Beef Stew

Photo by Lukas from Pexels

I love beef stew and use this recipe when I need to stretch my food budget. It is also a good way to use food that has been donated and needs to be used before it goes bad. This stew gives you that warm-down home feeling. This recipe also makes great leftovers and freezes well.

Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs chuck roast
• 3-4 slices of bacon, optional
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3-4 smaller carrots, chopped or 1/2 of a 16oz bag of whole baby carrots
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 tbl garlic or to taste
• 4 meduim size potatoes
• 1 to 2 cans of tomato sause
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of broth
• 1/4 cup of white wine/seasoned rice vinager

*Other optional vegetables: bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, butternut squash, zucchini, and more.

Seasonings

• 2 tbl steak seasoning
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• bay leaf
• 3 tbl worcestershire sause
• 2 tbl pickled green chile or chile of your preference, optional

Instructions

I make this recipe in a 5-quart saucepan. Cut the beef into bite-size pieces and set it aside to be cooked later. If you are using bacon, add the bite-size pieces to a cold pan and brown. After it has finished browning, take it out of the pan and set it aside. You can drain to the bacon grease and use oil. Or use a little bit of it to saute the veggies.

If you chose not to use bacon, pre-heat the pan, add oil and sear the beef. Add onion, celery, and garlic, one at a time. Saute the vegetables between each addition to help build a flavor profile. Saute until they are translucent. Add wine or seasoned rice vinegar to the mixture. You can use white wine vinegar if you do not have any rice vinegar. Sir, and then let it simmer for a few minutes. Next, add one can of tomato sauce, carrots, and potatoes. Stir the mixture.

At this point, as usual, start slow with seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. I also add chile for some kick, but that is entirely optional. Check consistency and if needed, add broth and/or the other can of tomato sauce. The consistency is entirely up to you. Adjust to taste and place a small bay leaf into stew. Simmer on a lower heat for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. After it has reached the finish time, you will need to fish out the bay leaf before eating.

If you use other veggies, You may want to add them later toward the end of your cook time. Depending on the veggie, if you put it in too early, it will become mushy. To mix it up, I will put parsnip, turnup, or Kohlrabi to replace potatoes.

Have fun and enjoy some yummy food. Share and comment to tell me how yours came out!