12 Make-Ahead Stews That Taste Great for Days

Trust us, you won’t mind hitting the replay button.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and pastry chef. She has also curated and written numerous recipe roundups for Serious Eats.
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Published January 08, 2026
Closeup of Pollo Guisado served in a bowl with a spoon lifting a bite garnished with cilantro

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Stews are the ultimate make-ahead comfort food—completely worth the time and effort. These are the kinds of recipes you turn to on relaxed days, when you’re not rushing to get dinner on the table and have the patience to let ingredients simmer until they reach peak flavor and ideal texture. As a bonus, in my tiny kitchen, a pot of stew on the stove does a better job of keeping me warm than a space heater. And once the stew is finished, I’ve got days of cozy, easily reheatable meals that taste just as good as the first—though the idea that all stews “taste better the next day” is a bit overhyped. When cooled and stored properly, a well-made, flavorful stew should at least hold up in the fridge for several days, sometimes even tasting slightly better.

The stews below are some of our favorites: a superb All-American beef stew, rustic French, West African, Hungarian, and Moroccan-inspired versions, a hearty vegetarian Tuscan bean and vegetable stew, and a satisfying Lowcountry stewed chicken. So grab a pot and get simmering.

  • All-American Beef Stew

    20160116-american-beef-stew-recipe-34.jpg
    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Banish any memories of stringy, dry meat, soggy vegetables, or the lackluster, brothy gravy of old-school beef stews. Our updated version delivers juicy chunks of tender beef and distinct pieces of potatoes and vegetables, all enveloped in a glistening, rich, and deeply savory sauce. The depth comes from layers of Worcestershire, anchovies, soy sauce, and tomato paste, which combine for a complex umami boost. The finished stew keeps for up to five days in the refrigerator—if you don’t eat it all first.

  • Rich and Flavorful Guinness Beef Stew With Potatoes

    20160105-guinness-beef-stew-vicky-wasik-20.jpg
    Vicky Wasik

    We’ve amped up the flavor in this hearty pub classic by adding strong coffee and a touch of bittersweet chocolate to enhance the roasted notes of Guinness stout. A combination of Worcestershire, fish, and soy sauces adds even greater depth and savory complexity. It’s so satisfying, you’ll want to make it more often than just on St. Patrick’s Day.

  • Loubia (Moroccan Stewed White Beans With Lamb)

    2 bowls of Loubia Stew on a wooden board with bread on the side and fabric napkin on the bottom of photo

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    Bean lovers, rejoice! This boldly flavored Moroccan stew pairs creamy, slow-cooked white beans with tender chunks of lamb, aromatic spices, and tomatoes in a warming broth. The beans are first brined in a salt and baking soda solution to make them exceptionally tender.

  • Nigerian Peanut Stew

    Overhead view of nigerian peanut stew

    Serious Eats / Vy Tran

    Roasted peanuts give the thick groundnut sauce in this rich, hearty West African stew its deep, nutty flavor. Vegetables are added in stages as the meat simmers, so each component becomes tender and flavorful without falling apart.

    Continue to 5 of 12 below

  • Daube de Boeuf à la Gasconne (Gascogne-Style Beef Stew)

    Overhead view of Daube de Boeuf ala Gasconne

    Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

    Originating in France’s Gascony region, this beef and root vegetable stew is rustic French cooking at its finest. The meat is seared, then braised low and slow in a rich sauce infused with herbs and wine for bold, complex flavor.

  • Pressure Cooker Ribollita (Tuscan Bean and Vegetable Stew) Recipe

    20200211-pressure-cooker-ribbolita-vicky-wasik-9
    Vicky Wasik

    This pressure cooker version of the classic Tuscan bean and vegetable stew delivers all the hearty, long-simmered flavors and textures of the stovetop original in a fraction of the time. A combination of root vegetables, hearty greens, and winter squash makes it a richly satisfying vegetarian alternative to typical cold-weather meat dishes.

  • Pollo Guisado

    Closeup of Pollo Guisado served in a bowl with a spoon lifting a bite garnished with cilantro

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

    Well-seasoned meat is the key to this flavor-packed stew of tender chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peppers. Salting the chicken in advance allows the salt to penetrate to the bone, dries out the skin for a proper sear, and helps render fat to deepen the flavor of the spicy tomato-based simmering sauce. Finish the stew with fresh cilantro and serve it with plenty of crusty bread to soak up every last drop.

  • Goulash (Hungarian Beef and Paprika Stew)

    20160205-beef-goulash-hungarian-recipe-food-lab-26.jpg
    J. Kenji López-Alt

    A generous half cup of Hungarian sweet paprika gives this rich, rib-sticking stew its distinctive deep red hue and fruity aroma. As in our All-American beef stew, added gelatin thickens the sauce to a glossy finish and enhances clarity, allowing the flavors of the beef and vegetables to shine.

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  • Nigerian Beef Stew

    Overhead view of beef stew served with plantains and rice

    Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine

    Like all Nigerian stews, this iteration pairs beef simmered in an aromatic broth with a classic base of pureed tomatoes, onions, and sweet and hot peppers, cooked down to concentrate its flavor, along with more aromatics and spices until rich and thick. Both the meat and the tomatoey stew base can be made in advance and frozen separately up to three months.

  • Lowcountry Stew Chicken

    Close up image of lowcounty stew chicken over rice

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This Lowcountry-style stew chicken features tender, slow-cooked chicken legs smothered in a deeply flavored, light-bodied brown gravy. The sauce is thickened with a roux made by frying flour in the residual oil left from browning the chicken and sweating the aromatics. Serve it over plenty of cooked rice, grits, or pasta to soak up the soup-like gravy.

  • Moroccan-Inspired Beef Stew With Ras el Hanout

    bowl of beef stew on a blue plate, with pot of stew to one side, plate of rice to another side, and cutlery. All on a green stone surface.

    Maureen Celestine

    This flavorful mash-up of Western stewing techniques and Moroccan-inspired ingredients features succulent chunks of beef simmered in a warmly spiced broth enriched with tomato paste, collard greens, and chickpeas. The dish builds complexity with aromatic ras el hanout, a blend that includes cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and ginger.

  • Spanish Beef Stew With Pimenton and Piquillo Peppers

    A bowl of Spanish beef stew served from a pot with a ladle featuring chunks of meat carrots and other vegetables

    Serious Eats / Anh Nguyen

    Bold flavors from smoked paprika, roasted peppers, and red wine bring depth, acidity, and sweetness to balance the rich, savory intensity of long-braised, fork-tender beef. Serve this hearty stew with a dollop of cooling yogurt or sour cream, alongside crusty bread, rice, or potatoes.

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