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Bird's-eye view of a bowl of stewed beef tips in thick brown gravy, with visible chunks of beef and a glossy sauce.

Stewed Beef (Tips) with Gravy

Tender stewed beef (beef tips) in a rich, savory gravy made with beef broth and onion soup mix, served over rice or noodles.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat 680 g
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 14-oz. (396 g) can beef broth
  • 1 envelope beefy onion soup mix (such as Lipton)
  • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup water, divided
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Method
 

  1. Season and heat oil:

    Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the stew meat. In a wide pan, warm the oil over high heat.

  2. Sear beef in batches:

    Place half the beef in the hot pan and sear for 2 minutes. Stir the meat and sear for another 2-3 minutes to brown other sides. Take the meat out and repeat with the rest, removing all meat from the pan.

  3. Make broth mixture:

    Lower the heat to low. Pour in the beef broth, onion soup mix, 1/2 cup water, and worcestershire sauce. Stir to loosen any browned bits from the pan bottom.

  4. Simmer meat until tender:

    Put the seared meat back into the pan with the broth mixture. Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Avoid a full rolling boil as it will toughen the meat. If the liquid starts to boil on the lowest heat, take off the lid and continue cooking.

  5. Thicken gravy with slurry:

    In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup water until smooth. Stir this slurry into the broth, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes until the broth thickens into a gravy. Serve over white rice, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles.