"Hearty" Beef Stew: Nutritious Comfort Food

Lisa –

This robust, satisfying stew is very versatile. Tweak it to what you have in your fridge and pantry. It will warm your heart and leave you feeling content. Double it if you want leftovers for the week!

It was early afternoon, and the age-old question, “what’s for dinner?” popped into my head. My first temptation was just to head to the grocery store and pick up something easy. But, I’ve been trying to stick to a budget and I had maxed that out for the week already. So, I started looking through my freezer, fridge, and pantry. I discovered I had some stewing beef! I also had a few tomatoes left from my garden this summer. There was broth and a bunch of vegetables that needed to be used. With all those ingredients, I realized I could probably put together a hearty beef stew. My husband isn’t a fan of most soups or stews, but he is never disappointed with beef stew. I think it’s because it is more filling and so I always make sure it is pretty thick. 

Enjoy this hearty beef stew recipe and feel free to swap out the listed ingredients for ones you have on hand. For example, you could add tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, or even a can or two of tomato soup. Instead of red lentils to thicken your stew you could thicken it with cornstarch or flour. Cornstarch is generally better than flour for thickening stews because it’s more effective and can thicken liquids faster.

If you want to experience the most satisfying, nutritious comfort food, look no further!

Ingredients

 2 pounds stewing beef, cut into bite-sized pieces 

4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch squares 

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced 

1 onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced thinly or minced 

6 tomatoes 

4 cloves or 1 tablespoon garlic 

2 teaspoons paprika 

2 teaspoons rosemary (I usually grind rosemary, because otherwise they can be a little sharp) 

Oil for searing meat 

900 mL Chicken Broth 

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar 

¼ cup red lentils 

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over your stewing beef. 

Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan on medium-high. 

Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil (avocado oil is nutritious and has a high smoke point).

Once hot, sear the meat until all sides are browned, keeping space between each piece. You may need to sear the meat in batches. 

Take the browned meat out of the pan and set aside on a plate or tray.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and add the onions. 

Saute for 3-5 minutes, then add celery, carrots, and mushrooms. (I make sure to mince my mushrooms because there are certain family members who are not fond of them. If they are small enough, no one seems to notice. I tend to do the same with celery.)

After these vegetables are hot, but still a little crunchy, add garlic and saute for 1 minute. 

Next, add seasonings and stir until combined.

Finally, add diced tomatoes, and let the whole mixture cook for a bit until the tomatoes have broken down and become saucy. 

Now, it’s time to choose your own adventure: slow cooker, stovetop stockpot, or Instant Pot.

Put veggie mixture into your pot of choice. 

Add chicken broth, diced potatoes, red lentils and apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. 

Stir.

Slow cooker: cook for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high, depending on your needs.

Stovetop: Bring stew to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer until cooked–30-45 minutes. 

Instant Pot: Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release. 

For ultimate enjoyment, serve with a big slab of buttered sourdough bread. I hope you love this recipe as much as we did!

Notes: 

Stewing beef: I decided to cut my meat into smaller pieces so there would be meat in each bite. 

Herbs and spices are everything! If something doesn’t taste as good as you would like, just add a little more garlic, or rosemary, etc. 

Apple cider vinegar enhances the beef stew with a rich, robust taste, bringing out even more depth of flavour.

Sauté: I just kept sautéing as I added the next chopped veggie. I like to make sure the onions are well cooked, so I add them first and then go from there. 

Using a cast iron pan: If you are looking for ways to get more iron in your diet, cooking tomatoes in a cast iron pan can increase iron content in your food because tomatoes are acidic and they break down the seasoning of the pan. Just be sure to take care to use a well-seasoned cast iron pan, and only cook for about 15 minutes.