Gluten Free Beef Stew the Perfect Dish for a Cool Wet Afternoon

Gluten free beef stew is the perfect dish for any chilly day regardless of the time of year. While a warm bowl of stew may traditionally be thought of as a fall dish with the harvest of fresh root vegetables, this past weekend was cool and rainy and stew seemed like the perfect meal to make to warm us up.

Cooking a flavorful pot of gluten free beef stew takes time to extract and blend the flavors and for the meat to become tender. Spending time in the kitchen is a wonderful way to spend a cool wet afternoon when you don’t really want to be outside. The aromas began to fill the house when we brown the meat and sear the veggies. But it was the smell of the stew slowly simmering that made our mouths water anxiously awaiting dinner.

As we waited for the stew to simmer and the beef to get tender we made a batch of gluten free biscuits to eat with the stew. Piping hot biscuits with a pat of butter are our favorite addition to a rich bowl of stew. The biscuits work well to soak up the last remnants of the stew gravy from the bowl. In our pre-gluten free days, a thick slice of sour-dough bread was our go-to. The gluten free biscuits do an amazing job of adding some texture to the meal with a golden crisp exterior crust and a light and fluffy inside. After many failed attempts at making gluten free biscuits I have come to rely on the recipe on the box of gluten free Bisquick. It may be a lazy approach to making biscuits but it works and they taste great. Gluten free Bisquick has become a staple in our pantry, not only for biscuits but a wide variety of gluten free cooking needs.

With the cost of groceries seeming to be on an never ending climb, stew is a great option for using the tougher but cheaper cuts of meat. The long slow cooking process allows the tough connective tissues time to be broken down into tender morsels. These tough fibers and tissues are packed with flavor, that the slow cooking process is able to extract. Even though the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat are used in cooking stew, use a nicely marbled high quality beef for the ultimate flavor and tenderness of the beef.

In addition to the cheaper cuts of meat that work best in stews, root vegetables are an economical way to add fresh vegetables into your families diet. To stretch the budget further the amount of meat can be reduced slightly or a small increase in the amount of vegetables can be made without significantly impacting the satisfying nature of the stew.

We will often make a batch of stew to take with us camping. Reheating the leftover stew makes a quick hearty meal after a day of adventures. For other great camping meal ideas see “Are There Any Gluten Free Camping Meals?”

Gluten Free Beef Stew Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds beef chuck
1 onion
4 large carrots
1 pound potatoes
1 small turnip (optional)
1 cup frozen peas
3 stalks celery
4 cups beef broth (or 4 cups water and beef bouillon powder)
1 can tomato paste
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
4 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Rosemary
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Braggs seasoning
2 Tbsp Worcestershire (make sure it is gluten free)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

STEPS:

Begin by searing the beef chuck in batches in a hot pan being sure to not crowd the pan allowing plenty of room in the pan for water (steam) to escape.
With the meat browned and set to the side use the same pan to sear the onion, carrot, and celery. If you are using whole cloves of garlic add them to the vegetable mix to sear. If you are using crushed garlic wait to add it until the vegetables have softened to prevent the burning of the garlic.
Add the seared meat and vegetables to your stewing pot (Dutch oven if you will let the stew simmer in the oven, or a large saucepan if simmering on the stovetop).
To extract all the flavor morsels from the pan deglaze the pan by adding approximately ½ cup of the broth to the hot pan. As the broth warms, gently scrape the stuck-on bits from the pan. When all the bits have been broken free from the pan, add the broth to the main stewing container, along with the remaining broth.
Add the tomato paste, spices, and flavoring to the pot and bring to a slow simmer with the lid on but cracked.
After an hour add the remaining chopped vegetables. Allow the stew to continue to simmer until the meat and veggies are tender, approximately one more hour.
If the gravy has not thickened to your liking it can be slowly thickened by slowly adding a mixture of 3 Tbsp of cornstarch in half a cup of water. Add the cornstarch water mixture a little at a time stirring to distribute through out the entire pot, waiting two or three minutes before adding additional portion of the corn starch mixture.
Season to taste
If desired add frozen peas and allow the peas to warm.
Serve in a bowl and enjoy!

NOTE: This gluten free beef stew stores very well in the fridge, place in an airtight container and simply reheat and serve for a quick meal later in the week.

Shortcuts and Time Saving Options

Though spending a cold and rainy afternoon making a batch of stew can be rewarding, your busy life may not provide the option of spending the entire afternoon in the kitchen. One way to speed up the clock on creating a delicious and tender stew is to use an Instapot. Use the sauté setting on the Instapot to brown the meat and provide the initial sear on the vegetables. Then switch to the pressure cook setting to decrease the time required to cook the meat and vegetables until they are tender.

Another option for preparing a pot of stew is to use a slow cooker with a timer. To adapt the gluten free beef stew recipe for a slow cooker you need to brown the meat and then add all the broth and vegetables to a slow cooker. Each slow cooker is different in the settings available, but approximately 2 hours of cook time on medium will cook the pre browned meat and veggies to tender. The broth or gravy can be thickened just before serving using a small amount of the cornstarch water mixture.