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I have the best, quick, easy, and cozy Wednesday dinner, Better For You Instant Pot Spicy White Bean Beef Stew. Packed with healthy vegetables for a feel-good meal. I hope you love this beef stew recipe as much as we do!
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Ingredients:
- Beef chuckย
- Sweet onionย
- Garlic clovesย
- Carrotsย
- Baby potatoesย
- Hot chili peppersย
- All purpose flourย
- Kosher salt and black pepperย
- Low sodium beef brothย
- Red wineย
- Tomato pasteย
- Fresh thymeย and rosemary
- Bay leavesย
- White beansย
- Char kale and spinachย
Apparently this week is all about midwest..ish style comfort foods. With Mondayโs Spaghetti Pie and todayโs Beef Stew, Iโm going back to my Ohio roots. Not sure whatโs gotten into me, but I got this idea for a spicy white bean beef stew and really loved the sound of it. Normally, beef stew is not something I really have a strong desire to make. Anything beef and stew just doesnโt usually come to mind, but again, something came over me and this just sounded really good.
So I took the idea and went with it, which is something Iโm trying to do more of, instead of sitting on it for days and then deciding itโs actually a bad idea. The way my brain works, itโs great and so awful at the same time.
Anyway, I went for it and since Iโm on a quick and easy kick, I decided to try this out in the Instant Pot. I was nervous. Iโve had a few successes with the instant pot, see this chicken ramenย (love, love, love this recipe so much) and these turkey meatballsย (with spaghetti squash so itโs healthified!). But for my two successes, Iโve had countless fails. To say that figuring out the Instant Pot has been tricky would be an understatement. I gave up for a while, but Iโm pretty happy I decided to give it another try because this easy beef stew is game changing.
Hereโs how this goes. Add everything to the instant pot, set it to the meat and stew setting for thirty-five minutes. Transfer the stew to a baking dish, broil for a few minutes to caramelize the meat and veggies. EAT. With plenty of toasted bread and maybe some parmesan too. If youโre into that, which I am.
Okay. I realize that a lot of you are like, wait, why do we have to dirty another dish and broil this?
Here is why. The meat needs some caramelization on it to add flavor. Normally, I would brown the meat before cooking the stew, but I donโt love browning meat in the Instant Pot. Itโs a little small and itโs hard to control the heat. Trust me, this broiling method makes life easy and makes for a delicious, non-chewy stew. Plus, itโs only one additional step, making this entire dinner a two-step process.
Guys you got that. You can do it.
Also, finishing the stew in a baking dish or a pretty cast iron dutch oven makes for a much prettier presentation. So, if you wanted to serve this as a holiday meal, no one would ever have to know that it did not actually slow cook all-day.
Seeing as this last week was heavy on the comfort foods, and just food in general (hello to all those Thanksgiving appetizers and pies), I though it might be nice if I also lightened this recipe up a bit. Meaning, I added a ton of carrots (mainly because carrots cooked in red wine are maybe one of my favorite things ever), lots of protein and fiber rich white beans, and a few large handfuls of greens. For the greens, I used spinach because itโs what I had on hand, but Iโd use a hearty winter green like a chard or kale. These will hold up better in the stew. That said, the spinach was still delicious.
I also added some chili peppers to give the stew a little unexpected heat. The spice in the chili peppers is said to really rev up our metabolisms, making this the perfect post Thanksgiving week dinner.
Who says comfort food canโt be healthy too!
Instant Pot Spicy White Bean, Beef, and Potato Stew
Ingredientsย
- 2 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed and cubed
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1/2 pound mixed baby potatoes, halved
- 3-4 jarred hot chili peppers in oil roughly, chopped, (I buy Delallo Brand)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or arrowroot powder, (gf option)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 cups red wine
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can (14 ounce) white beans, drained
- 2 cups winter greens, such as char kale or spinach
Instructionsย
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the beef, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, chili peppers, flour, and a large pinch of both salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add the broth, wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, and season again with salt and pepper. Seal the instant pot and set to the meat/stew setting for 35 minutes.ย Preheat the broiler to high.ย 2. Once the instant pot has finished cooking, Transfer the stew to an oven safe pot. Stir in the white beans and greens. Transfer to the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring 2-3 times throughout cooking, until the beef is browned and the sauce thickened. Remove from the oven. Remove the thyme and bay leaves. Divide the stew between bowls. Serve with bread. Enjoy!ย
To make in Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.ย 2. In aย large oven safe dutch oven, combine the beef, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, chili peppers, flour, and a large pinch of both salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add the broth, wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, and season again with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and cook 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork tender and falling apart.ย Preheat the broiler to high.3. Stir in the white beans and greens. Transfer to the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring 2-3 times throughout cooking, until the beef is browned and the sauce thickened. Remove from the oven. Remove the thyme and bay leaves. Divide the stew between bowls. Serve with bread. Enjoy!ย
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Guess itโs a cozy stew kind of Wednesday night.
I know this is a late comment- but do you think if I added the white beans dry (instead of using canned) to the mixture before going in the instapot, that then they would cook and be an ok texture by the time the process is done?
Hi Jenna,
So sorry, I am honestly not sure as I have not tested that. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help! I hope you love this recipe.
I loved it! I did garbanzo beans and opted for no spice, did 1 pound of potatoes, red onion instead of sweet, rosemary instead of thyme and added some parm on top while serving. Will definitely make again- next time I will add more carrots and I think I would do 3-3.5 pounds chuck and season the meat before putting in the pressure cooker but just nitpicking! Thank you!
Hi Madison,
Yay!! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great day! xx
hey! What would you substitute for the hot chilies if I donโt want it spicy?
Hi Megan,
I would just skip them, no big deal:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I donโt normally like stew that much. Usually the idea is better than the flavor. I picked this for a friend who was having a family crisis and made one recipe for my family as well. Wow! This was great! I donโt think I have found one of your recipes I havenโt liked. Thanks.
Hey there,
Happy New Year!๐ฅณ Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear it turned out well for you! xx
If I don’t have the option to put this in the oven after cooking in the instantpot, should I just sear the meat in the instantpot before pressure cooking and then cook on saute at the end with the beans/greens?
Also, how large of cubes would the meat be to cook at the same rate as the potatoes? Should I cut the meat about the same size as the potatoes?
Also, can I sub chili powder for canned chilis? I’ve never had the canned ones, so I’m not sure if the taste is similar?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! I did about 1 inch cubes of meat. The chili peppers are just for heat, so you could use red pepper flakes:) I hope you love this dish! xx
not my favorite. after 3+ hours the meat was still tough and pretty tasteless. Had to omit peppers since my husband doesn’t do spicy food. Disappointed.
Hey Cassandra,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xx
Could I make this in a crockpot?
Hey Kelly,
Sure, I would cook for 6-8 hours on low! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
In crockpot when would you add in the kale/beans?
I would add in the last 30 mins or so of cooking! xT
If done in oven, I assumed it was without a lid, correct? Canโt wait to have this for a special dinner with friends!
Hi Dan,
I like to use a lid for this recipe! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this turns out well for you! xT
It was a great stew. Such a special meal for a special work friend.
Hey Dan,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Made this in my Ninja Foodie, pressure cooked on high 25 minutes, natural release 5 minutes. Boiled on the Sear setting just to add in the kale and beans. Didnโt take time to broil as I started dinner late! Broth was thick enough without that step. Could only find Mezzetta hot chili peppers, used 4. Probably better without the vinegar influence but would make it this way again. Still yummy! Made your Beer Bread so loved having the extra broth with it!
Hey Julie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! ๐
Wondering if I was to cut this recipe in half would it still need as long in the instant pot?
Hi Emily,
Yes, I would keep the cook time the same so your beef is nice and tender! I hope you love this dish! xT
Trouble finding jarred chile peppers. Any substitute??