60 Minute Beef Stew

Beef stew in under an hour? Believe it or not, yes. This 60 Minute Beef Stew is not only packed full of flavor but the meat is tender and you’d never know this didn’t simmer on the stove all day long!

60 minute Beef Stew | mountainmamacooks.com

I don’t think I’ve talked to any working parent, EVER, that doesn’t struggle with getting dinner on the table. And, just to clarify, stay-at-home moms (and dads) ARE very much working parents. Hell, even my mostly retired Mom has a tough time getting dinner on the table for her and my Dad each night. I guess it doesn’t matter if you work in the home or out of the home, have young kids or grown kids, the dinner struggle is real. So it’s not really much of a surprise that the request I most often get for the blog is “easy dinner ideas”.

60 minute Beef Stew | mountainmamacooks.com

I get it. I really do. I write a food blog, I cater part-time, and food is so much of my day to day life yet I still manage to come up short handed come dinner time more often than you can imagine. Between after school activities, work, and life in general, I struggle just as much as the next working parent to get dinner on the table each night. But truth be told, I’ve given up on the notion that I need to put dinner on the table every night anyway. I’ve got enough s$*t going on that I certainly don’t need to beat myself up if my kids eat cereal for dinner every once in awhile. So much mom guilt, you know? So while I do my best to meal plan and do as much prep as I can for the upcoming week, I really just do what I can and hope for the best. And somehow it always works out.

60 minute Beef Stew | mountainmamacooks.com

I’m all over the meals that are a) easy, b) can be made ahead, and c) make awesome leftovers. This 60 Minute Beef Stew does it all. It’s a cinch to prepare, tastes even better on the second day and I happily ate this stew as dinner one night and lunch the next day. I’m not a big fan of stew in the slow cooker because you can’t brown the meat and those browned bits at the bottom of the pan are magic. I stay away from “stew meat” as it always disappoints- too many fatty and tough pieces- and instead use a sirloin steak that I cut up myself. It really only takes a few extra minutes and the pay off is exponential. Because I like less meat and more veggies in my beef stew, this is laden with potatoes, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Feel free to beef up the beef (pun intended) if you want more protein.

60 minute Beef Stew | mountainmamacooks.com

Serve with garlic bread (my favorite!!!) or homemade biscuits slathered in salted butter. Enjoy and happy cooking! xo, Kelley

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60 Minute Beef Stew


  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Description

A hearty and flavorful beef stew made in under 60 minutes!


Ingredients

  • 1.752 lb organic sirloin steak
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon season salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small)
  • 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
  • 1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup dry red wine
  • 16 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
  • 32 oz beef stock
  • 1 lb potatoes, cubed (I used 2 medium yukon golds)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • fresh chopped parsley, optional

Instructions

  1. Trim the steak of any visible fat and cut the steak into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
  2. Place the steak in a medium bowl with flour, season salt and pepper; toss to evenly coat.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the steak in an even layer and stir occasionally until the meat is nicely browned and small dark bits form on the bottom of the pan. This is where all the flavor develops!
  4. When the beef is nice and browned, turn the heat back to medium and add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Stir, and cook 4-5 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir and cook for 1 minute longer.
  5. Turn the heat back up to medium high and add the red wine. Use a wooden spoon and scrape the dark bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the beef stock and mushrooms. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and Worcestershire sauce and cook just until potatoes are tender- about 20 minutes longer. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in a handful of fresh chopped parsley if desired and serve with warm crusty bread or homemade biscuits!