew)

    Published: Feb 23, 2020 · Updated: Sep 16, 2022 by Bea C. | This post may contain affiliate links | 3 Comments

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    graphic with 2 pictures of beef stew and a text overlay
    graphic with 2 pictures of beef stew and a text overlay

    Pot au feu is a traditional French beef and vegetable stew. Prepare your cast iron Dutch oven to make this easy stove top beef stew. You will also get a delicious bone broth to drink with your stew. All of this, in just one pot and one recipe!

    Beef stew in a large white plate and a cup of bone broth in the background with a plate of cornichons and coarse salt
    "Pot au feu" : French beef stew with its bone broth served with cornichons and coarse salt
    Jump To / Aller directement à
    • ⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
    • 📖 Ingredient notes
    • 🔪 Step by step instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳Top tip
    • 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🍲 Other recipes you might like
    • 📋 Recipe / Recette

    Although in need of cooking for a long time, pot au feu doesn’t take long to prepare. So you won’t slave for hours in the kitchen. And this no wine stove top beef stew recipe is easy to make and only requires one pot (preferably, a cast iron Dutch oven). Added bonus: you will get a delicious bone broth to drink with it (I’m not kidding here, it really is the best bone broth ever!!)


    This French beef stew is so delicious that my mom, often says on Sundays "do you want to come over for lunch? I’ve made pot au feu." Emphasizing on the second part, just to make sure that I won’t say no, as if she needed to. 😂

    ⭐ Why you'll love this recipe

    • Stove top recipe.
    • One pot recipe.
    • Easy recipe.
    • No wine, no tomato beef stew.
    • Ultimate comfort food.
    • Meltingly tender beef.

    📖 Ingredient notes

    • Beef stew meat. In the traditional French recipe we use beef shank and short ribs. If you can't find those, any kind of beef stew meat will do. But try to choose high quality meat, as this stew will taste much better if your meat is super tender. And this doesn't depend on the recipe but on the quality of your meat.
    • Bone marrows. This is what's going to give this stew its delicious hearty flavor. If you can't find bone marrows that are sold separately, choose beef meat that includes it (as you can see on one the the pictures below). The inside of the bone marrow (well, the marrow itself) is super super delicious. In my family we fight over it! In some French traditional restaurants you can order bone marrows as a starter. They are served with toasted bread.
    • Yellow onion. If you can't find yellow onion, white onion will also work.
    • Vegetables. Turnips, carrots, leeks and potatoes (skip the potatoes for the paleo and AIP diets or use white sweet potatoes).
    • Bouquet garni. A bunch of rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. You can either buy a ready made bouquet garni or make it yourself.
    picture of a homemade bouquet garni
    Bouquet garni

    🔪 Step by step instructions

    • Peel the onion and pierce it four times with a knife to pin the cloves
    oinon pierced with cloves
    Onion pierced with cloves
    • Pour the water in a large Dutch oven, add a pinch of salt, the bouquet garni and the onion studded with cloves. Add the beef.
    a dutch oven filled with beef, onion, bouquet garni and water
    • Bring to a boil and simmer for 2.5 hours. In the meantime, peel and wash the turnips, potatoes, carrots and leeks.
    peeled and roughly cut carrots, leeks turnips and potatoes on a wooden board
    • At the end of the 2.5 hours, add all the vegetables to the pot.
    vegetables added in the dutch oven on top of the beef
    • Let it cook for 30 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. And voilà! This beef stew is traditionally served with cornichons (pickles) and coarse sea salt but all of this is optional. Bon appétit!
    French beef stew Pot au feu in a large Dutch oven

    👩🏻‍🍳Top tip

    Serve the pot au feu broth in tea cups, to drink while eating the beef stew. I can assure you this broth is out of this world!

    💬 Frequently Asked Questions

    How to store beef stew?

    Once your beef stew has completely cooled, store it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge.

    How long can you keep beef stew in the fridge?

    Beef stew can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

    How to reheat beef stew?

    Put the beef stew back in your cast iron and on the stove on medium low heat for about 15 minutes or until hot.

    🍲 Other recipes you might like

    • Boeuf à la mode (French Beef Carrot Stew)
    • French veal stew (AIP, paleo, whole30)
    • Dutch oven pork tenderloin with oranges (AIP, paleo, whole30)
    • Chicken rillettes (French potted chicken spread)

    Did you like this recipe? Please leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card and leave a nice review below! Tag @gohealthywithbea on Instagram and hashtag #gohealthywithbea! Also, let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

    📋 Recipe / Recette

    Beef stew in a large white plate and a cup of bone broth in the background with a plate of cornichons and coarse salt

    Pot au feu recipe (classic French beef stew)

    Author: Bea C.
    A no wine stove top French beef stew recipe.
    5 from 8 votes
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    an icon with the letters G and F to label gluten free recipes
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    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 3 hrs
    Total Time 3 hrs 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine French
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 836 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 800 g beef shank (1.8 pounds)
    • 800 g beef short ribs (1.8 pounds)
    • 2 marrow bones
    • 2.5 litres water (10 cups)
    • 1 yellow onion
    • 4 cloves
    • 1 bouquet garni (a bunch of rosemary, thyme and bay leaf)
    • 2 turnips
    • 500 g carrots (1.2 pounds)
    • 4 leeks
    • 500 g potatoes (1.2 pounds) skip the potatoes for the paleo and AIP diets or use white sweet potatoes
    • Pinch of sea salt

    Instructions
     

    • Peel the onion and pierce it four times with a knife to pin the cloves
    • Pour the water in a large Dutch oven, add a pinch of salt, the bouquet garni and the onion studded with cloves. Add the beef.
    • Bring to a boil and simmer for 2.5 hours. In the meantime, peel and wash the turnips, potatoes, carrots and leeks.
    • At the end of the 2.5 hours, add all the vegetables to the pot and let it cook for 30 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. And voilà! This beef stew is traditionally served with cornichons (pickles) and coarse sea salt but all of this is optional.
      Bon appétit!

    Notes

    Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

    Nutrition facts per serving

    Calories: 836kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 62gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 347mgPotassium: 2472mgFiber: 12gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 26878IUVitamin C: 66mgCalcium: 252mgIron: 14mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @gohealthywithbea and tag #gohealthywithbea!
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    This French beef stew "pot au feu" recipe has been selected as one of the featured recipes in the “My picks” category from Phoenix Helix Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #359!! 🥰 Thank you!!!

    More Main dishes & sides

    • Chunky Carrot Soup
    • Healthy Vegetarian Cauliflower Casserole
    • Taco salad bowl (vegetarian, vegan)
    • Mediterranean mashed potatoes (vegan, whole30)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Quinn Adams

      January 18, 2022 at 1:05 am

      5 stars
      Hello! I just returned from a trip to Paris and my husband and I had pot au feu while there.. I wanted to make it once we got home and used this recipe tonight. Wow! It is so delicious and such a beautiful recipe. Thank you!

      Reply
      • gohealthywithbea

        January 18, 2022 at 9:45 pm

        Bonjour Quinn. Thank you so much for your nice comment ❤️❤️ I'm glad you love this recipe. It's also one of my family's favorite stews. So hearty!! I hope you enjoyed your trip to my hometown.😉

        Reply
    2. xmc

      May 09, 2022 at 8:20 pm

      5 stars
      My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was entirely right. This recipe truly made my day. Thanks!

      Reply

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    Hello! I’m Bea, a holistic health coach, certified gluten free practitioner and recipe creator. I'm also a French woman who has been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and decided to heal herself naturally after many years of strong painkillers. Here, I'm telling you about my journey that allowed me to stop all medication, hoping that it will inspire you. I'm also sharing my recipes, to show you that "free from" food can be delicious. Read more about Bea

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