One-Pot Beef and Root Vegetable Stew with Caraway

By Lauren Mitchell, Test Kitchen Director · Reviewed by AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-04-18 · Updated 2026-04-18

A deeply flavorful stew featuring fall-apart beef, slow-simmered carrots and parsnips, and a subtle caraway note. This french-inspired one pot ready in about 115 minutes pairs beef stew meat, carrots, parsnips for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 480 calories and feeds 6, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs beef stew meat
• 3 medium carrots
• 2 medium parsnips
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Step 1: Cut beef stew meat (1.5 lbs) into 1-inch cubes and season with salt (1 tsp) and black pepper (1/2 tsp).
2. Step 2: Heat olive oil (2 tbsp) in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear beef cubes in a single layer for 3-4 minutes per side until browned; remove and set aside.
3. Step 3: Add diced onion (1 large, chopped) and minced garlic (3 cloves) to the pot; cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add chopped carrots (3 medium, peeled) and parsnips (2 medium, peeled), stirring for 5 minutes.
4. Step 4: Return beef to the pot, add beef broth (4 cups), diced tomatoes (1 can, 14 oz), caraway seeds (1 tsp), and dried thyme (1 tsp). Simmer covered on low heat for 1.5 hours until beef is fork-tender and vegetables are cooked through.