Beef Stew - It's The Season For Stew!
Do you ever have an idea in your mind of what you want a dish to taste like and then it comes out exactly how you were hoping?
When I made this beef stew for dinner it came out exactly how I want beef stew to taste! It was so warm, thick, and hearty.
The perfect dinner for a cold windy night.
- Serves: 2
- Prep time: 30 mins
- Cook time: 2 to 2 1/2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 lb beef stew meat
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups broth/stock
- 4 button mushrooms
- 1 tbsp butter or rendered animal fat such as tallow or bacon fat or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup prepared tomato (marinara) sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preseason beef stew meat with salt and pepper and let rest outside of refrigeration for 30 mins.
- While stew meat is resting, dice 1/2 onion, mince 2 tbsp garlic cloves, slice 4 button mushrooms, and set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp butter, animal fat, or avocado oil in stock pot over medium/high heat.
- Add beef stew meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown stew meat. Remove from pan, cover, and set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp butter, rendered animal fat, or avocado oil in pan, scraping up browned bits to incorporate their flavor into the dish.
- Add diced onion, add salt and pepper to taste, and cook until translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant.
- Return browned stew meat and all juices to stock pot and stir to combine.
- Add prepared tomato (marinara) sauce and stock and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 1.5-2 hours. Add stock to keep ingredients fully covered as needed.
- About 1/2 hour before serving, add sliced mushrooms and simmer until desired texture is reached.
- Give one final taste before serving and adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) as desired.
Subs & Adds
- This dish is very easily customizable to suit your tastes. If you like carrots, celery, or other vegetables in your stew, add them at the same time you cook the onions. If you do not like an ingredient used, simply omit it from your dish. I can't see in your house and you won't offend me if you leave out the mushrooms (or onion, or whatever you prefer not to have in your stew).
- I used homemade bone broth (stock) to make this dish. If you don't like or don't have homemade bone broth or stock, you can use prepared beef stock, chicken stock, vegetable stock, or bone broth.
- I used a homemade tomato (marinara) sauce similar to Rao's. A prepared marinara sauce (such as Rao's) would also work well in this dish.
