Healthy Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is beef stew good for a diet? ›

Beef stew is a healthy option. Right? It's full of veggies and protein after all. Although traditional beef stew recipes provide more nutrition than many meals, most still plague you with far too much sodium and calories.

Wondering if stews are healthy? Of course they can be! These stew recipes pack a major flavor punch with lighter ingredients like beans, fresh veggies and lean meats for a better-for-you meal. Check out even more healthy stew recipes right here.

Carrots and other root vegetables, onions, chard, spinach, and lettuce are ideal for stewing while potatoes, leeks, cabbage, and porcini mushrooms are optimal for braising.

Coating the meat in flour and searing adds incredible color and flavor to the beef, which is then infused throughout the stew. It also creates browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and when we deglaze those with red wine, it takes the flavor to new heights.

Turnips are an ideal potato replacement as they have a similar texture. Turnips can be prepared n several different ways, including baking, boiling, roasting, or steaming.

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily habits, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

Slow Cooker vs.

While high heat may cook the potatoes and meat quickly, only low, slow cooking can create the tender morsels of meat and flavorful broth that we seek. The stove (hob) will create a thicker broth/gravy for the stew because more liquid will escape during cooking in the form of steam.

Go for the chuck

The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.

Stewed foods are easily digested and flavours of food are retained in stewing. Disadvantages of stewing: - it is a long and slow method of cooking. - it requires longer time than boiling.

"Soups and stews really need to simmer for long periods to allow the ingredients to meld together. Taking that a step further, most soups and stews are better if you prepare them the day before serving. Allowing them to cool and then reheating them really helps bring out the flavors and textures."

What is a healthy thickener for stew? ›

Couscous is ideal for thickening soups and stews because it cooks quickly, releasing starch as it plumps. Choose tiny Moroccan-style couscous for the subtlest thickening effect. Use larger pearl couscous (aka Israeli couscous) to add a more luscious, subtly chewy element to the final dish.

Vegetables: small chopped carrots, celery, and onion or shallot practically melt into the sauce. Mushrooms: button mushrooms are a nod to the quartered mushrooms many classic beef stew recipes call for, but are thinly sliced instead of being left in bigger pieces. Garlic: minced garlic brings lots of cozy flavor.

A bit of tomato paste amps up the flavor of beef stew, giving it a richness and a punch of umami that makes the stew truly memorable.

Seasoning Your Stew

For seasonings, I like Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and a good red wine. I've also used a dark beer in place of the wine and been very happy with the results. You can certainly play with your own favorite seasonings, but I would recommend keeping them fairly simple.

If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours. Chuck meat is your best bet for beef stew, but it's also a pretty tough cut so it needs time to break down and become tender.

The Bottom Line. By opting for lean meats, giving preference to vegetables, and selecting healthy carbohydrates, you can create a hearty stew that not only tantalizes your taste buds but also moves you closer to your weight loss objectives this season.

The protein in meat can help with weight loss as well as building and maintaining muscle mass, according to Valdez. One grilled 121-gram tenderloin steak (about 4 ounces), for example, contains 255 calories, 37 grams of protein, 11 grams of fat and 0 grams of carbs, per the USDA. That's one heck of a protein punch.

Beef stew, homemade, gravy base with potatoes, with carrots or dark green vegetables (1 cup) contains 16.7g total carbs, 13.9g net carbs, 16.3g fat, 12.9g protein, and 265 calories.

For example, chuck is a lean and tender cut of beef that works well in stew. However, if you would prefer a thicker and more flavorful stew, short ribs or oxtail may be better choices for you. To make a delicious stew, choose good-quality ingredients.