This thick and hearty stew comes from our key-friend Jennifer, who says it's a family favorite. I made this a few days ago and it instantly became a new favorite key-friendly recipes for me. perhaps this stew will add the spice to your life that you're looking for if you've been bored with food.
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| Beef and Butternut Squash Stew |
Preparation
I gathered all the ingredients, chopped all the vegetables, and then began making this stew.
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| Gather all your ingredients |
I cut the squash in half length-wise, removed the seeds, and then cut the squash into slices, which made cutting the edges off easier.
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| Cut off squash skin and then slice into small pieces |
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2+ lbs stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 lb butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups drained canned tomatoes (or 4-6 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped)
- 2 tbsp. fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 4 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3-4 cups beef broth
- 1/2-1 tsp. salt (to taste)
- 1/2-1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Directions
In a large soup pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions,
garlic, rosemary, and thyme and sauté until the onions are tender, about
2 minutes.
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| Sauté onions, garlic, and herbs in olive oil |
Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. (My beef actually did not "brown.")
Use a wooden spoon to gently stir all the mix the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with the stew.
Add the butternut squash, drained canned tomatoes, parsley, and tomato paste; stir to combine. Oops, I just realized I didn't as I converted this recipe I forgot to add the canned tomatoes. It turned out delicious just the same, but I did sense something was missing when I was eating my stew.
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| Add squash, tomatoes, parsley, and tomato paste |
Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash and then stir to combine. I used 3 cups of broth and it seemed too watery, but when it finished cooking it was perfect.
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| Add enough beef broth to cover beef and squash |
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and
simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Or transfer to a crock pot and heat on low
for 4 hours to combine flavors and cook the meat through. I let my stew cool down for a few hours and then added it to a crock pot so it would be ready for dinner.
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| Boil over high heat, then
simmer on low, covered, for 1 hour |
Some of the squash will break down enough that it acts as a natural thickener, along with the tomato paste.
Season to your taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
I had leftover tomato paste, so I place the unused paste into a teaspoon, dropped them onto parchment paper, and place in a sealed container in the freezer. This gives me measured tomato paste at the ready for the next time I need it for this recipe or another.
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| Freeze leftover tomato paste |
Use a wooden spoon to gently stir all the mix the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with the stew.
