Irish Stew For One! A delicious small batch Irish stew recipe made with tender lamb or beef, plenty of carrots and potatoes all simmering in a rich, beer based broth. Easy to make, hearty, and extra comforting.
Irish stew is a stew native to Ireland but loved all over the world. It's a very popular dish on St. Patrick's Day but one that can and should be enjoyed any day of the year.
Why This Recipe Works
There are few dishes that are heartier or more comforting than a good meaty stew. It's a meal that will truly warm both body and soul. This traditional Irish stew features either tender beef or lamb and plenty of vegetables which cook in a broth made with a good stout beer and plenty of seasonings.
This single serving Irish stew recipe yields one big bowl of hearty and absolutely delicious stew. You may even have enough for two servings if you serve it with a side dish.
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Canola oil: You may use vegetable oil instead. This ingredient is used to brown the lamb.
- Lamb: One of the main differences between Irish stew and beef stew is that Irish stew is traditionally made with lamb. Here in the United States, we eat more beef than lamb and if your preference is to use beef, please do. The stew will still be every bit as delicious. In this recipe, I use 5-ounces of lamb cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and dried thyme.
- Vegetables: I like to use chopped onions, celery, potatoes, garlic, and carrots.
- Tomato paste: Look for tomato paste that comes in a tube. You can find it in the same section of your grocery store that cans are found. A tube stays good in the refrigerator for much longer than canned. You can also freeze leftover paste in ice cube trays. When frozen, pop the cubes out of the tray and store in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
- Worcestershire sauce: This ingredient adds great flavor to the stew.
- Flour: All-purpose flour (plain flour) thickens the stew beautifully.
- Guinness Beer: I love making Irish stew with a Guinness. You may use your favorite stout instead. If you don't want to use beer, add an extra 1/4 cup of beef broth and 1/4 teaspoon of extra Worcestershire sauce. The flavor won't be the same but it'll do in a pinch.
- Beef broth: I like using low-sodium broths in my recipes. You can use chicken broth instead of beef broth if necessary.
How To Make This Recipe
- Start by seasoning the stew meat with salt and pepper and adding it to the pan to brown. After browning the meat on all sides, transfer the meat to a plate and cover to use later.
- Add a bit more oil to the pan and cook the onions, celery and garlic. After the vegetables become tender, stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir flour into the vegetables and cook, stirring for about a minute. Pour in the beer and dried thyme and stir until the beer has reduced and thickens slightly. As you might imagine, the aroma coming from your kitchen will be incredible.
- Add the broth and return the meat to the pan. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes. The slow cooking of the meat will yield a wonderfully tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth meat.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the stew. Cover the pot again and continue cooking for another 25 minutes. When done, the meat should be tender and the potatoes cooked through. If not, cover and continue cooking in 10 minute increments until cooked.
- When the stew has finished cooking, spoon off and discard any grease from the top and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Brown the lamb, or if you're making Irish beef stew - the beef. It's essential so please don't skip this step. Take the time to sear the meat, every single piece of it.
- Don't toss the browned bits at the bottom of the pan after you've removed the meat. Those are like crispy gold - it's where much of the flavor is. Leave it and deglaze the pan when you add the Guinness.
- Follow the steps in this recipe as written. It might be tempting to throw all of the vegetables in together to cook but don't. The potatoes and carrots will fall apart. Although you want them to be fairly soft, you don't want them to be mushy.
- Taste before serving and feel free to add additional salt to suit your taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serve traditional Irish Stew with potatoes or rice. A mini Irish soda bread also goes great with a big bowl of stew.
For dessert, you might like to consider using a little of any leftover Guinness in a delightful Guinness float.
Beef or lamb stew will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, and can be frozen for up to 2 months. Freeze the stew in an airtight container then thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
I use a 2-quart saucepan in this Irish stew recipe, for best results use a pot of similar size.
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this Irish stew you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Lamb or beef: Beef Stroganoff, Steak Salad
- Onions: Beef Enchiladas, Zuppa Toscana, Beef Chili
- Celery: Baked Stuffed Fish, Potato Salad, Jambalaya
- Garlic: Shrimp Fettuccine, Lemon and Garlic Chicken, Buttered Noodles
- Tomato paste: Crawfish Pasta, Beef and Cheese Pita Pizza
- Worcestershire sauce: Baked Beans, Mini Meatloaf
- Guinness: Guinness Float
- Beef broth: Swedish Meatballs, Beef Stew
- Potatoes: Potato Soup, Scalloped Potatoes, Hash Browns
- Carrots: Chicken and Dumplings, Roasted Carrots, Curried Carrot Soup
If you’ve tried this easy Irish stew recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil , divided
- 5 ounces lamb , cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 celery stalk , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ cup Guinness beer
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 small red potatoes , scrubbed and cubed (6 ounces)
- 1 carrot , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Season lamb with the salt and pepper and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the lamb from the pot and place on a plate.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil to the pot and stir in the chopped onions and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir until the there is no visible flour and the vegetables look slightly mushy from the flour coating, 1 minute.
- Pour in the beer and dried thyme. Stir until the beer has reduced and has slightly thickened.
- Add the broth and return the lamb to the pot. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Make sure the stew stays at a very low simmer.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the stew. Cover the pot again and continue cooking on low heat for another 25 minutes. When done, the meat should be tender and flake apart easily and the potatoes cooked through. If not, cover the pot again and cook in additional 10 minute increments until cooked.
- Pour into a bowl and enjoy hot.
Notes
- Brown the lamb, or if you're making Irish beef stew - the beef. It's essential so please don't skip this step. Take the time to sear the meat, every single piece of it.
- Don't toss the browned bits at the bottom of the pan after you've removed the meat. Those are like crispy gold - it's where much of the flavor is. Leave it and deglaze the pan when you add the Guinness.
- Follow the steps in this recipe as written. It might be tempting to throw all of the vegetables in together to cook but don't. The potatoes and carrots will fall apart. Although you want them to be fairly soft, you don't want them to be mushy.
- Taste before serving and feel free to add additional salt to suit your taste.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hello everyone – greetings from Victoria, Australia. I bought your recipe book Joannie and it’s great. I am enjoying the recipes on Facebook too, so thanks for all the effort you put into this. Stay well and safe 🦋
Thank you so much for your support, Margaret. I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes.