This is what my dinner looked like tonight. So good. If I wasn’t so full I’d go have another bowl.

This is a scrumptious, simple beef stew recipe that’s perfect for warming your soul after a long, cold week. In honor of the first day of spring — and because it’s 20 degrees outside and these are the type of Wisconsin problems I wish we didn’t have — I made Beef Stew. #whereisspring? Bahhhhhh!!!!

 

Beef Stew is seriously super simple to make. Let’s begin, shall we? First, start with some stew meat, usually sold in the grocery store with the label of — are you ready? “Stew Meat.”

Aren’t you glad to have me here to explain these things?

Okay — now, before you *gasp* at the sight of this little packet — hear me out.

Seriously. This stuff is so good. It has everything mixed in already for you — allspice, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sugar, paprika. You can make your own seasoning if you’d like, I just think this is easier. And just to note, don’t add this whole thing at once to your pot. Treat the packet like any other seasoning — measure it out. This little packet will give you enough seasoning for three batches of stew. Just stick the rest in a sealed container and save it for the next batch of stew.

Add your meat to a bowl and toss it with the salt, pepper, and beef stew seasoning.

Heat some olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot. Add the meat in two batches (to avoid overcrowding), cook it up for a few minutes and remove it to a separate plate.

Quarter up some mushrooms and add that to your pot with some butter. Butter makes everything better.

You can use regular white mushrooms here, but I personally like the baby bellas — they taste more “meaty” and that’s how I like my mushrooms. But as I always say — you’re the cook so you do what you like best.

Now for the chopping. Chop up your onions, carrots and celery and add that to your pot. I like to do a rough chop on the onions, a thicker slice on the carrots and a rough chop on the celery. It is stew after all — bigger chunks make it feel more rustic and hearty. And for the Wisconsin spring we’re having, you want something hearty.

Cook your veggies for a few minutes and then add your minced garlic. Stir it around for a few seconds and then add your flour. A thick paste is gonna form on your vegetables — that’s good. We like paste. You want to cook away the flour before you add your beef stock. Once you add the broth, scrap up all the little bits of meat and vegetables on the bottom of your pot because there’s lot’s of flavor there. Then add your beef (and the juices), tomato paste, and remaining beef stew seasoning. Bring it to a boil and cook it up for an hour before you add your potatoes and finally your green beans.

Seriously now, it’s the best beef stew I’ve ever had. This recipe was adapted for the Horrmann liking from Emeril Lagasse.

Enjoy my friends.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1 cups roughly chopped onion
2 cups sliced carrots
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic, about 2-3 cloves
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 to 4 cups 1-inch dice russet potatoes
1 cup frozen green green beans, thawed

Directions

Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pot and season the beef with the salt, two teaspoons of the beef stew seasoning and black pepper, being sure to toss the meat well to evenly cover with the spices. Add 1/2 of the beef to the pot and cook until browned on all sides, 2 or 3 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil to the pot along with half of the remaining meat and cook again until browned. Set aside. Be sure to reserve all the juices from the meat.

Add the butter and mushrooms to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the stock, tomato paste, remaining teaspoon of seasoning and browned beef and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Add the potatoes to the stew and partially cover the pot with a lid. Continue cooking until the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the lid and add the green beans to the stew, stir well to combine, then remove from the heat. 

Serve with biscuits and enjoy.