40+ Stews and Braises to Keep You Warm, Cozy, and Well Fed

updated Aug 14, 2023
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

Stew and braising recipes have to be the coziest way to manage meals when life gets too busy. The low-and-slow braise needed to tenderize meat and meld flavors works perfectly in the slow cooker, although of course a Dutch oven and a low flame will do just as well.

Whatever your cooking method, these stews and braises are our most popular — and for good reason. From all sorts of meat to fish to chicken to vegetarian favorites, we’ve got you covered from the first chill of October through the last windy days of March.

Meaty Stews

1 / 17
Classic Stovetop Beef Stew

Beef stew is a dish that will serve you well through long winters and family visits and other small moments of need. Making one isn’t hard and will surely nourish you through several meals.

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2 / 17
Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley Stew with Mushrooms

This classic stew takes a little bit of prep work, but once everything is in the slow cooker, you can sit back and relax while it cooks away. This winning combination of thyme, beef, and mushrooms will never go out of style, and adding in pearl barley bulks up the stew even more.

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3 / 17
Instant Pot Bò Kho Recipe (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
This warming beef stew is ultra fragrant thanks to lemongrass, star anise, ginger, and cinnamon.
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4 / 17
Slow Cooker Chile Verde Stew

Pork shoulder is rendered into supple, tender meat after a slow simmer in a sauce of roasted tomatillos, peppers, cilantro, and oregano. The resulting meat and sauce can be poured over rice or tucked into a tortilla.

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5 / 17
Nkatsenkwan (Groundnut Stew)
One of West Africa’s ubiquitous dishes, Groundnut is a very simple slow-cooked one-pot dish with a piquant, slightly creamy spice and nutty aroma.
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6 / 17
Pork, Poblano, and Pumpkin Stew

With tomato paste, San Marzano tomatoes, and a fragrant blend of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and brown sugar, this stew has a more Mediterranean vibe; a far cry from the Southwestern flavors of the original.

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7 / 17
Guinness Beef Stew
This stew is simmered low and slow in a Guinness-spiked sauce.
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8 / 17
Brunswick Stew
This flavor-packed stew gets its kick from a mustard-based sauce.
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9 / 17
Lamb Rogan Josh

This adaptation of the fiery lamb or mutton dish from the Kashmir region of India stays very close to the original, but tweaked to make a rich and spicy slow-cooked dish that is perfect for chilly winter days.

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10 / 17
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Learn how the slow cooker can take beef stew from weekend fare to an everyday dinner dish.
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11 / 17
Irish Pub Lamb Stew
This hearty stew is best enjoyed with a thick slab of Irish soda bread slathered with butter and a pint of Guinness.
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12 / 17
African Beef and Peanut Stew

A spicy, hearty, and very fragrant peanut stew made with lots of tomatoes, cayenne, and peanuts, and inspired by the original from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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13 / 17
Slow Cooker Beef and Kabocha Squash Stew
This hearty beef and squash stew is Giada's updated take on classic beed and potatoes. It's bright and hearty, and sure to be a new favorite.
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14 / 17
Slow Cooker Pork and Cider Stew
Pork and apple is such a classic pairing, and this slow cooker stew gets not one, but two doses of apple mixed in.
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15 / 17
Chunky Pork and Apple Stew

This stew is hearty because of the delicious bacon and pork, but it still feels prudent because of all the nutrient- and fiber-rich apples and sweet potatoes. It delivers the classic flavor combos we crave, but feels updated.

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16 / 17
Slow-Cooked Boeuf Bourguignon

This classic French dish is the kind of stew that moves you from one level of home cooking to the next. The aroma alone — the deeply savory scent of onions, slow-cooked beef, and red wine — is enough to make your eyes roll skyward and your knees go weak.

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17 / 17
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Tender beef stew made in the Instant Pot in less than an hour.
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Bean and Veggie Stews

1 / 12
Moroccan Chickpea and Squash Stew
A hearty, nourishing stew with butternut squash, dried apricots, and fragrant saffron.
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2 / 12
Slow Cooker Root Vegetable Cider Stew
A spiced veggie stew filled with root veggies, raisins, and chickpeas in a spiced tomato broth to warm you up when the temperature drops.
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3 / 12
Ital Stew

This coconut milk-based stew is loaded with a variety of nutrient-rich vegetables and herbs.

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4 / 12
Collard Greens Stew with Chorizo and Garlic

This stew is a way of putting vegetables front and center, dressed up with a little bit of spicy chorizo. I also throw in cider vinegar for tang and pizzazz.

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5 / 12
Lemon, Chickpea and Green Herb Stew
A lemony-bright aromatic chickpea stew with whole lemons, turmeric and fresh cilantro
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6 / 12
Vegetarian Mushroom Stew Recipe
A hearty mix of mushrooms, nutty chickpeas, and greens in a thick and creamy coconut and tomato broth.
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7 / 12
One-Pot Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Stew)

Give these beans plenty of time to become soft and creamy while the sweet browned onions melt into the rich bean broth. Your reward is a stew so thick you could stand a spoon in it.

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8 / 12
Black-Eyed Pea Stew

This dish puts my childhood favorite in the starring role, with tomatoes enriching and coloring the broth, and ham hocks boosting it to main-dish status.

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9 / 12
Kale and Cannellini Bean Stew

The Parmesan-garlic broth that’s the base of this wholesome stew is going to be your new BFF when you need deep flavor without meat. It’s rich and full-bodied enough to sip solo as a light meal or pick-me-up on a chilly afternoon.

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10 / 12
Tofu-Miso Stew
It tastes and feels like a chicken pot pie, but instead it's a pile of veggies doused in a rich miso gravy.
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11 / 12
Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

This creamy coconut curried stew is full of tender vegetables and chickpeas, along with the warming flavors of ginger and garlic — and it’s vegan.

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12 / 12
Braised Coconut Spinach and Chickpeas with Lemon

Fresh baby spinach and chickpeas, slow-cooked with ginger, garlic, and onion in a creamy coconut milk sauce, finished off with a healthy dash of lemon: this spicy, tangy dish of greens was designed to be served over a sweet potato.

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Seafood Stews

1 / 5
Cioppino (Seafood Stew)
Cioppino is a big seafood stew of briny abundance, best shared among a crowd of people.
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2 / 5
Persian Lime-Poached Seafood Stew Over Herbed Basmati Rice

This unfussy but richly flavored seafood stew marries the flavors of California’s thriving Persian population with the Golden State’s tendency to use local, sustainable ingredients and let them shine in simple preparations.

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3 / 5
Smoked Fish Stew
Versions of this dish are to be found across Ghana using locally sourced smoked fish particular to the region.
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4 / 5
Sesame Ginger Shrimp and Cabbage Stew

Imagine a bowl of food that tastes as fresh as a stir-fry, reminds you of your favorite dumplings, and has the aromatic broth of a good noodle bowl, all in the form of a delicious and nuanced stew.

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5 / 5
Shrimp and Fish Sinigang (Tamarind Stew)
A tamarind-based stew with shrimp, fish, and vegetables.
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Poultry Stews

1 / 10
Mulligatawny Stew
This cozy stew truly is layered with incredible flavor thanks to a combination of chunky vegetables, hearty protein, lentils to lend thickness and soup, and a mingle of spices.
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2 / 10
Chicken Stew
This flavor-packed chicken stew recipe rivals even the heartiest beef stew.
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3 / 10
Turkey Stew
A hearty bowl of stew is the most creative way to use up leftover holiday turkey.
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4 / 10
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Chicken thighs are braised in a savory, flavor-packed sauce in this quicker take on traditional Jamaican brown stew chicken.
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5 / 10
Pollo ai Peperoni (Cacciatora Southern-Style Chicken Stew with Peppers)
Super-tender chicken and sweet bell peppers are cooked in a tangy white wine sauce in this light summer dinner.
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6 / 10
Coconut Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

This recipe keeps everything we love about chicken stew, but takes cues from a favorite Brazilian stew to make it feel fresh and interesting.

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7 / 10
Bacon, Kale, and Turkey Stew

This quick kale and turkey stew, made more flavorful by bacon and onion, is simple enough to be simmered together in less than an hour of mostly hands-off time.

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8 / 10
Chicken in Coconut Milk with Lemongrass

Served over rice, the sweet and pungent flavors of coconut milk, lemongrass, and star anise makes for a complete one-bowl meal.

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9 / 10
Chicken Ragù with Bacon and Fennel

The secret, my friends, to this particularly delicious sauce is fennel. It stands in for the more common aromatics of celery and carrots, and it brightens the rich bacon and chicken with a subtle and sophisticated undertone.

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10 / 10
Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyère
Caramelized onions braise with chicken and broth, all topped with a thick layer of melty Gruyère cheese.
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