Have you had enough salads and cold food? Well, the good news is fall is just around the corner! And to celebrate it, you can cook this savory low carb beef stew to warm your heart a bit. Plus it happens to be keto-friendly!
Chunky pieces of savory meat and hearty spices perfectly combined to welcome the harvest season and the perfect low carb meal. Grab the low carb beef stew recipe!
Get your veggies ready and chop away! The best part? This low carb recipe requires almost no supervision and will be ready in about half an hour.
Start your instant pot on the Saute setting. While you wait for it to warm up, chop the onions, tomatoes, green beans and mince the garlic. Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin C and folic acid, which is very important for producing red blood cells. It is also a good source of fiber, which is an essential factor in any low carb diet.
Once your instapot is ready, pour the olive oil and add the meat. Saute until it is browned all over and add salt and pepper to taste. Some pink Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground pepper is a nice way to elevate this beef stew.
PRO TIP
When the meat is seared, which means cooked at a high temperature over dry heat, it undergoes something called the Maillard reaction. Browning meat creates a “searing” effect, which means the flavor will be sealed in by creating a delicious flavor-packed crust on the meat’s surface. Let me give you a tip to get a perfect browned meat: Don’t hesitate to turn the heat on! Your pan or cast iron must be super-hot, or you will not get the desired effect. Use paper towel to ensure your meat is dry and do not crowd your pan as this causes the heat to dissipate quickly. Do it one by one if you have to, because putting more than one will cause the temperature to drop. Think of this like caramelizing the meat to lock in the juices while enhancing the meat’s natural flavors. Oh and don’t forget about the tasty caramelized brown bits on the bottom of the pan. These blissful brown bits add incredible depth to sauces and stews.
Now add some spices, preferably fresh local or organic spices! Stir in the garlic, thyme and oregano and add two bay leaves for that distinctive “harvest” flavor.
Did you know oregano is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant? It has many benefits. You can find more about it at your local spice shop or even Amazon’s single herbs and spices section.
After about one minute add the onions, green beans, butternut squash or pumpkin (or both if you feel adventurous!) and turnips, well known for their high nutritional value. Pumpkins, squash and vegetables are always excellent options for keto-friendly recipes, so keep them handy in your pantry. I love visiting my local farmers market or when I am in a jam even ordering fresh produce.
Pour in all the liquids: beef broth, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and stir a bit. Add the diced tomatoes now since they will cook a lot faster.
Close the lid and set it to the “soup” option for 30 minutes or more, it’s up to you and the flavor you want it to have. Select a favorite playlist and search for the perfect low carb or keto-friendly dessert recipe while waiting… and since you’ve made it this far please pin and save this recipe!
Now, for the last step, why add Xantan gum? Well, you know low carb diets and to keep this keto-friendly we avoid using wheat flours, regularly used to thicken soups and gravies. That’s where Xantan helps. I use it as an excellent wheat flour option to give this mouth-watering low carb recipe a bit of added thickness. Mix the Xantan bit by bit and stir well after each mix.
1. Prep those veggies!
2. Prepare and add the stew meat to your instapot. Or pre sear in your favorite pan or skillet.
3. Add in 1 tbsp of olive oil, and your stew meat, and saute until browned well. Add salt and pepper and I recommend trying Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground pepper for an extra boost.
4. Mix in the minced garlic, bay leaves, oregano and thyme, and continue cooking for another minute.
5. Stir in the onions, butternut squash, green beans, and turnips.
5. Pour in the beef broth.
7. Add in the diced tomatoes.
This is a great time to add this to your low carb recipe book, don’t you think? Plus it’s fun to save on Pinterest or share with your friends on social media looking for similar recipes.
Low Carb Beef Stew
Grab this Low Carb Beef Stew Recipe
Low Carb Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs stew meat ideally organic grass fed
- 1 cup pumpkin chopped (or butternut squash)
- 4 small turnips chopped
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 cup green beans sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil cold pressed
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 4 c beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup tomatoes diced
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot to Saute, and wait until it comes to heat.
- Add in 1 tbsp of olive oil, and your stew meat, and saute until browned well. Add salt and pepper to taste to the meat.
- Mix in the minced garlic, bay leaves, oregano and thyme, and continue cooking for another minute.
- Stir in the onions, butternut squash, green beans and turnips.
- Pour in the beef broth.
- Mix in the worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, stirring to combine.
- Add in the diced tomatoes.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot, and select 30 minutes on the “soup” option.
? Share the yummy-ness! ?
(I love seeing them all!!)
Lori says
So delicious, what amazing flavor! The Balsamic definitely gave depth to the flavor.
My store didn’t have pumpkin, and I didn’t want to chase one down so I got butternut squash and they were also out of turnips so I opted for parsnips.
I made the night before, stove top, so it had time to cook and all I had to do was reheat. I think this helped the flavors meld too.
730 Sage Street says
Awesome Lori, sounds perfect to me!