Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Beef stew with beans

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One thing I always have in my pantry is a bag of Hurst's 15-bean soup mix. I throw away the packet of fake ham seasoning. Then I chop up some onions, carrots and celery and get to work.

Normally I start the pot with a little bacon, but this time I used beef stew meat. Because I didn't have any bacon and I was too lazy to go out to the store again. How did it happen that I didn't have bacon and did have beef stew meat? Well...I'm not always an organized shopper. Sometimes I take my list and cross things off as they go in my cart. And sometimes I wing it and assume my little brain will be able to remember everything I need without writing it down. Which, most of the time, it can't.

I love one-pot meals, especially on weeknights. Serve this with some cut-up raw vegetables or a green salad and you're done. If you can, make this recipe a day or two in advance and let it sit in the refrigerator. It's way better after sitting for a day or two.




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Beef stew with beans
A simple thick stew with beef and mixed beans. Turn this into soup by adding more water during the cooking process.
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes (I like chuck roast)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 large stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 package Hurst 15-bean soup mix (beans only)
  • 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chopped fresh chives or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Spray the pot with cooking spray and add the beef in a single layer. (You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pot.) Brown the beef cubes on all sides - let them get nice and crusty. Take them out of the pot and put them on a plate.Now add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and stir to coat the vegetables with the beef juices. Saute the vegetables about 5 minutes, until they are softened and glazed with the browned beef juices and bits.Rinse the dry beans in a strainer, then dump them into the pot with the vegetables. Add back the beef plus any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Put in the tomato sauce and bay leaves plus enough water to cover everything by one inch. Bring the pot to a boil, turn the heat way down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer about two and a half hours, until the beans are soft and the beef is fall-apart tender. Check the pot every half hour or so and add more water if it looks like the beans have absorbed it all.Season the stew with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with the chopped herbs.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8-10 servings

10 comments:

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

I made something similar last weekend with venison, but used barley instead of beans. This looks amazing. I am so into stews this time of year, that I just may have to add this to the menu next weekend!

Dena said...

Looks delish! I am new to your site and enjoying it quite a bit.
Question: What is the 'Pin It' function at the top of each post? I've not seen it before on other sites and was wondering how to use it.

Erika Kerekes said...

Dena - I am so glad to "meet" you! The "Pin it" button is for Pinterest, www.pinterest.com. Basically it's a way to collect images you like so you can share them with other people. I haven't been very active there but it's gaining popularity among food bloggers.

Patti at Worth The Whisk said...

WOW, wish I didn't look at this while I was hungry, great looking meal.

Deena @ StayatHomeFoodie said...

Mmmm beef stew... I haven't made one in years and years. But with today's crisp winds and this post, well, I may just have to introduce beef stew to my kids this week.

Monet said...

We're due to get a cold front in Austin tonight. This would be a great Sunday meal to take into the week. I'm about to start dinner so this post is making me especially hungry (and grateful I'll be eating soon!) I hope you are having a restful weekend!

Erika Kerekes said...

Deena - my kids are big fans of beef stew. Anything where you can sop up the juice with bread is fine with them.

Monet - I made this on a weekend and we ate it for the entire week. It's perfect for that!

FoodEpix said...

Looks delicious. Would love for you to share this with us over at foodepix.com.

Rachel @ Bakerita said...

Mmm, nothing better than a good, soul-warming stew to cure the winter blues. Your pictures are beautiful, and this recipe looks so wonderful. My family loves beef stew so I know we'll enjoy this!
Will definitely be adding this to the list of recipes I must make.

Carrie said...

This looks like a seriously delicious stew. I love those packages of assorted beans like that, too....there is a local farm by me that sells a 16 bean mix that I love. Yum!

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