This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Knorr®. The opinions and text are all mine.
A Flavorful Pressure Cooker Autumn Beef Stew:
This simple autumn beef stew is cooked in a pressure cooker. The meat is braised in rich beef flavored broth, red wine and fall vegetables. It’s the perfect main dish for any weeknight dinner and is a perfect holiday dish.
Beef stew and Beef Bourguignon are two of my favorite fall recipes. Today, I am going to share my take on the classic beef stew. This Beef Stew with Fall Vegetables is a comforting dish filled with tender meat, rich broth and nourishing fall vegetables.
The recipe doesn’t require a long cooking time but It is loaded with a ton of flavors and made with easy ingredients. This is a simple one-pot-meal that your family will enjoy, and bonus, it tastes fantastic the next day!
Now let’s talk about some of the important ingredients used to make this beef stew:
Beef:
In this recipe, I used a beef chuck roast. This part of the meat is actually the least expensive and surprisingly makes a great stew because it has more connective tissue and fat. The final result is tender and juicy pieces of meat! If you can’t find beef chuck roast, feel free to use other parts of meat such as oxtail, cross-cut shanks, bone-in short rib or fatty brisket.
In general, braising meat on a stove will require about 2 hours of cooking time. But, cooking the autumn beef stew in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot will only take 30 minutes, with 10-15 minutes of natural release.
Searing the Meat:
Browning meat is one of the most important steps in building the flavor of stews. When the meat hits a hot pan, the surface instantly begins caramelizing and will add rich flavors to the dish. It’s an extra step but trust me, it’s worth the effort.
To brown the meat, I just dredge the beef chuck pieces in flour and sear for about 3-5 minutes on each side.
Fall Vegetables or Root Vegetables:
I love cooking with seasonal vegetables! This beef stew is loaded with fresh pumpkin, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. These vegetables add richness and natural sweetness to the broth. If you are not a big fan of pumpkin, butternut squash can be used as a replacement.
For this recipe, I used sugar pumpkin, aka pie pumpkin. This small round pumpkin is packed full of edible flesh and has a better texture than regular pumpkin, which makes it a perfect choice for cooking.
Broth:
A good broth makes a good stew, simple as that! In this recipe, I used Knorr® Selects Granulated Beef Bouillon that I mixed in with plain water. It’s quick and easy to prepare.
It’s the perfect addition to kick up the flavor of any dish, from soup, stew, pasta to casserole.
I purchased the Knorr Selects from local Vallarta markets. It comes in varieties of flavors and forms.
I think the Knorr Selects Granulated Beef Flavor really adds that authentic flavor that I look for, giving extra depth, and richness to this stew. I’ll definitely pick up other Knorr Selects Granulated flavors for future recipes, they’ve been rock solid for me on more than one recipe on my site and many others over the years.
The Knorr Selects Bouillon Granulated Beef Bouillon is made with natural beef stock, no artificial flavors, and colors, no artificial preservatives or MSG added. Compared to traditional bouillon, Knorr selects has 30% less ingredients, a cleaner label, and more premium ingredients.
Sharing Recipes with Mom:
I sometimes call up my mom or mother-in-law and share out a recipe and tell them some of those extra tips that make a dish taste special (for example in this one using the Knorr Selects Granulated Beef Bouillon, the chuck roast, and the pie pumpkin. For this one my mother-in-law said “Knorr, of course. I wouldn’t use anything else”). Sometimes being stubborn pays off, and I oftentimes agree with the products and brands they stick to. I also like getting their nod of approval, which always feels good.
It gets fun when I use a product or recipe they’ve made for many years and put my own spin on things. It’s fun to get creative in the kitchen and express yourself through your food, and of course, to please your palette. This traditional recipe tastes quite different from other beef stews out there, and I do hope you enjoy it.
Check out more Beef recipes:
- KOREAN BEEF BOWL – SWEET AND SPICY
- INSTANT POT HAMBURGER HELPER – GROUND BEEF MAC AND CHEESE!
- INSTANT POT BEEF STROGANOFF
- INSTANT POT BRISKET AKA PULLED BEEF FOR SLIDERS!
- INSTANT POT BEEF SHORT RIBS – BONELESS!
- TAMARIND BEEF CURRY
📖 Recipe
Autumn Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, (cut into 1 ½-inch pieces)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt or more
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup dry red wine, (such as Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir or Syrah)
- 2 medium onions, (cut into quarters)
- 2 cups fresh sugar pumpkin chunks, (1 ½-inch piece)
- 2 cups fresh parsnip chunks, (1 ½-inch piece )
- 2 cups fresh carrots chunks, (1 ½-inch piece)
- 3 medium potatoes, such as Red or Yukon, (cut into 1 ½-inch piece)
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 garlic cloves, (peeled and smashed)
- 2 ¾ cups water
- 3 teaspoon Knorr® Selects Beef Powder
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Season and Sear the Beef:
- Put flour, salt, and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Place the meat in a bag with the flour and shake until well coated.
- Turn on the Instant pot and select the "saute" setting. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter. Shake off the meat pieces and add half of them to the pot. Sear undisturbed until browned on the bottom, for 3-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and beef. Transfer to a plate.
Deglaze:
- Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir for about 30 seconds. Add red wine. Deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
Add Vegetables and dried herbs:
- Add onion, pumpkin, carrots, parsnip and potato chunks into the pot. (Please see notes)
- Add oregano, thyme, garlic cloves, water, and Knorr® Selects Beef Powder. Stir to combine.
- Add the browned beef and bay leaves to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Push Pressure Cook (or Manual) and use the +/– button to get to 30 minutes. When the pot beeps that it's done, leave it for 10-minutes natural release. Then release the remaining pressure by moving the pressure vent to its “venting” position. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Don't forget to remove the bay leaves.
- Serve and enjoy!
Optional:
- If the stew is too watery to your taste, simply select the "saute" setting and add a mixture of cornstarch and water (2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoon water) to the broth. Bring to a boil to thicken it.
Notes
- Once the beef is cooked for 30 minutes, let it release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure by moving the pressure vent to its “venting” position.
- Add carrots, parsnips (cut into smaller dices, about ½ inch) and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing.
- When the pot beeps that it's done, release valve to “venting” to quickly release any remaining pressure
melissa chapman says
I know it says autumn but a stew is so perfect for winter too. People who love beef will surely make this all year round.
Amber Myers says
Oh yum, I would love this beef stew. I love to make it when it's cold out so I'll keep this in mind!
Brianna says
This looks fabulous! I have to admit I'm scared of pressure cookers, did it get easier to use in time?
Sarah Bailey says
My other half would absolutely love this - he is such a sucker for anything that uses beef, it sounds like it would be really warming and filling as well. I might just have to give it a whirl.
Kathy says
I love having beef stew. It's been a while since I've made it though. Your recipe sure does look amazing. I'm going to have to try it.
serena says
Delish looking beef stew. It makes me want to get back into making stews again. Great pictures as well.
Mitch Chaitin says
This looks like a recipe I could definitely tackle! And the food looks so delicious! This is something my whole family could eat! Thanks for sharing!
Theresa says
My mouth is watering! I just pinned this to try it when the holidays are over. It will be perfect on a cold winter night!
Lisa Favre says
I need to make more use of my Instant Pot and this autumn beef stew could be the answer. It looks absolutely delicious!
Brandy Ellen says
I love the idea of owning a pressure cooker! I'll have to get one and try your autumn beef stew, I've never used all of the exact ingredients you featured, but your list is making my belly grumble! I must try this.