Spezzatino di manzo is so much better than your average beef stew – in our humble opinion. Soft, melty bites of impossibly tender beef are cooked down to a perfection in a rich and fragrant stew. You won’t believe it’s made with budget friendly chuck steak.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
You asked, now here it is! As requested by Wandercooks readers we’re sharing a classic Italian beef stew known as spezzatino di manzo.
Rich and hearty, this is pure comfort food with a hint of cinnamon in every bite. We love this particular stew because it’s minimal prep – then let the stove do all the work. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon dish.
Related: Pork & Beef Ragu / Pasta al Forno
What is Spezzatino di Manzo?
Spezzatino di manzo literally means beef stew in Italian.
It’s a hearty stew similar to beef bourguignon. Beef chunks are cooked down in a soffritto base of onion, carrot and celery, with red wine, garlic and passata for rich flavour.
Like all good dishes there are lots of regional variations of the recipe. Some versions are made with pork or veal, while others use different combinations of herbs and spices to tweak the flavour.
Feel free to experiment at home and really make it your own. We love the addition of cinnamon in particular – it’s the secret ingredient that really gives the dish that extra oomph!
What You’ll Need
- Beef – We use fresh chuck steak from the butcher, pre-chopped to save a little extra time on prep. You can also use veal, lamb or pork if you prefer.
- Beef Stock – Homemade, liquid stock or powdered stock prepared with hot water. Sub vegetable stock if you like.
- Olive Oil – For cooking the veggies. Sub canola oil.
- Passata – We love this for adding a rich tomato flavour to the stew base. Sub with canned diced tomatoes or even better, 3 tbsp tomato paste.
- Veggies – The classic soffritto trio of onion, carrot and celery, along with garlic because we love it!
- Herbs & Spices – This recipe calls for fresh sage leaves and rosemary sprigs, which you can bundle with food-safe cotton twine to make it easy to remove them later. Sub with ½-1 tsp each of powdered herbs. You’ll also need salt, pepper and ground cinnamon.
- Red Wine – Not just for flavour! Cooking the beef in red wine helps to soften and tenderise the meat. Sub with alcohol free wine or a little extra beef broth.
- Cornstarch / Cornflour – This is added while cooking the meat but before we add the liquid ingredients, helping to thicken the stew as it cooks.
How to Make Italian Beef and Red Wine Stew
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- Drizzle the olive oil in a heavy saucepan such as a Dutch oven on low – medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and fry for 5-10 min.
- Add in the chuck steak next and turn the heat up to medium. Sear and seal for 5 – 10 minutes until browned. Give a good crack of salt and pepper, and sprinkle over cornstarch. Fry for another minute or two.
- Add red wine and cinnamon. Cook until evaporated, approx 25-30 mins.
- Add passata and beef stock, stir to deglaze pan. Add bouquet of rosemary and sage, tied together with cooking twine (or placed in loosely is fine).
- Put the lid on and cook for a minimum 2 hours at a simmer (low medium heat). Then if you like it a little thicker and softer, we recommend cooking for a further hour with the lid off.
- Serve with any of your favourites – mashed potato, cooked rice, cooked pasta or crusty bread.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Cooking Time – While you can simmer for a minimum of two hours, longer really is better for a richer, thicker stew with softer, more tender meat.
- Use as a Pasta Sauce – You can cook this down even further until the meat falls apart completely and use it as a pasta sauce. (It’s also a great way to use up leftovers!)
- Serve Next Day – This is one of those dishes that just gets better over time! So feel free to make it the day before.
- Toasties – The beef makes SUCH a good filling for toasties – perfect as lunch the next day.
Storage, Freezing & Reheating
Leftovers will last around 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container, or in the freezer for around 2-3 months. Store it separately from any sides so you can best reheat them later. You can reheat leftover stew slowly in a pot on the stove until warmed through, or in the microwave for around 1-2 mins on high.
FAQs
The best way to tender meat with this recipe is 1) allowing the wine to cook down and evaporate and 2) giving it time. If you’re at the 2 hour mark, go for that extra hour. Time is your friend for the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth beef!
The cheapest! Aka Chuck Steak, it’s sometimes sold as Boneless Chuck Filet Steak, London Broil, Blade Roast or Beef Shoulder. If you can get the butcher to dice it for you too – even better!
Serving Ideas & Variations
- More Veggies – Add diced potatoes, parsnips, turnips or peas to the stew. It’s also great with a few mushrooms added to the mix!
- Herbs – Have fun experimenting with different combinations. We did rosemary and sage, but you can also use thyme or oregano, or a combination of any two or three of the above!
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 2 celery stalks approx 100 g / 3.5 oz, chopped
- 2 garlic chopped
- 1 kg chuck steak 2.2 lb, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup red wine
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup passata 250 g / 8.8 oz
- 4 cups beef stock 1 L / 2.1 pt, sub vegetable stock
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 3 sage leaves sub bay leaves
Instructions
- Drizzle the 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy saucepan such as a Dutch oven on low – medium heat. Add the 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 celery stalks and 2 garlic and fry for 5-10 min.
- Add in the 1 kg chuck steak next and turn the heat up to medium. Sear and seal for 5 – 10 minutes until browned. Give a good crack of Salt and pepper, and sprinkle over 1 tbsp cornstarch. Fry for another minute or two.
- Add 1 cup red wine and ½ tsp cinnamon. Cook until evaporated, approx 25-30 mins.
- Add 1 cup passata and 4 cups beef stock, stir to deglaze pan. Add bouquet of 2 rosemary and 3 sage leaves, tied together with cooking twine (placed in loosely is fine).
- Put the lid on and cook for a minimum 2 hours at a simmer (low medium heat). Then if you like it a little thicker and softer, we recommend cooking for a further hour with the lid off.
- Serve with any of your favourites – mashed potato, cooked rice, cooked pasta or crusty bread.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Cooking Time – While you can simmer for a minimum of two hours, longer really is better for a richer, thicker stew with softer, more tender meat.
- Use as a Pasta Sauce – You can cook this down even further until the meat falls apart completely and use it as a pasta sauce. (It’s also a great way to use up leftovers!)
- Serve Next Day – This is one of those dishes that just gets better over time! So feel free to make it the day before.
- Toasties – The beef makes SUCH a good filling for toasties – perfect as lunch the next day.
- More Veggies – Add diced potatoes, parsnips, turnips or peas to the stew. It’s also great with a few mushrooms added to the mix!
- Herbs – Have fun experimenting with different combinations. We did rosemary and sage, but you can also use thyme or oregano, or a combination of any two or three of the above!
Nutrition
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