Beef Stew
Every bit of this beef soup is infused with wonderful flavor from slow roasting in the oven. Pair it with fresh bread or serve it over pasta.
Serving: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
6 oz thick sliced bacon, chopped into ¼" wide strips
Olive Oil to Sautee
2 - 2½ lbs boneless beef chuck or good quality stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1 lb mushrooms, thickly sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½" thick pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups low sodium beef broth or beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lb small potatoes (new potatoes, or fingerling), halved or quartered
Instructions
In a large, oven-proof pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until golden brown and fat is released. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a separate bowl.
While bacon is cooking, place beef in a large mixing bowl and season with ½ Tbsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Sprinkle beef with ¼ cup flour and toss to combine and evenly coat beef. Transfer beef in batches into the hot bacon fat and cook over med/high heat, until beef is browned (3-4 min per side). Add olive oil if needed. Cook beef in 2 batches or it won't sear properly. Transfer browned beef to the bowl with bacon.
Add 2 cups broth to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to deglaze the pot. Add sliced mushrooms and simmer over medium heat about 10 min. Return beef and bacon to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add sliced carrots, diced onion and 4 chopped garlic cloves, and saute 4 min. Add 1 Tbsp tomato paste and sautee another minute. Transfer veggies to the soup pot.
Add 4 cups beef broth, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil.
Add potatoes, making sure they are submerged in liquid then cover and transfer to a 325˚F oven for 1 hour and 45 min. Beef will be very tender. For a healthier stew, you can tilt the pot after it comes out of the oven to allow the liquid to pool to one side, then skim off any excess fat.
