Kendra's Treats

I bought an Instant Pot last year on black Friday. Admittedly, I haven’t used it all that much. I go through phases where I will use it quite a bit, but then might go a few months without touching it. I even leave it sitting out on my counter. Which is HUGE for me, because I’m anti-anything on my counter! Seriously, other than my stand mixer, my ninja was the only other appliance I leave sitting out until I added the Instant Pot. I don’t even have a toaster ;). I’ve almost packed it away a few times, but then I make a roast that’s fall apart tender – in an hour! – and I change my mind. My favorite thing to fix in it so far has been roast – because it’s ready so fast – but this beef stew might be a close second!

I came home from work the other day craving something warm. The hospital doesn’t care that it has cooled off (some) and the air conditioning is still running on high. Or at least it is like 60 degrees everywhere! I’ve taken to drinking a cup of hot tea after lunch just so I can finish rounding…haha. So after being cold all day, I came home and made this beef stew. Beef stew in an hour…seriously?? THIS is where the instant pot shines! I used the meat/stew mode, which is basically high pressure for 35 minutes but I’d say it takes more like an hour from start to finish when you include chopping the veggies and browning the meat. Still pretty quick for beef stew – and the meat was fall-apart tender. It hit the spot for sure! I think I will be using my instant pot a lot more come cooler weather! Enjoy!

Instant Pot Beef Stew

1 pound beef stew meat
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups beef stock or broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
3 large carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes (peeled or unpeeled)
salt
pepper

1. Place the meat in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir until coated.
2. Place olive oil in instant pot and turn to sauté mode. When oil is hot, add the meat. Brown on all sides.
3. Add the beef stock to deglaze the pan, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom. Stir in the Worcestershire, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, tomato paste, rosemary, and thyme.
4. Add the carrots and potatoes and stir.
5. Close the lid on the instant pot and turn to meat/stew mode (or set to manual -high pressure for 35 minutes). Once complete, do a quick release by opening the steam valve. Carefullly open the lid. Give the stew a good stir and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
*adapted from Budget Bytes