Winter Beef Stew

Brrr! When it’s freezing outside, nuthin’ will warm you up like this easy Winter Beef Stew! Serve up with a nice rustic bread!

Winter Beef Stew

Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Southern

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ pounds cubed beef chuck (or beef of your choice cubed)

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus 2 tablespoons butter)

1 small yellow onion (peeled and chopped)

5 cloves fresh garlic (chopped)

1 8-ounce can diced tomatoes (plus juice)

8 small red potatoes (cleaned and halved) or 4 Yukon Gold (cleaned and halved)

1 12- ounce bag of fresh green beans (cleaned and ends trimmed)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme)

1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh basil chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Get out your Dutch oven and heat up the olive oil and butter over a medium-high heat.

2. Once the butter is all frothy, add the chopped onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent. Then push the onions and garlic to one side of your pan.

3. Add your cubed chuck meat and cook the meat until browned. Once the meat is browned, add the diced tomatoes and their juice and stir to combine. Now add 3-4 cups of water and stir to blend. Next, add all of the spices (salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil) and stir again. Then, put the lid on your Dutch Oven and turn the heat down to medium and let this cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

4. After the 30 minutes, add the potatoes and stir them into the juice. If the juice has cooked down, add another cup or two of water. You want the potatoes to be able to cook for another 20 minutes, so they will need the liquid. At this point you may taste and see if you need some more salt, pepper and garlic powder to your taste.

5. Once this has cooked for another 20 minutes, remove the lid, and add the fresh green beans. You can just lay them on top of the stew and let them sink down into the juices or tuck them into the mixture. Replace the lid and let this cook for another 15 minutes. Once again, if you need a little more water, you may add ½-1 cup. It’s up to you how much juice you like in your stew. At this point the juice will have thickened and become rich from the meat and tomatoes and potatoes, and that’s how I like mine. Replace the lid and let this cook for another 10-15 minutes until the meat is very tender and the vegetables are done.