Ingredients (~8 servings)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ~2 lbs stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Brown Meat in the Instant Pot
Place olive oil into Instant Pot and press saute button.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over stew beef and coat evenly.
Once your oil is hot, brown all sides of the meat – this should take about 8-10 minutes total.
It is important to achieve a nice color on the meat because this forms the basis of flavors within the stew.
To Deglaze and Add the Base
Add 1 cup of the beef broth to the pot, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Next add the remaining beef broth and tomato paste, mixing the two together until the tomato paste is fully dissolved.
Press cancel to turn off the saute function.
Initially, the tomato paste will not dissolve in the liquid, but as you continue to mix the ingredients together, it will dissolve completely.
Add All Remaining Ingredients and Pressure Cook
To the pot, add your potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
You can now mix all the ingredients together.
Put the lid on, ensuring that the vent is closed, and press the manual button for 35 minutes at high pressure.
Make sure that your potatoes and carrots are completely covered with broth; if they are not, press down on them with a spoon to submerge fully.
Release Pressure and Thicken the Stew
Once the 35 minutes of cooking time have passed, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then turn the valve to the venting position to release any leftover pressure.
Before adding the cornstarch, remove the bay leaves, and store 1 cup of the cooking liquid in a separate bowl for approximately 2-3 minutes to allow it to cool.
After it has cooled, whisk in the cornstarch until there are no lumps or clumps of cornstarch remaining.
Add the cornstarch mixture into the pot and mix; the stew will continue to thicken as it cools.
The meat will become tender enough to shred using a fork, and the vegetables will hold their shape but will easily pierce through with the fork.
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
~8 servings
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ~2 lbs stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 lbs potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in Instant Pot on saute mode.
- Season meat with salt and pepper; brown for 8-10 minutes.
- Pour 1 cup broth to deglaze pot, scraping bottom.
- Add remaining broth, tomato paste, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Stir ingredients together and seal lid.
- Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.
- Allow natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then vent remaining pressure.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Mix cornstarch with 1 cup cooled cooking liquid until smooth.
- Stir cornstarch mixture back into stew to thicken.
