Italian Beef Stew - Spezzatino di Manzo

A bowl of spezzatino di manzo with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

Italian Beef Stew - Spezzatino di Manzo

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.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 10

Servings people

Calories 491kcal

Author Wandercooks

Cost $25

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

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!

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