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Beef stew laden with vegetables

This delicious and nutritious vegetable and beef stew is sure to fill you up and make sure you will have your 5 a day. I made this stew, and everyone wanted seconds and even thirds, so no leftover stew for lunch the next day. But I didn’t mind because I wanted more stew as well, it was just so yummy. 

Putting the beef stew to bed

Before people had slow-cookers, they still needed to live their lives and make sure they wouldn’t burn their house down. So what they used to do was put their pots in blankets or boxes with straw for insulation. That way, the food would be able to continue to cook even though it wasn’t on the stove. I still remember from my own childhood my parents telling me to not jump on the bed because the rice or some stew was there. There would be a big pile of blankets in the middle of the bed. If it was cold in the winter, I would sometimes lift up the blankets a bit to tuck my hands in there with the pot to warm them up. I still love the feeling of the warm pot and blankets after it comes out of the bed. 

One good tip that I would highly recommend you doing is using an old towel when doing this. Because you might not spill anything on your bed, but your pot might have some grease or other things on the outside that might soil your bedlinens. I always lie the towel on top of the blanket or duvet then I put the pot on top, then I fold the towel around the pot, after that the blanket and lastly I put a tea towel on top. I do that so that everyone in the house understands that there is a pot in the bed. 

Beef stew

Laden with veggies 

I absolutely adore carrots together with swede, they are both quite sweet vegetables and make a lovely combo. We all know that carrots are rich in beta-carotene (vitamin A), but both carrots and swedes also contain several B vitamins. They both also contain quite a bit of vitamin C just like cabbage, which when prepared well, is very tasty indeed. So with all these vitamin-rich veggies, you will be sure to get your required vegetable intake for the day.

How to get super tender beef stew

You can use any type of stewing beef or if beef ain’t your thing you can simply replace it with any other kind of meat. For instance, if you would prefer lamb in your stew or even pork or chicken. Although, do alter cooking times for whatever meat you’re using, so that you won’t end up with chicken that is too dry.

I have noticed that if I remove my beef from the pot before adding the stock, I end up with beef that is more tender. So I like to remove the beef and leave it to the side and only once the stock is at a roiling boil, will I add the beef back in. This way I have super tender beef each and every time.

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Lovely mushrooms to replace the beef

If meat ain’t your thing or you just have some extra mushrooms lying around that need to be eaten. You can, of course, replace the beef with some tasty mushrooms. Then just skip the whole 3 hours of stewing your beef, which makes it a great option if you’re stuck for time as well. If you want to make it completely vegetarian don’t forget to also use some vegetable stock instead of chicken or beef.

Just chop the mushrooms into bite-sized chunks and fry them in some oil of your choice. Then just add the rest of the veggies and the vegetable stock.

Want to try some more delicious soup and stew recipes:

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Vegetable filled beef stew

This beef stew is filled with vegetables and will surely warm you up after a cold dark day. The stew consists of a balance between warming and vibrant flavours, that will surely be comforting in these winter days. You can also use mushrooms instead of beef for a vegan stew.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 300 gr stewin beef or mushrooms
  • 250 gr carrots
  • 200 gr swede
  • 100 gr savoy cabbage
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 2-3 medium onions
  • 1 liter stock vegetable, chicken or beef
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup pearl barley or soup mix

Instructions
 

  • Cut the beef into bite-sized chunks and brown in some butter or oil of choice, once the beef is nice and browned, remove from the pot and set aside. 
  • Add the stock to the pot and bring to a boil, then add the beef back in together with the bay leaf. Let simmer on the stove for 3 hours or set in a bed*(see notes) for 6 hours.
  • Peel and chop the onions, potatoes, carrots, and swede into bite-sized chunks. 
  • Add the chopped veggies to the pot after the beef is done stewing, bring back to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. If you want to also add the barley, then do so now.
  • Chop the cabbage into bite-sized chunks and add to the pot for the last 5 minutes.
  • Season to taste and serve in a bowl for a warming and filling dinner.

Notes

*In the old days, people would put a towel around their pot and set in in the bed, the pot would then be covered with the blankets to keep the heat in. It works the same as a slow cooker.
If you add the beef to boiling stock, the beef will be more tender then if you were to add it to cold stock.
By adding barley or a soup mix, the stew will be heartier and more filling, but it’s not necessary for a tasty stew.
By adding the cabbage during the last 5 minutes, the overcooked sulfury cabbage smell is avoided.
For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth and replace the beef with mushrooms and skip the 3 hours of simmering.
Keyword stew

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