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I have the best, quick, easy, and cozy Wednesday dinner, Better For You Instant Pot Spicy White Bean Beef Stew.
Apparently this week is all about midwest..ish style comfort foods. With Monday’s Spaghetti Pie and today’s Beef Stew, I’m going back to my Ohio roots. Not sure what’s 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 doesn’t 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 I’m trying to do more of, instead of sitting on it for days and then deciding it’s actually a bad idea. The way my brain works, it’s great and so awful at the same time.
Anyway, I went for it and since I’m on a quick and easy kick, I decided to try this out in the Instant Pot. I was nervous. I’ve had a few successes with the instant pot, see this chicken ramen (love, love, love this recipe so much) and these turkey meatballs (with spaghetti squash so it’s healthified!). But for my two successes, I’ve 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 I’m pretty happy I decided to give it another try because this easy beef stew is game changing.
Here’s 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 you’re 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 don’t love browning meat in the Instant Pot. It’s a little small and it’s hard to control the heat. Trust me, this broiling method makes life easy and makes for a delicious, non-chewy stew. Plus, it’s 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 it’s what I had on hand, but I’d 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 can’t be healthy too!
Instant Pot Spicy White Bean, Beef, and Potato Stew
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 626 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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. Preheat the broiler to high. 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!
To make in Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 2. In a 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. 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!
Guess it’s a cozy stew kind of Wednesday night.
Hi!
Can I make this is on a crock pot?
Hey Silvana,
You bet, you can cook in the slow cooker for 5-6 hours on low. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious! This may be a dumb question, but is there anything you would sub for the peppers? They sound delicious, but where I am, I can’t find anything like that. Thank you for all you do!!
Hey Emily,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe was loved, thanks for making it:) You could really use any veggies you like in place of the peppers xTieghan
Are you suppose to put the lid on the Dutch oven? Just curious. Thank you!
Hey Britt,
Yes, I would recommend doing so. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night and it turned out excellent. I didn’t go the Instant Pot route but it was still so simple to do in the oven and you can’t beat the ease of just throwing everything into one pot. The stew was flavorful, the ingredient proportions were spot-on and the recipe was fool-proof. Definitely adding this into my regular dinner rotation.
Hey Jenn,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hello! Do you cover it when cooking with the stove method?
Hey Jennifer,
I would cover the pot:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hey there. I plan to meet us in the slow cooker today I just wanted to confirm one thing… Should I wait and add the beans and kale after it’s been in the slow cooker, before I finish it in the oven?
Hey Anderson,
Yes, that would work best. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! I am going to make this tonight. When I do the broil step, in the oven, should I keep the lid on or off?
Hey Jessica,
I would keep the lid off. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Are there instructions to make this in a crock pot?
Hey Rachel,
You could cook this in the slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If making this in the slow cooker when do I add the two cups of winter greens (spinach)? Do I add them at the beginning with everything else and let them cook the whole 6-8 hours? Or should I put them in during the last minutes of cooking before turning slow cooker off?
Thanks!
Hey Alondra,
You will want to add these at the very last minute. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made your recipe tonight. Wow!! I’ve never been a fan of beef stew but your recipe forever changed my mind. The broil technique at the end is absolutely genius. Also, I only had dried white beans and so I added in with the rest of the ingredients and it turned out perfect!!!! Can’t wait to make this recipe again.
Thank you so much Lily! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I LOVE your recipes. This one tastes amazing, but I’m confused about how 4 cups of liquid could make it look like your pictures. I’ve been trying to boil it down for 15 minutes and the meat and veggies are still entirely covered, no where near browning.
Hi Rebecca! So sorry you are having trouble. If you would like to thicken the sauce, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Mix the cornstarch slurry into the boiling stew and boil 5-10 minutes to thicken. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
When you cook this in the oven do you cover the pot while it coks at 325?
Hi Becky! Yes, you should have the stew covered while cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this as my first instant pot meal and was absolutely amazed by the flavors I was able to achieve! This is so much better than my older crock pot / stove top version of beef stew. I’ve passed the recipe on to just about anyone who will listen to me!
Thank you for giving me an updated version of my old favorite.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Cheri! Thank you! xTieghan
Okay, pretty delicious. However.
Boy howdy, is this wine-y. I brought in leftovers to the work next day and heated them up in the microwave, and it smelled like a wine press. ??
Hi Kate! Sorry about that, but I am really glad it tasted well! xTieghan
MAMA MIA ! THIS IS SOOO YUMMY AND DELICIOUS ~ BEYOND EASY TO DO, CANNOT BELIEVE HOW GOOD THIS IS ! BOOKMARKED AS A WINTER FAVE!
Thank you so much Sarah! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan