Italian Beef Stew with Mascarpone Recipe | Thick, Creamy Meat Stew

With olive oil, diced soffritto, fresh herbs, wine and tomato paste, this stew has a lot in common with other classic Italian meat dishes. What sets it apart is that the sauce is extra-thickened with lightly floured beef and creamy mascarpone stirred in.

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Stufato di Manzo al Mascarpone Recipe

Makes: 4 servings

Cook Time: 1 ½ hours

For this recipe, you will need:

• Vegetable or beef broth (you’ll likely only need about 2 cups, but we recommend keeping 4 on hand, just in case)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• 1 pound (450 grams) beef stew meat, cut into 2-3 inch chunks
• All-purpose flour, as needed
• ½ large carrot, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• ¼ large onion, diced
• 4 to 5 fresh sage leaves, torn
• Fresh rosemary, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) red or white wine
• 1 ½ tablespoons (25 grams) tomato paste
• Mascarpone, to taste (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)

Heat the broth in a small pot. It shouldn’t boil, but you’ll want to keep it warm on the stovetop.

Add enough olive oil into a medium pot to coat the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, toss the beef chunks in flour until they are evenly coated.

When the oil is hot, shake off the excess flour from the meat and add it into the pot. Cook and stir until the meat is lightly browned on all sides, then stir in the diced carrot, celery, onion, sage, rosemary, bay leaves, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to stir until the onion is slightly tender and transparent, then pour in the wine.

Lower the heat and bring the wine to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, until the smell of alcohol has dissipated, then stir in the tomato paste and about 1 ½ cups (350 milliliters) of the warm broth.

Bring the stew back to a gentle simmer and let it cook, partially covered, for at least 45 minutes or until the meat is fork tender (the cook time will vary depending on the cut of meat). While it cooks, the stew will thicken and you may need to add more warm broth as needed to maintain a simmer. The mascarpone will thicken the sauce substantially so the trick here is to keep the consistency a little thinner than you would like the finished stew to be.

When the meat is tender, stir in a big dollop of mascarpone until it dissolves. Taste and adjust the salt as necessary. Bring the stew back to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until it has thickened to your liking. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve warm.

Buon appetito!