Healthy Instant Pot Beef Stew tastes just like classic beef stew but is ready in less than an hour thanks to the pressure cooking power of the Instant Pot.
Everyone’s favorite comfort meal is ready in less than an hour. This Instant Pot Beef Stew is healthy, delicious, and couldn’t be easier.
I had a love-hate relationship with beef stew until I broke down and bought an Instant Pot. Now I can make it in an hour and it’s all love. My problem with beef stew in the past was that it took hours to cook the beef, and whenever the craving came for the beef, it was already too late to start cooking. You know the kind of days I mean. You come home from get off work and really want something comforting, like beef stew, only to find that unless you want to eat in the middle of the night, you just can’t. Luckily, the Instant Pot solves this problem.
Now when it comes to beef stew, I’m a bit of a traditionalist and like to stick to the basics – beef, carrots, potatoes, celery and onions. Now you can definitely spice things up by adding some mushrooms, peas, parsnips, sweet potatoes, or any other hearty vegetable you like. I also stuck with a very traditional spice blend, but you can definitely add that in too. Add some allspice, cinnamon, curry powder, or paprika to take the stew in a different direction.
What’s in Instant Pot Beef Stew?
What you find in goulash will vary depending on regional preference, with some people making it thick and serving it over rice, while others add chili peppers for flavor.
This particular beef stew recipe is as traditional as it gets. It has beef stew, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, pepper, thyme, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, salt and sugar. Vegetable oil and flour are also used in the recipe to help cook the meat.
Where does beef stew come from?
The origins of goulash are somewhat difficult to pin down, in part because of its cultural ubiquity. The oldest evidence of stew dates back 16,000 years to Japan’s Jomon period.
However, for the origins of our beef stew, we most likely need to look to Ireland and their Irish stew. Irish stew has the same ingredients as beef stew, with mutton or lamb instead of beef. Knowing this, it’s likely that, like corned beef and cabbage, beef stew evolved among the Irish immigrant population in the United States. French influence can be felt in this dish, thanks to the use of wine as well as mirepoix, a flavorful base of onions, carrots and celery.
With this little lesson in heritage tracking, you’ll find it hard to draw a straight line with any one country. In my opinion, it is arguably a uniquely American dish due to its French and Irish heritage!
How to grill meat
This small step in making beef stew is completely optional, but doing so will add more flavor to your stew and give your beef a wonderful texture.
You may ask, what might this step be?
Brown the beef cubes. Now, not everyone does this and I admit even I don’t do it all the time –
But if I have time and I’m feeling a little fancy, I’ll take a few extra minutes.
Simply add the edges of the beef to the pan and cook until browned. Do this for all sides of beef. Once done, add all the beef to the Instant Pot along with any juices from the beef in the pot. That’s all the flavor and you don’t want to throw it away.
If you prefer, you can also sear the meat in the Instant Pot – instructions for that are in the recipe below.
Vegetables for beef stew
If you’re looking to increase the portion size of your beef stew – or you just want to get more vegetables into your diet – here’s a list of some (possibly uncommon) common vegetables that work really well in beef stew:
- acorn squash
- butternut squash
- cauliflower
- Celeriac
- kale
- corn
- mushroom
- Parsnips
- sweet potato
- Swiss Chard
- radish
Can beef stew be frozen?
One of my favorite things to do when I make beef stew is double the recipe and freeze half for future use when I’m low on energy and inclination to cook. Stews are very easy to freeze and reheat. To freeze beef stew, first cool it to room temperature, then place it in a freezer-safe container and place it in the refrigerator. Remember to only partially fill the container as the liquid in the stew will expand as it freezes!
My favorite is to put it in a Ziploc bag so the stew freezes in a sheet and is easy to stack.
However, as a warning, if I were to do this, I would definitely double up on the Ziploc bag just in case the inner bag breaks.
What to pair with beef stew
You could easily eat beef stew entirely on its own and be satisfied, but if you’re like me, you like to have a choice of sides. So, knowing this, I’ve put together a list of foods that pair perfectly with goulash recipes:
- Serve with some mashed cauliflower for a light side dish that goes great with beef stew. Mashed butternut squash is another delicious option.
- Serve beef stew with some roasted vegetables for a light and healthy side dish.
- Serve with a side salad to make things a little easier. Add crispy vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers and carrots to add some texture and crunch to the meal.
