January 9, 2022

Two Medium Sized Ladies Instapot Beef Stew

For many Americans, nothing is more mouth-watering on a winter day than an aromatic beef stew with big chunks of root vegetables in a hearty sauce, and why not speed up the cooking process with a pressure cooker?

Since technology was all the rage for mid-century kitchens, we decided to make our tried-and-true slow cooking beef and vegetable stew into a mid-century recipe. For a fast-but-hearty one pot meal, we created the Two Medium Sized Ladies Instapot Beef Stew with all the ingredients you love in a winter stew – chunks of tender beef, carrots, onion, corn, green beans – and envelops them in a flavorful, thick broth that is both easy to prep and even easier to make using an Instapot pressure cooker.

You might think your kitchen is tech forward, but step back to the 1950s to see how modern cooking was done. Tech was moving exponentially into the kitchen during the post-WWII home cooking boom. In the 1950s, at least 37% of US households already owned at least one pressure cooker.

You might be surprised to know that pressure cooking was actually invented in the 17th century. Physicist Denis Papin created a model that has all the same properties then as today. The pressure cooker works by expelling air from the vessel and traps the steam produced from the boiling liquid inside. This raises the internal pressure of the unit and permits higher cooking temperatures - thus faster cooking times - for any food in the vessel.

You don't get that whole house mouth-watering smell of the meal slowly cooking on the stovetop, but the food will cook perfectly in one-half to one-fourth the time. Once the food cooks, the pressure is released through a steam valve on top and it's ready to serve. It's a fabulous tool for those who want a homemade meal with less cooking time.

We believe that food is healing, and in the winter months when you crave thicker sauces, heartier meals and stewed dishes, it’s your body letting you know that it’s normal to enjoy some comforting foods when the weather is blistering cold and wet. There’s a balance to eating with the seasons and regional foods that were originally available during those months that our bodies crave and there couldn’t be a better time to try out our tried and true Two Medium Sized Ladies Instapot Beef Stew recipe while using a bit of technology.

This is the Jetson-ready recipe where the Instapot really shines; you throw all the raw ingredients in, push a button, then lift the lid for a truly flavorful and tender one pot meal.

There is one cheat to this recipe which gives the sauce both its tang and sweetness – we’ll share that secret in a quick minute. And guess what, with this recipe, there are no herbs needed! It’s the perfect meal to create on the fly with whatever fresh or canned vegetables you have in your pantry.

Serving Suggestions: We like to serve this with simple homemade rolls but you could also serve it with cornbread or biscuits. Use the bread to sop up some of that delicious both so you don’t have to miss out on one single drop!

Swap Outs: If you want to do so, swap out any of the vegetables listed for other root vegetables that you like. You can also use beef tenderloin in place of the round roast or whatever beef cut you prefer. Just remember not to overload the Instapot because the electronics can be sensitive; it doesn’t like to have too much solid food in ratio to the liquid elements.

Two Medium Sized Ladies Instapot Beef Stew

Serves 4-5 large bowls

Preparation time: 15 minutes prep, 1 hour, 10 minutes to cook in the Instapot

Best served with rolls, cornbread or biscuits on the side.

Ingredient List:

2 lb round rump roast (pot roast) or other beef

1 yellow onion, diced into 2” chunks

1 can (15.25 oz) whole kernel corn

1 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans

1 baking potato, washed and diced into 2” chunks

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” chunks or fat medallions

64 oz. tomato ketchup

¾ - 1 C beef broth or water

Instructions:

Cut beef into large chunks (about 1 ½” to 2” square). Cut all root vegetables to similar dimensions. The less uniform the chunks, the better!

Plug in Instapot. Add all raw ingredients including liquid to Instapot and close lid, sealing the top.

Press “meat/stew” button, making sure Instapot is set on high heat.

Instapot will come up to temperature, but should set to cook for 1 hour.

When cooking is complete, Instapot will turn off. Turn vent on top to release steam (sometimes it spits as it releases steam, so hold a wadded paper towel near the steam to catch the sputter, but wear a mitt to protect your hand as needed as the steam is boiling hot).