This is going to be embarrassing but the reason I wanted to find and make a really good beef stew recipe is because I wanted to replicate Dinty Moore beef stew – or maybe my memories of it anyway. I think it was sort of like spaghetti-Os, I had fond childhood memories of it but as an adult it didn’t seem as good. But I do love the nice tender meat with the traditional potatoes and carrots in a rich sauce along with some peas stirred in just at the end.
I found this recipe in the Multicooker Perfection book by America’s Test Kitchen (#CommissionEarned) and it’s perfect. The Instant Pot allows you to make a beef stew that’s tender and develops a lot of flavor in a short amount of time. I knew this recipe was a winner when I made it for my parents and my mom liked it. She’s not a huge beef eater and was skeptical but I caught her eating the leftovers later and she asked for the recipe.
As with most soup – or in this case, stew – this recipe freezes very well. If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can also make this recipe in a slow cooker.
Here’s what you need:
Start by prepping your vegetables. Slice up a pound of carrots about an inch thick, a pound of potatoes, and finely chop one onion.
Next, we’re going to cut a 2 pound chuck roast into one inch pieces. Start by pulling the meat apart at the seams, trimming excess fat and cutting into pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Turn the Instant Pot or multicooker (if you are going to slow cook the recipe do this step in a pan) to the saute setting. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and then add the chopped onion and a half teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onion is softened.
Add some flour, tomato paste, thyme.
Cook and stir for about a minute until fragrant.
Whisk in some beef broth and soy sauce. If you are slow cooking, only add enough to deglaze the pan and then transfer to slow cooker where you can add remaining beef broth to the slow cooker.
Whisk until there are no more lumps and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom. Then add in the potatoes and carrots you cut earlier along with the beef. Stir it into the sauce.
Place the lid on pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally for about 10 minutes and then quick-release remaining pressure. I always put a kitchen towel over the top of the of the valve so I don’t burn myself and to catch any stray droplets of liquid that come out.
If you want to slow cook, slow cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Next stir in some frozen peas – no need to defrost.
Allow the stew to sit for a couple minutes until the peas are heated through.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Finish it off by stirring in some parsley.
Now it’s time to dig in!
Not pictured, one of my favorite accompaniments to this stew is some good old white bread spread with soft butter.
- 1 T vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ c flour
- ¼ c tomato paste
- ¼ t dried thyme (or 1 t fresh thyme minced)
- 2 c beef broth
- 2 T soy sauce
- 2 lb chuck roast
- 1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 T minced fresh parsley
- Gently pull the roast apart at the seams, trim any excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Turn the instant pot to the saute function (or if slow cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat) and heat the oil until It shimmers. Add the onion and salt and cook until the onion softens but doesn’t brown about 3 minutes. If slow cooking, you can do this in a skillet and transfer to the slow cooker later.
- Stir in flour, tomato paste, and thyme and cook for about a minute.
- Whisk in broth and soy sauce, scraping any browned bits from the bottom (if you’re using a skillet, only add enough of the broth to deglaze and add the rest in the slow cooker).
- Add beef, carrots, and potatoes.
- Put the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.
- Note: If slow cooking, transfer to the slow cooker and cook for 7 to 8 hours.
- Stir in peas and let sit until heated through.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Leave a Reply