Recipe Inspiration
Mmmm, beef stew…so simple, yet so satisfying! When you’ve had a good beef stew, you don’t forget it. I first came across this recipe in about 2002 when our women’s group arranged a dinner for a large crowd. The organizer needed several people to make one batch of beef stew each. She provided us with a recipe. I’ve kept this recipe ever since, and now the hand-written recipe card is faded and difficult to read.
The original recipe calls for baking the stew in the oven for 2-3 hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. It also calls for a can of cream of celery soup and onion soup mix instead of beef broth. I really like the recipe made that way. However, I found over the years that I didn’t always have onion soup mix and celery soup on hand. And I hadn’t planned ahead to allow for the 3-hour bake time. That’s when this version of the recipe was born! It’s great either way, but this approach seems to work better for me these days.
Nutrition
You knew I would include a paragraph about the health benefits of this recipe. It’s a great feeling to fill your tummy with delicious food AND to know what each ingredient is doing to nourish your body! So, in keeping with the family tradition of discussing these facts around the dinner table while eating, I present them to you here. See links (these links are all from eatright.org) for extra info. The one-and-only Kaitlin, our favorite babysitter turned dietician, showed me that website.
- Beef: Cobalamin, or vitamin B12, plays an important role in creating new red blood cells and a deficiency could result in anemia.
- Onions: High concentrations of allyl sulfides in onions do double duty fighting heart disease and cancer. Onions are a source of inulin (for a healthy gut), and a good source of vitamin C, fiber and manganese.
- Potatoes: Potatoes are high in potassium. Potassium is a mineral that, among other things, helps muscles contract, helps regulate fluid and mineral balance in and out of body cells, and helps maintain normal blood pressure by limiting the effect of sodium. Potassium also may reduce the risk of recurrent kidney stones and bone loss as we age.
- Carrots: Carrots are high in carotenoids. Among the 600 or more carotenoids in foods, beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein are well-known leaders in the fight to reduce the damage from free radicals. Foods high in carotenoids may be effective in helping prevent certain cancers and may help decrease your risk of macular degeneration.
- Celery: Often dismissed as the “negative-calorie vegetable,” celery has about 15 calories per cup and is a source of vitamins A, C and K and potassium. Celery also provides quercetin, a flavanoid with antioxidant properties.
Serving
This beef stew recipe is so simple, delicious, and nutritious. Enjoy it all winter long! Served with a piece of wheat bread on the side and a glass of milk, this stew will leave you fully fueled to study for all those tests. You’ll even have leftovers to bring to class the next day in your insulated thermos. Enjoy! I love you!
Homemade Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 lb stew meat
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
- 2 onions cut into bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup flour
- 3-4 potatoes peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3-4 carrots peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3-4 celery stalks ends cut off, cut into slices
- ½ cup ketchup
- 32 oz beef broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the onions. Peel the potatoes and carrots, then cut them into bite-size pieces. Slice the celery stalks. (Keep the onions separate from the other vegetables because they will be added to the pot before the other vegetables. Set all the vegetables aside.)
- Add oil to a stock pot and heat on medium-high heat until oil is warmed.
- Add the stew meat to the pot.
- Sprinkle salt and paprika onto the meat, and stir to coat evenly.
- Add onion pieces to the pot. Stir the meat and onions together. Cook the meat and onions for a few minutes, stirring as needed to prevent overcooking.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat and onions. Stir to coat evenly.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery to the meat and onions.
- Add the ketchup and the beef broth to the pot, and stir to incorporate.
- Heat until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow vegetables to cook until tender, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
- Using a spoon, scoop out a piece of meat, onion, potato, carrot, and celery into a small bowl with a little bit of the liquid. After cooling adequately, test each piece for tenderness. If any of the pieces are still crunchy, continue cooking and checking after a few minutes. Avoid overcooking.
- Taste-test the liquid, adding more salt and pepper as needed.