35 Comforting Stew Recipes to make this Winter

When the weather gets cold, it’s the perfect time to cook a batch of stew. Add some of these comforting stew recipes to your meal plan this winter!

One of my favorite meals to cook during the cold winter months is stew. It’s so easy to just chop the ingredients, throw it all into a pot, and let it go!

Now that we have a pressure cooker, it’s easier to make stew than before since it’s so much faster. But whether you’re cooking on the stovetop, in a pressure cooker, or using a crockpot, you’ll find some wonderfully comforting stew recipes here.

stew in stainless steel cooking pot with ladle

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What’s the difference between a soup and a stew?

Soups and stews are typically made of the same combination of ingredients (meat, vegetables, and liquid), soup has a thinner broth. Stews tend to be heartier, with chunky pieces of food, and a lot less liquid.

What’s the best way to cook a stew?

Traditionally, stews are made on the stove top in a heavy duty stockpot. They cook on low for hours, make the whole house smell fantastic!

Stove top stew recipes also cook well in a crockpot or slow cooker. This allows you to leave the house and not mind the stove top (yay!).

With the popularity of pressure cookers, it is so much faster to make stew for a busy weeknight! Meats cooked in the pressure cooker are so tender, and it all cooks up in minutes compared to hours on the stovetop.

So what’s the best way? That depends on what time you have for cooking. Most recipes transfer well between devices. Just remember that the pressure cooker or Instant Pot does not need as much liquid, so you should reduce it from the stovetop recipe.

Comforting stew recipes to make this weekend

How to thicken a stew?

If a recipe doesn’t already call for a thickener, you have a few options for making your stew’s broth more hearty. This is the last step, after all the meat and vegetables have cooked.

Just take a few tablespoons of cornstarch, thoroughly mix in a small bowl with a little water, and stir into the broth while it boils. If you’re eating gluten-free, check to be sure the cornstarch is GF, or just use xanthan gum instead.

Slow-Cooker-Moroccan-Chicken-Stew from Living Lou

What are some sides to serve with stew?

I think of most stews as a full meal, since you have protein, vegetables and a carb. But when I’m trying to stretch a meal for hungry teens, I like to serve a green salad and rolls on the side.

If you’re eating low-carb, choose a stew that doesn’t include the carbs in the recipe. Then, you can serve it over rice in a bowl. I do this often so that my husband and I can measure our carbs while the kids load up.