James Martin beef stew with dumplings recipe

This James Martin beef stew with dumplings is under 750 calories per portion and only has four steps in the method. 

Although it takes nearly three hours to make, there is very little hands-on time and once it’s all prepped it sits in the oven. We’d recommend batch cooking the stew as it is easy to scale up the recipe and you’ll thank yourself when you find portions in the freezer that you can defrost, reheat and serve with buttery mashed potatoes! 

Ingredients

• 500g stewing beef
• 50g plain flour
• 4 tbsp beef dripping or oil
• 100g celery
• 100g carrot
• 1 large leek
• 3 garlic cloves
• 150g whole baby onions
• 150ml red wine
• 500ml beef stock
• 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

For the dumplings:

• 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• A good pinch of salt
• 75g shredded suet

Method 

1. Heat the oven to 150C (130C fan, Gas 3). Toss the beef and flour together in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish until hot, add a little dripping or oil and enough of the beef to just cover the bottom of the casserole. Fry until browned on each side, then remove and set aside. Repeat with more dripping and beef in batches.
2. Meanwhile, cut the celery, carrot and leek into 2.5cm pieces and roughly chop the garlic. Add the last of the dripping and the onions, garlic, celery, carrot and leek, then cook gently for 5–10 minutes, until softened and lightly coloured. Return the beef to the casserole and add the red wine. Simmer until reduced by half, then add the beef stock and bring back to a simmer. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 2 hours.
3. To make the dumplings, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and suet in a bowl and gradually add 3–5 tbsp water, just enough to form a slightly sticky dough. Dust your hands with a little flour and roll the dough into small balls about the size of a ping-pong ball, then set aside.
4. After 2 hours, remove the stew from the oven and carefully place the dumplings on top. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered, until the dumplings have cooked through and turned light golden brown. Roughly chop the parsley and sprinkle over the stew to serve.

Top tips for making a James Martin beef stew with dumplings

It’s really important to brown the meat in batches, otherwise if you put it all in at once the beef will sweat and won’t caramelise or brown evenly. 

James says: "Browning the meat well is very important when making stews like this, so brown it in batches in a hot pan to make sure it doesn’t braise. The meat should also be cut into decent-sized pieces, otherwise they’ll cook too quickly."

Jessica Ransom

“This is a hearty meal that doesn't need any sides but you could serve it with mashed potatoes and some steamed greens to make it stretch to six portions.” 

James Martin's Great British Adventure: A celebration of Great British food, with 80 fabulous recipes, by James Martin (Quadrille, £25) - View at Amazon 

For more unapologetically British recipes that are full of flavour and comfort, you need this cookbook by James Martin. He travelled from coast to coast and cooked up some tasty feasts inspired by his travels. With 80 recipes to browse, we are sure you’ll find a recipe to match the occasion you’re cooking for. 

We have lots more James Martin recipes you might like to try or our beef casserole is a popular choice. You might also like our beef hotpot which is like a hug in a bowl.