Instant Pot Beef Stew

[Update: I’ve updated this recipe and it is now hosted on my jekyll blog Foodimade.com- Instant Pot Beef Stew]

This is a hearty beef stew that doesn’t require a lot of prep work. Using a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot cuts the cooking time in half.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can use almost the exact same instructions, although instead of pressure cooking the liquid for 75 minutes, you can simmer it on the stovetop on low for 3 hours.

Time

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 100 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 Lbs Chuck Roast, tied up
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon black pepper
• Red wine or brandy
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, whole
• 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 16 oz. beef broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 tsp of dried thyme leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper liberally and then brown the chuck roast for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the Roast and set it aside
2. Add the diced celery, carrot, and onion, and stir until the onion is translucent (about 4 minutes). Add the whole cloves of garlic. Add 2 oz of brandy and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any of the browned bits of beef.
3. Add the roast back to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, cinnamon, and basil. Seal the lid on the pressure cooker and switch it to high pressure cooking mode for 75 minutes. When it is done, let the pressure release naturally.
4. Remove the roast from the stew and rest on a wooden cutting board. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and thyme sprigs from the stew.
6. Add the diced potatoes to the stew and put the Instant Pot back on Sauté mode for 10 minutes.
7. As the potatoes are boiling, remove the twine tying up the roast and carve the meat into large bite sized chunks. Add the meat back to the stew.
8. Add the 2 cans of cannellini beans to the stew and allow to warm through for another 10 minutes.
9. Ladle into bowls and serve with a crusty french bread.