Healthier Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is homemade beef stew healthy to eat? ›

The essential ingredients for stew -- meat, vegetables and broth -- are healthy stuff. The problem is that traditional recipes call for massive portions of fatty meats paired with super-salty canned broths. Don't be turned off by recipes that use wine; a large portion of the alcohol and calories cook away.

Carrots and other root vegetables, onions, chard, spinach, and lettuce are ideal for stewing while potatoes, leeks, cabbage, and porcini mushrooms are optimal for braising.

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

Chuck. Chuck is one of the leaner types of beef, making it perfect for stews because it melts into delicious pieces as it cooks. A chuck roast has a large amount of connective tissue, which allows it to retain its moisture during the cooking process.

Most stews and roasts include potatoes. Though it's technically a vegetable, this starchy food contains a large number of carbohydrates and is high in calories. If you skip the potatoes and stick to some leaner vegetable options, such as carrots and celery, you'll have a healthier dish overall.

The Bottom Line. By opting for lean meats, giving preference to vegetables, and selecting healthy carbohydrates, you can create a hearty stew that not only tantalizes your taste buds but also moves you closer to your weight loss objectives this season.

Turnips are an ideal potato replacement as they have a similar texture.

Starch- Cornstarch, potato, tapioca, rice, etc, all of these provide starch which, mixed with liquid and heated, gel and thicken. Fiber- Beans, onions, etc. Cooked and then mashed or blended will thicken a stew considerably.

The best potatoes for beef stew are those that hold their shape and texture well during cooking, providing a creamy yet sturdy addition to the dish. Yukon Golds have a creamy texture and slightly waxy consistency that holds up well in stews without becoming overly mushy. They add a nice richness to the stew.

There are flavors in tomatoes that are alcohol-soluble, so adding red wine along with tomato paste also helps to enhance beef stew." Laurence has a few other tricks I've borrowed to create the best beef stew, including adding Worcestershire, which gets a serious umami punch from anchovies.

How do you make stew taste richer? ›

If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

The secret to good stew is adding umami-rich ingredients and allowing the stew to simmer long enough to create super tender beef chunks. The umami-rich ingredients in this recipe are the mushrooms, beef, and beef broth. These savory flavors are balanced by the tangy tomatoes and the rich red wine.

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

To reduce fat and saturated fat, I used lean meat, and a minimum of rapeseed oil for frying. I added extra veg to improve your 5-a-day. To cut calories, fat and salt, I used vegetable bouillon instead of a beef stock cube.

It's also a way to retain the maximum nutritional value of the food you cook. Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow, moist heat method – simmered, not boiled. This makes stewing popular in low-cost cooking.

Beef stew, homemade, gravy base with potatoes, with carrots or dark green vegetables (1 cup) contains 16.7g total carbs, 13.9g net carbs, 16.3g fat, 12.9g protein, and 265 calories.

Beef gets an underserved bad rap when it comes to health, especially heart health. However, research shows that a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle that includes lean beef (like in this hearty beef and vegetable stew!) can reduce risk factors for heart disease, including elevated cholesterol and blood pressure.