Hearty Beef Stew

Name: Hearty Beef Stew
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 lbs beef chuck, cut in 2-inch cubes; 3 tbsp flour; 3 tbsp oil; 1 onion, diced; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 1/2 cups red wine; 4 cups beef stock; 4 carrots, cut in chunks; 1.5 lbs potatoes, halved; 3 sprigs thyme and 2 bay leaves

Soups Instant Pot Freezer Friendly One-Pot High-Protein

Beef browned in batches, red wine reduced down to nothing, and root vegetables simmered until the whole pot turns thick and dark. The cold weather dinner I make most often.

Course: Soups
Time: 3 hr
Servings: 6

Cooking Notes

Brown the beef in batches. Overcrowding drops the pot temperature and creates gray steamed meat instead of the dark fond that gives stew its depth.
Reduce the red wine until it is noticeably concentrated before adding the stock. That cooks off the harsh alcohol edge and intensifies the browned flavors from the pot.
Add carrots and potatoes later than the beef so they become tender without dissolving during the full braise.

Recipe Card

Hearty Beef Stew

By Gabriella

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Category: Soups
Total Time: 3 hr
Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs beef chuck, cut in 2-inch cubes
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups red wine
4 cups beef stock
4 carrots, cut in chunks
1.5 lbs potatoes, halved
3 sprigs thyme and 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1
Dry and salt the beef, toss it in the flour, and brown it in batches so each piece has room and the pan never drops in temperature.
2
Cook the onion in the same pot, then add the tomato paste and let it darken for two minutes against the bottom of the pan.
3
Pour in the wine and reduce it until it is syrupy, scraping up every browned bit, which is where nearly all of the flavor lives.
4
Return the beef with the stock, thyme, and bay leaves, and braise covered at 325°F for about two hours until the meat is nearly tender.
5
Add the carrots and potatoes for the final forty minutes, then rest the pot off the heat, skim the surface fat, and season it before serving.