Filed Under: Beef, Child, Dinner, Family Gathering, Father's Day, Lunch, Pregnancy, Under 20 Mins

Easy and Quick Beef Stew with Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips

Beef stew typically needs a long simmer to ensure tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat, but by using lean top sirloin and cutting everything in smaller ½-inch pieces, you can cut down the prep time to make this a hearty weeknight dinner. Leftovers are even better the next day

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February 18th, 2010

Recipe by LeeAnne Wright

"This was very easy to prepare and true comfort food, yet healthy. Liam loved it! I think he liked the variety and the flavours; it was great to see him eating all the veggies." -Tamara Almas, mom of Liam, 1, Port Moody, B.C.
Servings
5 servings + 1 cup baby food
Prep Time
20 minutes

On the Table

45 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1½ lb top sirloin, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (about 4 medium carrots)
  • 1 cup parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (3 small parsnips)
  • 1 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 cups beef stock, divided
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup defrosted peas (optional)
Directions

  1. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to flour. Toss beef cubes with seasoned flour in a sealable bag. Shake off the excess flour.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot and brown half the beef over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Transfer browned beef onto a plate and continue with remaining beef.

  3. Heat remaining oil in the pot and add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions, garlic and thyme. Sauté for 10 minutes over medium heat until lightly coloured.

  4. Add browned beef, 2½ cups of stock and Worcestershire sauce to the pot; scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Whisk cornstarch into remaining stock and stir into stew. Simmer over medium heat for an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Before serving, stir in the thawed peas, if desired, and set aside 1 cup of stew for baby. Season the remaining to taste. Serve hot.

  5. For Baby: Purée Beef Stew until desired consistency, adding liquid if needed.

Nutrients Per Serving

437 calories, 12 g fat, 72 mg calcium, 581 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrates, 6 g fibre, 30 g protein. Excellent source of vitamin A, niacin, thiamin, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B12, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Easy and Quick Beef Stew with Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips
Photography by Michael Alberstat