Best Ever Beef Stew {gluten, dairy, egg-free}

Pin It

Its seems that forever I have been searching for a good bowl of beef stew, but have continued to be disappointed.  I figured I must not actually like beef stew so much since I can't seem to find a recipe I  like.  Until now!  My good friend Gina Shatney (of Gina Chicken) served me a bowl of her Beef and Barley soup - just one bite and I sighed a contented sigh, knowing I had found what I was looking for.  So of course I got her recipe, made a few minor adjustments (namely, taking out the barley) and cooked up an amazing pot of gluten-free beef stew for my family.   It was a hit from the youngest to the oldest at our table, so I figured I'd better share it with you.

As if a successful beef stew recipe wasn't enough, another surprising thing happened.  I needed to make a soup to bring to church for the fellowship meal.  I hadn't planned for this, but I found I had on hand the ingredients  to make this soup - except for the beef.  So I decided to make it anyway, but substitute ground beef for the stew meat.  And guess what?  It turned out great!  I do prefer the original version using beef from a roast, but the ground beef version is almost as good.  So if you're pinching pennies, or just don't have any stew meat on hand, try it with ground beef.  You'll be warmed and satisfied either way.

*Now because this is a beef stew, let's take a minute and talk about your beef options.  This recipe calls for about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of beef, and there are several options that will produce a great stew.  My favorite is to use leftovers from a brisket or from my new favorite crockpot roast.  I cook up a 3-pound roast and serve half for dinner, then shred the other half for this stew.  The shredded meat is perfect!  But if you didn't happen to have a roast earlier in the week, you could always go with cubed stew meat or a london broil cut into bite-sized pieces and browned in a skillet.  The third option, which I mentioned already, is ground beef.  Simply brown your ground beef in a skillet while you work on the rest of the stew, then add it to the stew after the ground beef is cooked through.

Now on to the recipe . . .

Beef Stew {gluten, dairy, and egg-free}

Note: As with most soups, the amounts given are approximate.  The measurements are listed to give you an idea of how much, but please, add or subtract as suits your taste and pantry supplies.

1 - 1 1/2 lbs beef, see note* above and choose from:
     leftover beef roast, shredded
     cubed stew meat, browned in a skillet
     ground beef, browned in a skillet
2-3 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 carrots, cut into small pieces
1-2 stalks of celery, cut into small pieces
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 TBSP dried oregano
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
2-4 TBSP red wine (red cooking wine if fine)
6 cups beef broth (if using store-bought broth, make sure its gluten-free and MSG-free)
15 oz. can tomato sauce

In a stockpot, saute onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil over medium heat until crisp-tender.  Add garlic and oregano and saute a few minutes more.  Add liquids (red wine, broth and tomato sauce) and bring to a boil.  Simmer for a little while to get the flavors into the broth.  Add potatoes and pre-cooked meat.  Simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).  Serve on its own, or pair with some fluffy gluten-free biscuits.

This recipe is being shared at Inspire Me Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Motivation Monday, Make Your Own Monday, Better Mom Monday, Gluten Free Roundup, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Wednesday Fresh Foods, Wheat Free Wednesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Full Plate Thursday, Delightfully Inspired Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Tasty Traditions, Gluten Free Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Food on Friday