Ground Beef Stew – The Stay At Home Chef

Beef stew is made even simpler by utilizing floor beef. Our signature mix of spices and Worcestershire sauce give our beef stews wonderful taste and use easy, pantry components.

This recipe is predicated on our well-known Old Fashioned Beef Stew that at all times receives rave critiques!

If you happen to’ve obtained an extra of floor beef in your freezer, use it in a stew and make a heat, home-cooked meal! Floor beef is a good protein possibility, recognized for being budget-friendly, however that doesn’t imply you need to compromise on style. Regardless that this floor beef is thrown in a stew, you continue to get the flavour and texture from the browning of the meat that shines via. When seasoned proper, you get juicy, flavorful meat that can change into your weeknight recipe go-to.

Ingredient Notes

• Floor Beef: Go for floor beef with not less than 80/20 fats content material or leaner to keep away from extra grease. 
• Olive Oil: You need to use any impartial cooking oil like avocado or vegetable oil as effectively.
• White Onion: White onions have a sharper taste, however yellow onions additionally work.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic gives one of the best taste, however jarred minced garlic works in a pinch.
• Pink Potatoes: Ultimate for stews as they maintain their form effectively when cooked. If unavailable, Yukon Gold potatoes are an excellent substitute.
• Carrots: Child carrots work too, simply minimize them into smaller items for even cooking.
• Beef Broth: Select a good-quality, low-sodium beef broth to create a flavorful stew base.
• Tomato Paste: This thickens the stew and provides a concentrated tomato taste.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Soy sauce with a tiny quantity of vinegar can be utilized as an alternative.
• Granulated Sugar: A small quantity balances the acidity and enhances the general taste.
• Allspice: A single spice derived from a berry (not a spice combine), it provides a heat, distinctive word that’s the key to this recipe.
• Cornstarch: Whisking it with water creates a slurry that thickens up your chili.

Floor Beef Choices

We suggest utilizing 80/20 floor beef for this recipe. The additional fats enhances the flavour of the stew.

If you happen to desire a leaner possibility, equivalent to 90/10, that works too. You might even attempt floor turkey or hen for a lighter twist, however consider the flavour will likely be a bit totally different.

Take note that utilizing floor beef with the next fats content material will produce extra grease, which you’ll have to spoon out to maintain your stew from changing into too greasy.

Cornstarch Slurry

A slurry is a mix that’s made from a liquid and cornstarch, used to thicken soups and stews. They’re mostly made by whisking water, beef broth, or one other liquid along with the cornstarch, earlier than including it to a soup, stew or dish that requires thickening. Very like a roux that’s used to thicken gravy or soup, a slurry is made after which progressively added to the dish.

The rationale you don’t need to add cornstarch on to a dish or pot is as a result of it received’t incorporate correctly and clumps will kind. The water or liquid ushers the cornstarch into the fluid progressively sufficient for it to include earlier than it clumps.

Sluggish Cooker Directions

In a skillet over medium-high warmth, add floor beef and brown effectively throughout. Take away the meat to a plate and drain if wanted then switch the browned meat to a sluggish cooker.

In a small bowl, whisk collectively 1/4 cup of chilly water and a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to make a slurry.

Add all remaining components, together with the slurry, to the sluggish cooker.

Set the sluggish cooker on excessive for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours till the meat and greens are tender to your liking.