Despite of my busy schedule, I still have to do some essential cooking and baking but not really much... And one of the food that I was asked to cook is actually beef stew.
Why beef stew?
I don't like to eat beef but my husband and son do. And, they really really really love eating beef!!!
To be fair, I can't say that I won't cook beef because I don't like beef. I will cook beef because I really like to cook for my family. Besides, my boy is a growing kid and needs many essential nutrition from lean red meat.
Thus, this is why I have been looking for easy and healthy recipes that can cook lean beef in the most delicious way and this EASY beef stew is one of the best recipes that I have cooked...
This is the Easy and Healthy Red Wine Beef Stew that I have cooked for my family.
Highly recommended because it is healthy and very comforting to eat!
"Your beef stew got standard! Must cook again!"
Can you believe that this is what fussy husband said to me when he was enjoying this beef stew? My eyes rolled when he said this. LOL!
Friends who know my husband well enough may be surprised and laugh when they hear my husband saying this because he hardly praise anything or anybody!!! ... especially me! LOL!
Why this beef stew recipe?
There are so many beef stew recipes everywhere and have you wonder which is the best one to cook?
After browsing through many recipes, I have noticed there are several techniques used to cook beef stew. Typically, they are:
1) Recipes that sear the beef and thicken the gravy first and cook until the beef is tender which is exactly how I cooked mine.
2) Recipes (e.g. here) that cook beef until tender first and the gravy was thicken subsequently.
3) Recipes (e.g. here and here) that use Dutch oven and slow baking to cook the beef until tender.
4) Recipes (e.g. here and here) that cook beef until tender and bake the stew to reduce the gravy at the last step.
5) Recipes (e.g. here) that cook beef in a cooking pot with tight fitting lid until tender, remove the lid at the last step and cook until the gravy has reduced.
6) Recipes (e.g. here) that cook beef until tender and that's it!
Gosh! There are so many ways of cooking a beef stew!!! For me, I like to cook mine with the least amount of effort and time. Plus, traditionalist me likes to use classic ingredients like carrots, potatoes, mushroom and onions. NO crazy crazy ingredients like olive, sun dried tomatoes, orange and even cheese! LOL!
Which recipe will you use?
If you are like me who just want to cook an EASY CLASSIC TASTY beef stew, you might want to watch my video to see if you want to cook your beef stew like mine. It's really really really easy, hearty and yummy.
Typically, most beef stew require a total of 2 hrs to cook on the stove or in an oven until the 3-4 cm beef cubes are tender.
However, this recipe is versatile and requires 1 hrs only to cook in a pressure cooker until the beef are tender. Plus, there is no need to reduce or thicken the gravy after the 1 hr.
Or you can use a slow cooker to cook this recipe. In another words, you can prepare everything in the morning before work and let the beef cook in a slow cooker for 8 hrs and dinner will be ready when you reach home. Isn't this fuss-free and awesome?
My beef stew is cooked for 1 hr in a pressure cooker.
My son likes his stew with dollops of sour cream and a sprinkle of sweet Hungarian paprika.
My husband likes this stew being so hearty, flavoursome and tender.
Do you like this easy beef stew too?
If you like my recipes and want the latest update from my blog, you can follow me at either my Facebook at here or here or my Instagram @zoebakeforhappykids
Here's one of our favorite recipes that is adapted from Food Network.
This is a freezer-friendly recipe. I usually cook this massive amount at one go and keep the leftovers in a freezer for up to 1 month for our fuss free weekday dinners.
Serve 6-8
For the beef:1 kg beef chuck, cut into 3-4 cm pieces
1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika*, plus more for garnish
15g (1 1/2 tbsp) all purpose / plain flour
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper to season
To cook the beef and gravy:
3 tbsp vegetable oil2 tbsp tomato paste
50g (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) red wine - I used Cabernet Merlot.
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper to season3 medium carrots, cut into 3 cm / 1-inch chunks - no need to peel, discard the top and bottom pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped into chunks
500g small white potatoes, washed and halved
250g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
parsley leavesdollops of sour cream - I used the fat reduced one.
sprinkles of paprika*
*You can use 1 tsp spicy kind of paprika if desired.
Combine beef, paprika, flour, salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook beef in 1-2 batches if required for about 3 mins until deep golden brown. Transfer onto a plate and set aside. Do not wash the frying pan.
Using the same frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste. Cook and stir for about 1 min until the oil is deep red. Add 50g flour and wine. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and it is ok if there is lumps. Add beef stock, thyme, salt and ground black pepper and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook and stir until the gravy is smooth (or at least less lumpy) and thick, about 4 mins. Remove from heat.
Add carrots, onions, potatoes and mushrooms into 1) a pressure cooker if you want to cook your stew for 1 hr or 2) a non-stick large (6L or anything larger) cooking pot with a tight fitting lid if you want to cook your stew for 2 hrs or 3) a 6L (or any larger) slow cooker if you want to cook your stew for 8 hrs. Then, add the seared beef with all their juice and the thick gravy.
Cover and cook for 1) 1 hr with medium pressure if you are using a pressure cooker or 2) 2 hr if you are using a regular non-stick cooking pot. Use medium high heat to bring mixture to boil first, then reduce heat to low and cook for about 2 hr or until beef is tender or 3) 8 hr if you are using a slow cooker.
IMPORTANT: Cooking timing might vary due to the cut of the beef that you used. Do make sure that the beef has to be cooked or baked to tender.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve the stew in bowls with dollops of sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika.
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