French Onion Beef Stew
with Swiss Cheese Toasts
- Wheat
- Soy
- Milk
This stick-to-your-ribs meal is a true classic with a French onion twist. You’ll sear beef to a deep brown, slowly caramelize thyme-scented onion in butter, then simmer it all with potatoes, carrots and a splash of umami-rich Worcestershire sauce. Fill up those lucky bowls, and serve with crisp, cheesy toasts for dipping (just like the original!). *This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box *
Ingredients
2 unit
Onion
12 ounce
Potatoes
9 ounce
Carrots
16 ounce
Beef for Braising
1 tablespoon
Flour
(Contains: Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon
Dried Thyme
2 tablespoon
Worcestershire Sauce
4 unit
Beef Stock Concentrate
2 unit
Demi-Baguette
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
4 slice
Swiss Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
Sugar
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onions. • Dice potatoes into 1-inch pieces. • Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into 1-inch-thick pieces.
• Open package of beef* and drain off any excess liquid. • In a medium bowl, combine beef, flour, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to coat. • Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large, heavy- bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4-5 minutes (for 8 servings, you may need to cook in batches depending on the size of your pot). • Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl used for seasoning.
• Melt 4 TBSP butter (8 TBSP for 8 servings) in pot used for beef over medium heat. • Add onions and 1⁄4 cup water (1/3 cup for 8); cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 8-10 minutes. TIP: Be sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot as onions cook! • Add garlic powder, thyme, 2 tsp sugar (4 tsp for 8), and a splash of water; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add beef, potatoes, and carrots to pot with onions. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. • Add Worcestershire sauce, stock concentrates, and 5 cups water (8 cups for 8 servings). Stir to combine.
• Bring stew to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until beef and veggies are tender, stirring halfway through, 40-45 minutes. • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• While stew cooks, adjust oven rack to top position; heat broiler to high. • Cut each baguette crosswise into 8 rounds for a total of 16 rounds (32 rounds for 8 servings). • Cut Swiss cheese slices into 4 squares each for a total of 16 squares (32 squares for 8). • Spread out baguette slices on a baking sheet; top each with one cheese square. • Broil crostini on top rack until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. TIP: The broiler is a powerful tool! Keep an eye on the crostini to prevent burning.
• Serve family style or divide stew between bowls and top with crostini (or serve on the side).
Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Rich, savory stew with a delightful French onion twist; some found it a bit heavy on Worcestershire sauce.
- Ease of prep: Takes longer than advertised, but worth the effort; many recommend using a slow cooker for tender meat.
- Suggestions: Add less water for a thicker consistency; consider including red wine, mushrooms, or fresh herbs for depth.
- Leftovers: Tastes even better the next day; makes plenty for multiple meals or feeding a crowd 🍲.
- Meat: Beef was tender for most, though a few found it tough; quality varied between batches.
- Bread: Swiss cheese toasts were a hit; some suggest toasting the bread before adding cheese.
Reviews from our home cooks
I was really craving French onion stew, and the added beef option was incredible! The stew was perfect and savory, and reminded me of a beef bourguignon. It took a little bit longer to cook than other Hellofresh recipes. However, it was well worth the time it took. Perfect for those who love a hearty stew.
A very flavorful spin on an old classic. The meat was very tender, as were the potatoes and carrots. All paired well with the onions and complimented by the Swiss cheese toasts. One of the best recipes I've tried thus far
Oh my gaaaaawd!!! The perfect stew for this chilly weather! I did all the prep in the late morning, got my beef browned and onions caramelized and then put it all together on low and just let it cook slowly during the day. My house smells incredible!! Absolutely will be getting this again. I've been sneaking sips all day- delicious!!
Was really good! Especially on a cold night. It's a lot of food even for 2 servings so be prepared for leftovers. I did cook it a little longer as the potatoes needed a little more time to become tender. Will definitely select this recipe again in the future. The swiss topped bread is a subtle but excellent touch.
We received the smallest onions so there was not enough. Both the small onions barely made a medium onion. There was nothing that tasted French Onion with the stew. Five cups is way too much water, it was very runny like soup. Worcestershire sauce was so overpowering it destroyed any onion flavor and saturated the beef where it tasted acidic. It needs only a tablespoon or substitute with balsamic. The thyme flavor was lost so maybe more or if adjustments are made to the Worcestershire sauce it might not be hidden. We ended up making mashed potatoes and straining the carrots, potatoes and stewed beef put since it was so watery. We would love to try again but the recipe needs some major adjustments to have a stew texture and highlight the French onion flavor.
The stew had a great flavor and the meat was very tender and tasty. My only complaint was that, even after adding a little extra flour, my stew was thin. It seemed more soup-like but it did work well with the cheese toasts.
I added red wine, since beef stew & French onion soup both traditionally include it. I also added some mushrooms, mushroom concentrate, and extra veggies from my fridge. RICH & DELIGHTFUL.
INCREDIBLE. I've never been able to recreate my great grandmothers pot roast recipe. However THIS is the closest meal I've ever had that matches the taste - just in stew form. I will be recreating this meal all winter. 10 stars.
This turned out to be a very tasty stew, especially after a day or two in the fridge. It was good initially, but the flavors mingled and became more subtle after a day or two, so "left-overs" were actually better.
Required extra cooking time for beef to tenderize more. I turned up the heat to medium and cooked it for an extra 20-30 mins uncovered, which helped the stew to reduce and thicken.
