The temperature here has dipped below zero. Being a hearty Minnesotan I should be well seasoned to the brutal winter cold. “Should” being the key word, LOL! Besides wanting to scoop up my babies and curl under a nice warm blanket, nothing seems to warm you up better than a nice hearty, steamin’ bowl (or two) of beef stew. This is a recipe that I have adapted over the years to change with my growing family and their ever changing taste buds. This is a meal everyone in my family gets excited about. No grumbling and empty plates at the table, a mama’s dream:) Also, easy on the budget! With a few fillers like rice and bread you can easily stretch this meal to feed more without spending more. I can definitely appreciate that!
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| To get started, grab a gallon size Ziploc bag, 1 Cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp black pepper. Place flour and all the spices in the Ziploc bag and give it a good shake to mix flour and spices well. Set aside, you’ll need this in a few minutes. |
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| Thinly slice 2 large onions, 4 cloves of garlic and 2 carrots. |
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| In a large pan or pot heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When pan is hot add your chopped veggies. Cook 5-8 minutes or until veggies are tender stirring occasionally. |
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| While veggies are cooking heat 1 1/2 Cups of water and one beef bullion cube to a boil. Turn heat off as soon as the water starts to boil and give it a stir. The bouillon cube should melt into the boiling water. You will need this to make a little broth for your beef stew. You can absolutely save a step and used canned beef or vegetable broth. |
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| I am using 1 1/2 pounds stew meat. I usually end up cutting each piece of stew meat into bite size pieces and cutting off excess fat (but not all, some fat is good and with the length we will be cooking the stew the extra fat will just melt into stew giving it added flavor). Once your stew is cut to desired pieces, go ahead and put half of it in your Ziploc bag and give it a good shake to coat each piece . |
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| Veggies are done when they are soft and the onions are translucent. Remove from pan and set aside. Once veggies are removed add 2-3 more Tablespoons of olive oil in pan and bring back up to medium-high heat. |
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| When pan is hot again start adding your stew meat. You might have to do this in 2 shifts. Brown stew meat well on both sides. Coating the meat in the flour mixture helps not only to brown the meat and add flavor but it will also be the thickener to the stew. |
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| When all the stew meat is browned add to the veggies back in, one small 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and the beef broth. Stir well. Cover and reduce heat to medium- low. Cook 4-6 hours stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning to your taste. If the stew is starting to look too thick add more liquids, I usually just add water. Cooking low and slow helps tenderize the meat and to really let all the wonderful flavors develop. The onions, carrots and garlic will actually melt into the stew leaving behind their delicious flavors. |
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| Almost finished! |
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| When you have about 1 hour left of cooking you are going to add 1-2 cans cut green beans (use fresh if you prefer, grocery store did not have good looking fresh beans) and 2-3 chopped carrots (use canned if preferred). Cover and continue to cook until the veggies are tender. Taste your stew occasionally to adjust the spices to your taste. |
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| We like to serve ours over some white rice. And for a special touch we sometimes (OK, more like every time) serve crispy homemade french fries over the top. |
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 gallon size Ziploc bag
1 Cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4-5 carrots separated, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
olive oil
1 beef bouillon cube or 1 can beef or vegetable broth
1-8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1-2 cans of cut green beans or 2 Cups fresh green beans
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