Few things are as soul-satisfying as a steaming hot bowl of beef stew. This recipe uses the oven and stovetop and takes time, so it’s perfect for weekend cooking when you have some leisure. You can pack the leftovers for a work lunch during the week. Many stew recipes rely on flour or potatoes as a thickener. Both are delicious but do not work on the keto eating plan. Since we still wanted a rich, hearty stew, we used fatty boneless beef short ribs because they turn meltingly tender with long, slow cooking and chunks of portobello mushrooms for their meatiness. We also decided to add low-carb cauliflower to thicken the stew and make it creamy. First we browned the meat to create flavorful fond, and then we mixed in the mushrooms and cauliflower. We cooked them with the meat in the oven with chicken broth. Finally, since cauliflower purees really easily because of its low carb content, we whizzed it up with some broth to give our stew a creamy consistency, keeping some cauliflower florets whole for diners to bite into. A drizzle of red wine vinegar and sprinkle of minced parsley made a bright, fresh accent to this comforting winter favorite.
Jump to RecipeDirections :
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil to fat left in pot, cover, and cook over medium heat until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until mushrooms are dry and onion is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in broth and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in beef and any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for 2 hours. Stir in cauliflower and continue to cook until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove stew from oven and discard bay leaves. Transfer 1 cup cooking liquid and 1 cup cauliflower to blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Stir cauliflower puree and vinegar into stew and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual portions evenly with parsley before serving.
Beef Stew With Cauliflower And Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless beef short ribs trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 12 ounces portobello mushroom caps gills removed, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ½ onion 4 ounces, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound cauliflower florets cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil to fat left in pot, cover, and cook over medium heat until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until mushrooms are dry and onion is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in broth and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in beef and any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for 2 hours. Stir in cauliflower and continue to cook until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove stew from oven and discard bay leaves. Transfer 1 cup cooking liquid and 1 cup cauliflower to blender and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Stir cauliflower puree and vinegar into stew and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual portions evenly with parsley before serving.