Hearty Beef Stew

An easy Instant Pot recipe for the most delicious Whole 30 beef stew—in fact, it’s one of our family’s favorite Whole30 stews! It’s hearty, tender and packed full of flavor!

A few months back, I decided to do my first Whole30 because I’d heard that it helps a ton with energy, something I’m always struggling with. It was right after our Croatia trip which was perfect because I felt like my body needed a bit of a reset anyway.

I made a simple meal plan for dinners for the whole month which was incredibly helpful. If you need more dinner inspiration, I highly recommend you pick up my friend Alex’s new cookbook—The Defined Dish! She’s got so many unique recipes that are all so yummy, whether you’re doing a Whole30 or not!

I’ve been loving cooking dinners at home because eating out is more complicated with Whole30 and it’s cheaper to eat at home.

Spoiler alert, my Whole30 was not picture perfect.

Ultimately I made it about halfway through. I felt great, but with a kid and a husband who was not on board with the whole no grains concept for a month, and my sister’s engagement party, things went off the rails halfway through.

What I did learn was that these recipes can really be worked in anytime, so we’ve been mixing in a lot more Whole30 recipes and Whole30 stews like this one during the winter months because they’re easy, healthy and so tasty!

I’ve loved how many amazing dinners we had! These are things that are delicious whether you’re doing Whole30 or not.

If you’ve got an Instant Pot—this one needs to be on your menu this week (or weekend!). It’s easy, hearty, filling and freezes well. The leftovers have been great for Whole30 lunches because I just have to reheat it. It’s also handy to make extra and freeze half so you have easy dinners if you get home from work late one night.

I love our Instant Pot, especially now that it’s fall and almost winter. It makes the best, most tender stews and slow-cooked dinners, but much faster than a slow cooker!

I think it’s well worth the cost, which isn’t that much, but we use it several times a month and I’m glad I made the purchase. It also makes perfect rice, bone broth, stock, sauces, soups, stews—it’s amazing and so much faster than a crockpot. If you’re like me and don’t think too far ahead, it’s pretty handy! This is the exact one we have.

You could also do this in your slow cooker. You would just sauté stuff in a regular pan and add it all to the slow cooker.

Whole 30 Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1.5-2 lbs. stew meat
• 1/2 white onion
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 8oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  2 pinches of dried rosemary
• 3 large carrots
• 2 large new potatoes
• 1/2 cup English peas
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions
• 20-24oz. bone broth, I use Bonafide Provisions
• S&P
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

Directions

1. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat Instant Pot on sauté mode. Once hot, add a little bit of oil, and add beef. Do it in two batches to not crowd the pan. Let them cook on two sides for about 4 minutes a side. You want them well-browned!
2. Remove beef from pan and set aside when done. Add a little oil if pan is dry. Then, add chopped onion, celery, mushrooms and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until tender.
3. Add tomato paste and dried herbs and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Turn Instant Pot off.
4. Add potatoes, carrots and beef back to pot and stir to combine. Add broth to almost cover it—I err on the side of less because very little of the liquid will evaporate. Turn
5. Turn Instant Pot to manual and add 35 minutes. Lock and seal the vent and let it go. After 35 minutes, open the vent to manual release for 10 minutes.
6. Open the Instant Pot, and add onions, peas and half of the parsley and stir to heat through—about 5 minutes.
7. In a small bowl, add the arrowroot starch and slowly pour a small amount of the hot broth into it and stir with a fork until dissolved to create a slurry. Pour this mixture into the broth and stir—this helps thicken the sauce. Season to taste.
8. Serve with extra parsley!

Paleo Crockpot Beef Stew

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, that’s okay too! A crockpot or slow cooker works just as well. To make it in the crockpot, simply adjust the final cook time. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. You may need a bit more liquid in the slow cooker as well, check halfway through to see!

Have you attempted or completed a Whole30? I’d love to hear your experience! And, let me know if you make this recipe, it’s a good one!

BTW, whole30 sweet potato chili recipe, and ancient grain bowls with salmon.

Want to remember this Whole 30 beef stew recipe?! Pin the image below!