Warm up your winter menu with this wholesome healthy beef and vegetable stew – a hearty, nourishing dish packed with tender beef, colourful vegetables, and rich, comforting flavours. Perfect for busy weeks, this one-pot recipe is easy to prepare and delivers a balanced meal the whole family will love.
Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 700 g lean beef chuck, trimmed and cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 parsnips, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 1 cup pumpkin, diced
- 400 g can diced tomatoes (no added salt)
- 4 cups reduced-salt beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Black pepper to taste
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté the onion and garlic for 2–3 minutes until softened.
- Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, potatoes, and pumpkin. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Return the beef to the pot and stir through the tomato paste.
- Add the diced tomatoes, beef stock, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1.5–2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender.
- Add the frozen peas during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Remove the bay leaves and season with black pepper.
- Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Why it’s healthy
- High in protein from lean beef.
- Rich in fibre from a variety of winter vegetables.
- Provides iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
- Uses reduced-salt stock to help manage sodium intake.
- Contains healthy fats from olive oil.