Let your clay pot do all the work! Slowly cooked beef with red wine, tomatoes, vegetables, beans and artichokes in this slow-cooked meat stew for a delicious Italian twist! Serve over creamy polenta for a cozy dinner.
Not a fan of polenta? You can serve it over pasta or these fluffy mashed potatoes with herbs and garlic!
Meat stew recipe
One of my readers recently said that winter and bad weather is all about unapologetically enjoying delicious comfort food dishes like stews and stews, and I couldn’t agree more!
I absolutely love a dish of steaming beef stew on a cold night like this Irish beef stew or my Russian beef stew. As big as they are, I always crave variety, which makes me very happy when a new and exciting version of a classic recipe is born.
This clay pot stew comes with a distinctive Italian twist and after trying it several times to get the right ratio of liquid and ingredients, I couldn’t be prouder.
How to make Italian beef stew
Beef shin cooked for 8 hours in a slow cooker along with Chianti, crushed tomatoes, a combination of onion, carrots and celery, chopped rosemary and garlic
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The stew was made even more filling with a good portion of creamy cannellini beans and artichokes. Oh yes, I’ve also added some olives. All Italian favorites in one!
The best part is that all you need to do is load your clay pot and walk away.
Should I brown the meat?
It is not necessary to brown beef to make it safe in a clay pot.
I used to believe that browning is absolutely necessary for the construction of flavor. But after trying it both ways, I can honestly tell you that I couldn’t prove the difference.
So I decided not to bother anymore. No browning, no childcare required! This meat stew is so easy!
Can I do it in Instant Pot?
Yes you can! I have tried this stew recipe in both slow cooker and instant cooker and loved the results! I also made sure to include instructions for both methods on the prescription card.
What to do if the stew is too liquid
Slow cookers are great inventions for convenience, but they’re not perfect. One of the flaws is that the liquid does not evaporate during cooking as with the oven method. This makes the stews too liquid for our taste.
If this is your problem, you have two options. You can thicken your meat stew with a mixture of melted butter and flour. I use 1 tablespoon of flour to 1 tablespoon of butter or thick with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
You can also put your uncovered stew in a preheated oven to 200c/400F and let the liquid naturally reduce. This will usually take about 20-30 minutes.
Finally, if you’re a fellow stew lover but prefer chicken to beef, I’ve got your cutlery! Check out my Instant Pot or Creamy Tarragon Chicken and Potatoes stew, which is the creamy version of a chicken stew.
