Nothing quite beats a good insta pot stew recipe, it is a recipe you pull out when the weather gets cold, and you need a tasty stew to warm up your weary bones. It has a way of warming you up and leaving you feeling cozy, unlike any other winter dish.
This delicious stew is an easy-to-make dish, you can even make it on a busy weeknight. Even in a rush, it won’t alter the delicious layers of divine flavoring.
With the savory tender beef, soft potatoes, and wholesome veg, it gives you all you need to feel warm, full, and happy!
When you have some time to spare, make it on the stove top, however, you could even give it a try in a slow cooker if you need to do some errands and chores while you cook!
Quick Answer
This insta pot stew recipe pairs together succulent and juicy melt-in-your-mouth beef with countless delicious vegetables in layer upon layer of satisfying flavor. It is very easy to make and only takes an hour out of your busy day.
This is the ideal stew to make in advance as well, as it will acclimate flavor over 1–2 days after cooking. However, ensure you brown the beef in a single layer to get the most out of its flavor.
What Is Great About This Recipe?
Why should you try this recipe? Well, there are a few reasons you should give it a try, let’s look at some of the reasons that this insta pot beef stew recipe should be your first choice stew when the weather gets cooler!
It produces a savory and succulent beef that basically melts in your mouth. Your fork will easily tear pieces off each chunk!
It is packed with wholesome potatoes and vegetables for all the nutrition you need.
It is a dish easily doable in the middle of the week, and it only takes an hour to make!
It spreads a fervent warmth around the dinner table.
Things To Keep In Mind
Before you get cooking, there are a few things that you will want to be mindful of as you cook, let’s take a look at these things.
Considerations With Browning The Beef
Building the incredible beefy flavor that is in this stew is something that should be done in stages. The first part of doing this is browning the beef.
This aspect of the dish is very important, and you need to do this in a single layer. Even if you need to brown a couple of batches. This will create proper browning that will caramelize the beef’s exterior and create a fond.
A fond is the little brown bits you see at the bottom of your pot.
This will add a great deal of flavor to the insta pot beef stew, and you would surely notice it if you missed out on this stage!
Don’t Forget To Sauté The Aromatics!
You need to take the time required to properly sauté your onions and garlic until they are soft
Don’t Forget To Sauté Your Veggies!
Sautéing the veggies will help to coax out the mild sweet flavors of the vegetables into the stew.
Ingredients List
Let’s take a look at what you will need for this stew. There is some leniency, however, and if you do not like a particular ingredient, you can substitute, however, just ensure that any substitutions you make are suitable for this dish!
Stew Meat/ The Beef
We prefer to use beef chuck in this recipe. It will come from the front shoulder and has more than enough connective tissue that will melt into the meat and make it extra tender.
If you are unsure about using this specific meat cut, be aware that it works on a scientific level, and the amount of connective tissue in this particular cut of beef is exactly what makes it so juicy and tender!
Vegetables
We usually choose to use a mixture of carrots, peas, onions, and potatoes to give this stew the flavors and texture that it needs, as well as the essential nutrition needed to warm you up.
Beef Broth
Choose a low-sodium beef broth for this recipe as it will give you the ability to add salt separately, so you can have a stew as high or low in salt as you wish. This choice is also best as it tastes better than water.
If you add salt separately, then at the right concentration, it can enhance the umami flavor of a savory dish like this!
Tomato Pasta
Add in a can of tomato paste, even though it may sound unorthodox to do so, it can help with the fond, as well as introduce a delicate but sweet undertone to the recipe.
Better Than Boullion
This is a spiced flavoring paste that is absolutely divine. It has more flavor than the traditional salty bouillon cubes we are all familiar with. It is also easier to measure as well.
Use a lot or only a little depending on the desired outcome!
Additional Herbs & Spices
Add in some thyme, some parsley, maybe some Italian seasoning, and a Bay leaf to provide your insta pot beef stew recipe a unique ambrosial flavor that you won’t forget any time soon!
Freezing/Storing/Making In Advance
If you fancy freezing or simply storing your insta pot beef stew this is totally doable.
Like any stew, it is also a great idea to make this dish in advance so that when you get home late from that busy meeting, dinner is already made, and you have only got to heat it up.
How Long Can You Keep An Insta Pot Beef Stew In The Fridge?
If you decide to store this stew in the fridge, feel confident that it will last you around 3 to 4 days. You should store it in a reasonably sized resealable container, or even use a gallon-sized Ziplock in order to save space.
You can also keep them in single-serve portions in shallow airtight Tupperware containers, for easy grab-to-go work lunches you can reheat them at the office!
Can You Freeze An Insta Pot Beef Stew?
You can freeze this stew if you decide to. It can stay frozen for up to 6 months. So, if you plan on freezing it, just wait to add the potatoes to it, and the cornstarch slurry.
Freezing will cause the slurry to end up separating and the potatoes can get grainy.
So, instead, you can thaw this stew overnight in the fridge to ensure texture consistency.
Or, you could pre-cook the potatoes, or thaw the stew and heat it up, then add in the potatoes to cook. Then, you can finally add the cornstarch when you heat it to serve it.
Is This A Good Dish To Make In Advance?
This dish is a great choice to make in advance. If you make it a day in advance, you may even find that the flavors are better one to two days after it was made!
How To Make This Recipe
How long does this dish take to prepare?
10 minutes prep time.
50 minutes of cooking time.
The total time to make it is 1 hour.
Recipe Ingredients For 8 Servings:
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil.
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut up into ½ inch cubes.
1 ½ cups of onion chopped up.
4 minced cloves of garlic.
2 tbsp tomato paste.
3 cups of low-sodium beef broth.
1 tbsp beef flavored “Better Than Bouillon”.
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.
1 tbsp Italian seasoning.
½ tsp dried thyme.
1 Bay leaf.
2 ¼ tsp salt.
1 tsp black pepper.
2 cups of russet potatoes that have been peeled, then diced into cubes of ½ inch.
2 cups of carrots, peeled and diced.
1 cup peas (frozen).
3 tbsp cornstarch that has been dissolved in ¼ cup of cold water.
2 tbsp chopped parsley.
Cooking Instructions Step-By-Step
Get a 6.5-quart Instant pot and turn it on the sauté function. Then, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to the pot. Then, wait for the display to say “hot” and then add in your beef in batches, ensuring they are applied in a single layer and evenly browned.
Remove the beef to a plate when browned and then repeat this process as much as needed until all your beef is cooked, using oil as needed.
Add 1 ½ cups of onions and the 4 cloves of garlic to your instant pot and sauté them until they are soft, this should only take about 3 minutes. Then, add in the 2 tbsp of tomato paste.
As you do this, be sure to stir constantly, then sauté again for another minute.
Next, add 3 cups of beef broth, stir, and gently scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon so that you can loosen all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. This is very important as otherwise the ‘burn light’ may switch on.
Now, you want to add in your ‘Better Than Bouillon’ which has been dissolved. Add in 1 tbsp of this, 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, ½ tsp of thyme, 1 Bay leaf, then 2 ½ tsp of salt and pepper, and stir to mix.
Once all this is combined, add in your 2 cups of potatoes, 2 cups of carrots, and the browned beef you made earlier.
Now you will want to lock the lid in place and set the valve to seal. Set the instant pot function to “manual mode-high pressure” for 35 minutes and your instant pot will start on its own.
After this, switch the value to the “venting” position to “quick release” for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid with caution, we are aware there will still be some steam remaining. Once the lid is removed, take the Bay leaf out and discard it, you won’t want to accidentally eat it.
Then, stir the cup of peas very gently, as well as the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch slurry. Now, turn the heat off and let the stew sit for around 3–4 minutes so that it may thicken.
Once it has thickened, you may now serve.
Cooking Notes
Be aware that the browning of the beef should be done in stages. You must brown your beef in just a single layer, even if you need to do it in several batches. It is worth the time it takes to do so.
Browning properly in batches will caramelize the beef exterior and create a fond, which is the brown bits at the base of the instant pot, adding loads of flavor to the stew.
When you saute the aromatics, ensure you saute the garlic and onions until soft, and when you saute the vegetables it will help to get their mild, sweet flavors out and into the body of the stew.
Nutritional Values for 1/8th (1 serving)
Calories: 301 kcal
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Protein: 29 g
Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 70 mg
Sodium: 990 mg
Potassium: 1000 mg
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 5 g
Vitamin A: 5630 IU
Vitamin C: 17 mg
Calcium:62 mg
Iron: 4 mg
Overall
This is the ideal stew for busy people who do not always have the time to cook awesome dinners. It is ideal as it can be made in advance and the longer you leave it, the better it tastes.
Why not make this stew on a lazy Sunday evening and watch it last all the way until Friday?
With so much flavor, warmth, and great flavor, you can’t say no to this delicious stew and how much it has to offer for a dish only cooked in an hour!
Insta Pot Stew Recipe: A Beef Stew For Busy People!
Recipe by Lana RiveraCourse: Uncategorized
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
40
minutes
Calories
300
kcal
Ingredients
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil.
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut up into ½ inch cubes.
1 ½ cups of onion chopped up.
4 minced cloves of garlic.
2 tbsp tomato paste.
3 cups of low-sodium beef broth.
1 tbsp beef flavored “Better Than Bouillon”.
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.
1 tbsp Italian seasoning.
½ tsp dried thyme.
1 Bay leaf.
2 ¼ tsp salt.
1 tsp black pepper.
2 cups of russet potatoes that have been peeled, then diced into cubes of ½ inch.
2 cups of carrots, peeled and diced.
1 cup peas (frozen).
3 tbsp cornstarch that has been dissolved in ¼ cup of cold water.
2 tbsp chopped parsley.
Directions
Get a 6.5-quart Instant pot and turn it on the sauté function. Then, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to the pot. Then, wait for the display to say “hot” and then add in your beef in batches, ensuring they are applied in a single layer and evenly browned.
Add 1 ½ cups of onions and the 4 cloves of garlic to your instant pot and sauté them until they are soft, this should only take about 3 minutes. Then, add in the 2 tbsp of tomato paste.
Next, add 3 cups of beef broth, stir, and gently scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon so that you can loosen all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. This is very important as otherwise the ‘burn light’ may switch on.
Now, you want to add in your ‘Better Than Bouillon’ which has been dissolved. Add in 1 tbsp of this, 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, ½ tsp of thyme, 1 Bay leaf, then 2 ½ tsp of salt and pepper, and stir to mix.
Now you will want to lock the lid in place and set the valve to seal. Set the instant pot function to “manual mode-high pressure” for 35 minutes and your instant pot will start on its own.
After this, switch the value to the “venting” position to “quick release” for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid with caution, we are aware there will still be some steam remaining. Once the lid is removed, take the Bay leaf out and discard it, you won’t want to accidentally eat it.
Hey! I’m Lana, the original Soup Chick! I decided to create this website as I am a massive soup fan. I will literally make soup for every occasion. Whether a friend is under the weather, has the flu, or I just want to try out something new in my slow cooker!
I hope that you can find some really interesting and different soup recipes to try out with my site. I know I’ve had a lot of fun curating and trying them all, and I hope that you do too!
