Cowboy Beef Stew

I have a “cowboy” in my house which means hearty beef stews are a must make in the Fall and Winter months!

I put “cowboy” in parenthesis because he isn’t actually a working cowboy. But he IS an Oklahoma boy and attended Oklahoma State University, Home of the Cowboys! 🙂 

Post-ops….do not let stew scare you. Made right and this is a very soft and tender meat!

This beef stew has no  flour, corn or beans to cut back on the starches but is certainly not short on flavor! This meal is a great way to get full flavor protein with some vegetables mixed in and skipping the high carb ingredients.

This recipe can easily be made in your slow cooker BUT if you have a pressure cooker or “Instant Pot” like myself, the meat comes out incredibly tender. I could not believe it the first time I made stew in my Instant Pot. You can find those instructions below.

Note: I find cooking a recipe for the first time with an Instant Pot to be a bit of a learning curve. I have to use a lot of reasoning and sometimes I just go for it and hope it comes out well. This is what worked best for my stew so I feel good sharing it with you!

I love this warm and hearty meal any time of the year. We used a medium salsa that brought in a little kick to our stew. We highly enjoyed this version!

Very filling and satisfying! A little goes a long way if you’ve had Gastric Sleeve, Bypass or Banding 🙂

Cowboy Beef Stew

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Steph Wagner

Print Recipe [wprm-recipe-shop-instacart-api style="inline-button" icon="cart-simple-add" border_radius="50px" button_color="#e3853b" border_color="#e3853b"]

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean beef stew meat (1 inch pieces)
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 10 baby carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 cup salsa of choice
• 2 tbsp barbecue sauce lowest sugar available

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Slow Cooker

• Brown meat in batches on a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add meat to slow cooker. (And use a liner bag for easy cleanup!)
• Add all other ingredients and stir. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)

• Turn on "saute" mode of cooker. Wait until the screen says "hot." Spray cooker generously with cooking spray and brown meat for one minute, turning while it cooks.
• Click "cancel" and add all other ingredients. Click "meat/stew" and put 15 minutes on the clock. Place lid on top and close venting valve.
• Cooker will take 5-8 minutes to reach pressure and then timer will start counting down the 15 minutes. When cook time is complete, leave the pot to naturally release steam about 8 minutes. Then turn the valve to release steam.
• Use caution when opening the lid and make sure it's easy to lift, ensuring pressure has left. Remove from cooker and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3387IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4mg