Stifado (Easy Greek Beef Stew)
on Jan 08, 2025
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There’s a good chance even those who are not a fan of stews will enjoy this version of Greek beef ‘stifado’. ‘Hidden secret’ ingredients make the sauce so sweet, sticky and fragrant and the stars of the show, beef and onions, are meltingly tender.
The flavors in ‘stifado’ might be complex, but it’s very easy to make without even turning on your oven. Don’t forget to serve with feta cheese and plenty of bread to mop up the deeply-flavored, wine-rich sauce.
Why you’ll love it
Ahh… Stifado (pronounced STIFF-AH-DOUGH)! That wonderfully comforting and flavorful Greek stew packed with tender chunks of slow-cooked beef and sweet whole onions in a rich and deeply aromatic sauce!
You might think this would be a strictly winter dish, but I’ve actually enjoyed it in a small town in Crete in the summer, too. It was served in a little earthenware dish alongside ‘horiatiki salata’ (Greek salad!) and freshly baked Greek bread on a balmy evening with barely a breeze.
Made for dinner in households all over Greece on the coldest days, and also served in restaurants, this can be both a humble and impressive dish. Cooked slowly on the stovetop all in one pot, it’s surprisingly easy to prepare. The ‘hardest’ part is peeling the small onions that you’re going to keep whole.
I also couldn’t believe how amazing my kitchen smelled when I first made this! Thanks to the vibrant spices and hint of citrus. It’s one of those dishes that becomes even better the next day, after the flavors have had time to meld together, making it perfect for preparing ahead and reheating. I truly hope you give this a try soon.
Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll love:
- Deep and rich flavors. As well using interesting spices such as cinnamon, cloves and allspice, my version includes sweet sticky prunes and a little orange zest.
- No need to turn on the oven. Just simmer slowly on the stovetop for 2-3 hours.
- A versatile dish. Simple enough for a comforting winter meal for the family, but also classy enough to serve to guests.
- Humble ingredients. The best cuts of beef to use in this dish happen to be the most economical. You’ll also use many herbs, spices and other pantry ingredients, many of which you probably already have.
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
Olive oil: Like every good classic Greek dish, this beef stifado recipe starts with a very good splash of good quality olive oil! You need enough to cover the bottom of a big pot – around a quarter of a cup.
Baby onions: You can use shallots, pearl onions, or just small onions (around 18!). Shallots are milder and sweeter, but red onions are a good substitute. Sometimes my local supermarket doesn’t have small onions, so I just cut bigger ones into halves or quarters.
The point is to keep the onions whole, or at least in large chunks, for their interesting texture and appearance.
Beef: Go for a cut that will become tender and flavorful when braised slowly, like in this dish. Chuck steak, chuck roast, stewing steak, beef shin or brisket are all good choices.
Flour: You’ll toss the beef in about a quarter of a cup of flour before browning it on all sides. This will help to thicken the stew.
Can of tomatoes + a tablespoon of tomato paste (concentrate): Crushed or chopped tomatoes.
4 big cloves of garlic: I like to slice the garlic for this recipe, rather than crush it, for a little texture and subtle and sweet garlic flavor.
Red wine: This adds a delicious richness to the stew. A dry red is ideal.
Red wine vinegar: To add acidity, which balances the richness of the stew.
Oregano: It’s hard to find a classic Greek dish without dried oregano in it, and this Greek beef casserole is no exception.
Other herbs and spices: Bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and cloves add Mediterranean depth, warmth and complexity to the dish. I prefer cinnamon sticks and allspice berries for their appearance, but I’ve also included amounts of ground cinnamon and allspice in case you don’t have or can’t find either of these (allspice berries seem to be scarce where I live!).
Orange zest: From around half an orange. You don’t want to overpower the dish with this flavor, but a little is delicious.
Prunes: No one will know that you’ve added these. They’ll ‘melt’ into the stew, adding delicious fruity and sticky sweetness.
Beef broth: You’ll only need enough to ‘just’ cover the stew, which I find is around a cup.
Feta: Just enough to crumble over each portion, to serve. Greek kefalotyri cheese, pecorino or even parmesan can work as substitutions.
How to make a Greek beef stew
Beef stifado tastes like a masterpiece, but in fact the hardest work you’ll have to do is peeling the skins off the onions and browning the meat. After this, it’s just a matter of throwing everything in the pot and simmering it for two or three hours.
So the first step is to peel the onions. This can be a bit tiresome as you’re using a lot of small onions!
Once you’ve done this, sauté them in oil in a large pot with a lid for 3 to 5 minutes or until softened. Then take them out of the pan while you brown the meat on all sides.
After this, it’s just a matter of throwing everything else in the pot! I usually stir-fry the garlic, herbs and spices with the meat for around a minute. Then I add in everything else, including the softened onions.
Push everything down into the liquid (there will be just enough to cover the stew). Then cook on a low heat for 2 to 3 hours.
Serve with fresh herbs (if you have them), and plenty of fresh bread to mop up the amazing sauce.
Helen’s Top Tips
- If you have time, consider marinating the meat in the garlic, wine, vinegar, herbs and spices. Overnight in the fridge is ideal, but even an hour or two will intensify the flavors.
- Keep the lid on for most of the cooking time, then remove it towards the end to let it reduce and thicken.
- Let the stew ‘rest’ for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, to let the flavors deepen and settle and the stew thicken slightly more as it cools.
Serving ideas
I usually serve this Greek style beef stew very simply – in bowls with fresh herbs and chunks of feta cheese and fresh bread. If you have time, consider making some of this amazing Greek bread to go with it!
However, if you prefer, you can serve it with a potato dish, rice, couscous, or orzo (or another type of pasta) tossed with olive oil.
Here are a few options from Scrummy Lane.
- Amazing cauliflower and potato mash (great for making ahead!)
- Greek roast potatoes (just the best!)
- Mediterranean rice
Recipe FAQs
Both are traditional Greek stews, but they have different flavor profiles. Stifado is a rich stew with whole onions that is intensely spiced with flavors such as cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Kokkinsto, however, is a simpler tomato and herb-based stew without either the onions or complex spices.
Yes, you can. For everyday versions, beef is the most popular choice. However, traditionally and in particular areas, Greeks also sometimes make stifado with rabbit, lamb, chicken, pork, veal, or even octopus!
Yes, you can. I recommend softening the onions and browning the beef first. Reduce the beef broth (stock) to just half a cup. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. To thicken, you can either use the ‘reduce’ function, or boil on the stove for a few minutes until slightly reduced and thickened.
This is ideal for making ahead. Simply let cool to room temperature, then store in the pot with a lid on, or an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot throughout before serving. Beef stifado also freezes well for up to 3 months.
More classic Greek meat dishes
Greek Recipes
Easy Moussaka Recipe (Ultimate Guide!)
Greek Recipes
Easy Slow Cooked Greek Lamb (Lamb Kleftiko)
Greek Recipes
Bifteki (One Pan Greek Burgers And Potatoes)
Greek Recipes
Authentic Pastitsio Recipe (Baked Greek Pasta)
Or see all easy Greek recipes.
Stifado (Easy Greek Beef Stew)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 18 baby onions, peeled (pearl onions, shallots, small regular onions, or just bigger onions cut into quarters)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 pounds beef, (amount can be approximate) stewing steak, chuck, shin etc.
- ¼ cup all purpose flour, (or use corn starch for gluten free)
- 4 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sticks cinnamon, (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries, (or ¾ teaspoon ground allspice if you can't find the berries)
- 5 cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, (or any vinegar if you don't have this)
- 14 ounces chopped tomatoes, (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, (concentrate)
- 1 cup beef broth, (stock)
- 10 prunes, (about a cup) Substitute with dried apricots, dried figs, dried cherries, or another dried fruit.
- 1½ teaspoons orange zest, (about ½ an orange)
To serve (optional)
- fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, cilantro
- cheese such as feta, kefalotyri, pecorino, parmesan
- fresh bread
Instructions
- Start by peeling the onions. Then heat up the olive oil in a very large pot or pan with a lid. Saute the onions in the oil for around 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon (or regular big spoon) and set aside.18 baby onions, ¼ cup olive oil
- Now toss the meat well in the flour. Brown it on all sides in the pan. Then add the garlic, oregano, bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt and pepper, and stir-fry for a minute or so.2 pounds beef, ¼ cup all purpose flour, 4 large garlic cloves, 1½ teaspoons dried oregano, 3 bay leaves, 2 sticks cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice berries, 5 cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- Now add all of the other Greek stew ingredients – so softened onions, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth (stock), prunes and orange zest. Push everything down into the liquid and put the lid on the pot. Simmer on a low heat for 2 to 3 hours. You can take the lid off the pot half an hour or so before the end of cooking to let the stew reduce/thicken a bit. On the contrary, if the stew is looking a bit dry, simply add a little more broth or water.½ cup red wine, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 14 ounces chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 cup beef broth, 10 prunes, 1½ teaspoons orange zest
- Let 'rest' for 10 to 15 minutes. Then serve in bowls with feta cheese (or kefalotyri, parmesan, pecorino) scattered over and fresh bread to mop up the sauce.fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, cilantro, cheese such as feta, kefalotyri, pecorino, parmesan, fresh bread
Hi Helen, I live in Vancouver Canada, and I love your recipes, but I’m mostly laughing at your story about Ikea and leaving with nothing but a blue whale. Thats funny on its , only, the thing I’m laughing about as well is that exact thing happened to me last week except it was a giant Octopus I left with! I love Ikea soft toys! And thanks for your awesome recipes
Hello, Marianne! Oh you have really made my evening with that story! I didn’t know they also had a giant octopus. Maybe I’ll leave with that next time!! Hahaha – hilarious. Years ago it always seemed to be random kitchen items I left with. A cuddly toy is way more cute, and the whale has pride of place on my son’s bed. Of course, I’m also very happy that you’re enjoying the recipes. Happy New Year over there in Vancouver!