Hearty Beef Stew is perfect for cold weather, when you’re craving something rich, warm and comforting. Remember that stew is a casual dish, so you don’t need to spend time making sure all your vegetable pieces are the right size or shape. Just give them a rough chop and get them into the pot. It will still taste great at the end! If you use grass-fed beef, it will brown more easily and will be leaner, so reduce the heat somewhat and you may need a bit more cooking fat for this step.
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Hearty Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef stew meat (preferably chuck)
- 2 tablespoons tallow (or oil of choice)
- 2 medium onions (yellow), halved and sliced into ¼” semi-circles
- 3/4 pound carrots (about 2 large), roughly chopped into 1/2”-3/4” rounds
- 8 stalks celery roughly chopped into 1/2”-3/4” pieces
- 3/4 pound parsnip (about 2 large), roughly chopped into 1/2”-3/4” pieces
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups red wine (dry)
- 3 ounces tomato paste (1/2 can)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons rosemary (freshly chopped)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons thyme (freshly chopped)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of tallow over medium-high heat in a large oven-safe pot. Add half of the beef to the hot oil and stir frequently until browned. Remove from pot. Brown the other half of the beef. Remove it from the pot too.
- Add vegetables and garlic to the pot. Add an additional 1 tablespoon oil if needed (this will depend on how fatty your beef is).
- Stir relatively frequently and cook until vegetables are starting to get soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the meat back to the pot. Add the rosemary, bay leaf and thyme to the pot. Add broth, wine, and tomato paste.
- Cook for 3 hours (or more).
- For a thicker stew, you can scoop out some of the vegetables and broth and puree with an immersion blender.
I am intolerant to tomato, so what can I use instead of tomato paste? Or, can I just leave it out?
You can simply leave it out, or add a small roasted and mashed red beet for color and nutrients.
Can this be made in the Instant Pot?
Sure! The timing will change. Just follow the instructions for a similar stew.