Hearty Sweet Potato Beef Stew

A deep brown, one pot beef stew with fork tender chuck, mushrooms, carrots, and sweet potato cubes added late so they hold their shape. Slow cooker and Instant Pot directions included.

Course Main Course

Keyword hearty sweet potato beef stew

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings servings

Ingredients

For the Stew

2 ½ pounds beef chuck roast cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to finish
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced
3 medium carrots cut into thick coins
2 ribs celery sliced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms quartered
4 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
4 cups low sodium beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

Sear the Beef

Trim the chuck roast and cut it into 1 ½ inch cubes. Season with the salt and pepper and pat the surfaces dry.
Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear half the beef in a single layer for 3 to 4 minutes per side, then move it to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef.

Build the Base

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook 8 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, until it darkens from bright red to brick.
Return the beef and its juices to the pot, sprinkle the flour over everything, and stir 1 minute until no dry pockets remain.

Simmer

Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot, and let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook 1 ½ hours, stirring once or twice.
Stir in the sweet potato cubes, cover, and cook 30 minutes more, until a knife tip slides into a cube with no resistance.

Finish

Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves. Taste and add salt as needed, then stir in the parsley.
Let the stew rest off the heat for 15 minutes before serving so the gravy tightens.

Notes

Slow cooker: Sear the beef and build the base in a skillet, then transfer to the slow cooker with only 1 ¼ cups of stock. Cook 7 to 8 hours on low and add the sweet potatoes for the final hour.
Instant Pot: Sear on saute, build the base, deglaze, then pressure cook on high for 35 minutes with a 15 minute natural release. Add the sweet potatoes and simmer on saute 10 to 12 minutes.
Gluten free: Skip the flour and finish with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch whisked into cold water.
No wine: Use an extra ½ cup of stock plus 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar at the end.
Storage: Keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes up to 3 months, though the sweet potato softens after thawing.