March 2025
This tasty, rich beef stew is full of nutrients and fiber from a rainbow of vegetables, mushrooms, and chewy barley. It’s lighter on meat but not on flavor, and clean-up is a breeze because everything cooks in one pot.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean beef chuck or stew meat (buy it cubed to save time)
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided, more or less to taste)
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 4 medium carrots
- 2 medium celery stalks
- 2 medium parsnips
- 1 pound mushrooms
- 4 small cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup uncooked barley
- 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh parsley, chopped
Tools
- A Dutch oven, soup pot, or other large pot that holds at least four quarts
- Chef’s knife and cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spatula
Instructions
1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven, soup pot, or large saucepan. Pat the meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place it in the hot pan and let it brown for about three minutes or until it browns and lifts up easily. Turn the meat and cook on the second side for another three minutes. Transfer meat and drippings to a bowl and set it aside.
2. While the meat cooks, peel and dice the onion. After you remove the meat, add the diced onion to the pot. Let the onions cook and soften for about five minutes or until golden.
3. Peel and trim the remaining vegetables. Cut the sweet potato, carrots, celery, parsnips, and mushrooms into one-inch pieces. Mince the garlic. Add these to the pot once the onions are golden. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the tomato paste in the center. Stir for about 20 seconds to caramelize it. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat vegetables with tomato paste and flour.
5. Add the cooked beef, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and remaining salt to the pot. Stir and bring the stew to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for one hour.
6. Add the barley and frozen peas to the pot. Stir well and return the stew to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the stew simmer for one more hour.
Note: Leftover stew will thicken in the refrigerator. Add extra water or stock to thin as needed.
