Spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes (our new one-pot wonder)

Here we have yet another iteration of a classic beef stew for you. This is my Spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Citrus. It’s more interesting and deeply flavorful than a traditional beef stew, thanks to the bevy of warm spices and big burst of fresh citrus going on. Also? Sweet potatoes love hanging out with beef just as much as regular ole’ spuds do. This combo of flavors sings beautifully together, and the way your home smells is worth the time and cost of admission alone.

About this Fabulous Spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Citrus

I’ve got several iterations of beef stew here on MKL, and this is just because I love it so much. From this Mexican style Carne Guisada-inspired vegetable beef stew and this Niku Udon inspired Japanese beef stew to Julia Child’s beloved classic and a killer Korean inspired braised beef – we’ve got things pretty well covered around here. So far as beef stew goes, at least. Cozy, hearty, packed with opportunities for maximum vegetable intake, and so satisfying in every way, beef stew is just a total superstar. This Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes recipe I’m sharing today is my take on classic beef stew. But of course, it’s just a little bit different, a little unique. There’s nothing wrong with classic beef stew, but I find it’s a perfect canvas for playing around with flavors.

How is it unique, you ask? The uniqueness and wonderful depth of flavor this spiced beef stew with sweet potatoes stew boasts comes from a collection of warm, earthy spices that really give this stew an intriguing backbone. I’m talking about ginger, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. This isn’t a curry by any means, it’s just a richly spiced beef stew that gives us a wonderful opportunity to lean into our spice cabinets a bit.

Furthermore, we’re going to add a bunch of fresh lemon to the beef stew with sweet potatoes, which is definitely a different spin. We’ll add the juice of an entire large lemon, and then finish things off with a shower of zest at the end. Because we’re dealing with such a rich and fatty cut of beef, the pop of acid from the lemon, along with the depth of flavor from the spices and even some additional sweetness from the sweet potatoes, really creates a well-rounded and interestingly flavored beef stew.

Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes FAQ’s

What you’ll need to make this beef stew with sweet potatoes

The list isn’t all that short, I’ll admit that. But that’s beef stew for you. With the bevy of veggies and our quartet of delicious spices – plus lemon! – this beef stew with sweet potatoes is more complex than your average bowl, and it’s worth every ingredients called for.

That said, feel free to omit the stock concentrate and the Worcestershire sauce if you like.

INGREDIENTS

Beef stew meat: This is sort of a catch-all term, but typically refers to chuck roast. This is the most common cut for beef stew, as it is a bit tougher and therefore can stand up to the longer cooking process. I love it for so many cozy recipes, like my reader favorite Coconut Red Curry Drip Beef. You will often find “stew meat” pre-cut for you and ready to roll in your grocery store’s butcher department. So, be sure to keep an eye out for that.

Carrots: These lend a beautiful sweetness to the dish, along with a sturdy bite and lovely color. You could use baby carrots if you like, a whole baggie of them will do nicely here. Or you just grab a couple of large ones, and cut them into bite-sized pieces like we do in this Bulgogi Beef Meatballs recipe which I like to serve with carrots.

Sweet potatoes: This is not only a more nutritious choice (they’re more nutrient dense than any regular potato could ever hope to be), it also lends a gorgeous hue to the dish. Like in this beautiful Thai Sweet Potato and Turkey Soup. I’m lazy and never peel my sweet potatoes or carrots, but you can decide on that part yourself.

Yellow onion: One big onion should do it for this recipe, or you could use two smaller sweet onions, like a Vidalia or Walla Walla.

Fresh ginger: I use both fresh and ground/dried ginger in this recipe, as I love the flavor combination of beef with ginger. Simply break off a knob of your ginger root (about 1.5 to 2 inches in length), peel it by cutting off the tough skin, and then grate it or finely mince it. If you love ginger like I do, then you should definitely try this Sesame-Ginger Chicken Stir Fry, or this Crispy Ginger Beef Bibimbap.

Ground cumin: Cumin is a spice that I use all the time. You will find it so often in Mexican and South American recipes, as well as Middle Eastern, North African, and Indian dishes as well. It’s worth buying a high-quality brand, as this is a spice you’ll use so frequently. We will add it to the pot when we add the onions and ginger, so the spice can bloom or, “wake up,” in the hot oil before we drown it in liquid.

Ground coriander: Coriander has an earthy, almost sweet citrus flavor that pairs beautifully with the earthy, mellow flavor of cumin here. Looking for other ways to use up your jar of coriander? Try my Ethiopian Doro Wat recipe, or this Egyptian Chicken recipe that features coriander in the Dukkah spice blend.

Ground Ginger: See above!

Cinnamon: Because sweet potato and cinnamon are the best of friends, you know? I love how the cinnamon plays with the tomatoes and beef in my favorite chili recipe, and it’s just lovely in my beef stew with sweet potatoes.

Garlic cloves: No explanation needed, right?

Beef stock concentrate (optional): I basically call for this is all my recipes don’t I? I really do. But it’s usually optional, though high recommended because it just gives depth of flavor to anything it touches.

Fire roasted diced tomatoes: I opt to leave out the tomato paste in my recipe here – did you notice that? Many beef stew recipes call for that, and because I want to highlight the citrus and spices, I opt for just a small can of diced tomatoes instead. Tomato paste would really punch us in the mouth with tomato flavor, which is great in things like my favorite pantry pasta, but not what I wanted for this Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes. The fire-roasting adds that smokiness (in theory), which is great.

Worcestershire sauce (optional): This adds great flavor, since the stuff itself is made from so many different things. But you could leave it out if you don’t care to purchase it.

Beef stock: You could use water, I suppose, But this is a very crucial ingredient in helping us develop truly rich flavor in the stew liquid. Why water when you can stock? Plus, stock is very inexpensive and accessible anywhere. A true pantry gem.

Frozen peas: I never don’t have a bag of these in my freezer. I absolutely love frozen peas, and throw them in SO many things. From pasta and salads, to all the soups, there are few things that wouldn’t make a fine landing pad for some sweet green peas. They are thrown in this stew right at the end, to help retain their vibrant green color.

Lemon: This, to me, is the secret star ingredient in my Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes. It’s not typically called for in beef stew recipes (like it’s not called for in crispy potato recipe – but makes them better)but it really brings the pot to life. That acidic punch makes a relatively standard-tasting pot of food seem so much deeper, so much more intriguing from one bite to the next.

How to make this Spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Citrus

This is a one-pot meal that has TONS of hearty, healthy things going on inside, as discussed above. We’ll add things to the pot in the order of best operations. Which is to say, we’ll add things in stages as is necessary to bring this stew together as efficiently and effectively as possible. That may not sound delicious (efficiency and effectiveness and whatnot), but trust me here.

We’ll begin by browning the meat. We do this because it needs to be removed from the pot after said browning so it can hang out for a bit while everything else comes together. We’ll tenderize and caramelize the sweet potatoes and carrots next, because they are the most dense things and need a head start. Then, in go the aromatics and spices. Lastly, the liquids. It’s all very standard-op so far as method goes.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Add a few tablespoons of cooking oil to a large oven-proof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper and, working in batches, sear in until browned all over; takes about 5 minutes total. Transfer each batch of browned beef to a plat/tray for now. Clean out the pan.
3. Add a couple more tablespoons of oil to the pot and, working over medium heat now, add the carrots and sweet potatoes, and cook (stirring occasionally), until they begin to look caramelized/browned; takes bout 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add the onion and ginger, along with the ground cumin, coriander, ginger, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
5. Add the stock concentrate (if using), tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce (if using), stock, and lemon juice. Add the browned beef. Put the lid on the pot and place it in the oven to braise for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until your beef is nice and tender. Just before serving stir in the peas. They’ll thaw very quickly for you -in just a minute or so. Taste your stew (carefully!) and season as needed. The sweet peas, potatoes, cinnamon, and carrots need a good bit of salt for balance.
6. Serve topped with the fresh herbs, sour cream and the lemon zest sprinkled over top. Bread is so necessary here as well, of course.

NOTE: Most grocery stores sell pre-cut and packaged beef stew meat, which makes things wonderfully efficient and convenient. But if you can’t find this, feel free to buy a 2-pound chuck roast and cut it into bite sized cubes. No harm, no foul.

If you like the looks of our favorite Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes, you might also enjoy:

Peruvian Lomo Saltado

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

Coconut Red Curry Drip Beef

Ground Beef Curry

Best Beef Stroganoff with Vodka Sauce

Best Ever Crispy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry

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