Paleo Beef Stew…I hope you’re already drooling! Today’s post is from my guest blogger Jaime, the powerhouse behind Gutsy By Nature. I was really excited to have Jaime on the blog because not only does she make some amazing Paleo food, she’s living proof of the power of food to heal. She’s been on a journey to heal herself from Crohn’s disease—which she was diagnosed with in 1995, and she’s passionate about helping others reclaim gut health.
Jaime’s recipe is suitable for folks eating an autoimmune Paleo protocol (read more about that below). Besides curating her blog, Jaime is a wife and mom to two dogs, works in literacy education and teaches yoga. Take it away, Jaime!
The Paleo diet has tremendous healing properties for people with autoimmune diseases, especially with modifications to further eliminate foods like nuts, eggs and nightshades (because they can provoke immune responses) and with the addition of nutrient-dense foods. This dish combines both aspects because it’s made without nightshades and packs a nutrient-dense punch with the inclusion of coconut oil, bone broth (click here for her bone broth recipe), grass-fed beef and a bunch of vegetables.
Nightshades are a diverse group of plants including some we wouldn’t dream of eating, like tobacco and morning glories, and others that produce fruits and vegetables that are common parts of healthy diets. Specifically, the nightshade family includes tomatoes, white potatoes, both sweet and hot peppers, and eggplants. I’ve personally been able to add some of these foods back into my diet, but I wanted this dish to work even for people who are still in the elimination phase of an autoimmune protocol (AIP), so I decided to use turnips instead of white potatoes and used another source of acidity and flavor than the tomato paste I might normally add.
I also really wanted this stew to have a thick consistency and not just be a chunky soup. In my pre-Paleo days, I would’ve tossed the stew meat in some flour prior to cooking to thicken the resulting sauce. I’ve experimented with alternative thickeners like arrowroot powder and coconut flour, but haven’t been impressed with the result. Instead, I adapted a technique I used to make gluten-free turkey gravy (click for the recipe) and pureed the aromatics prior to cooking. Success! The final result was a thick stew with amazing rich flavor.
(Note: While alcohol is generally eliminated on AIP, most people are fine with it in well-cooked dishes because the alcohol cooks off. If you choose to omit the wine, make sure you add another 2 Tablespoons of vinegar because the acidity helps to tenderize the meat as well as impart flavor. In recipes that contain tomatoes, the acid of the tomato helps this to happen naturally.)
Paleo Beef Stew with Turnips and Greens (AIP-Friendly)
This Paleo Beef Stew with Turnips and Greens has a packs a nutrient-dense punch, has a thick consistency and an amazingly rich, full flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 pound beef stew meat (preferably grass-fed), cut into chunks
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups beef broth (preferably homemade)
- 8-10 baby turnips peeled
- 1 cup of leafy greens like kale mustard greens, or turnip greens, ribs removed and chopped
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add meat, toss to coat in oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Cook meat until browned on all sides (about 7-10 minutes total).
- While meat is cooking, puree onions, carrots, and celery in a food processor.
- Remove meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl to catch any drippings.
- Add pureed vegetables to the pot you just cooked the meat in and cook until soft, slightly browned and very fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and herbs and cook until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
- Return meat to the pot. Carefully pour the wine into the pot to deglaze, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits. Cook, stirring frequently, until wine has nearly all evaporated.
- Add balsamic vinegar and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to lowest setting. Cover pot and cook for 2 hours.
- Add turnips and cook for 15 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a knife but are not falling apart. Add greens and cook for 2 minutes, or until they are wilted and softened.
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21 Responses
WOW this looks amazing! My family will love this 🙂
Awesome!! Such a perfect dish for cold days!
I wanted to make this but I can’t have onions, garlic, dry wine, or balsamic vinegar right now. I was thinking of substituting apple cider vinegar. Would you recommend this? And if so how much since I am also not doing the wine. Are there any other recommendations for me tailoring this for me limitations? Or should I just wait until I can eat the omitted ingredients?
ACV should work just fine! Instead of the wine, I’d probably use broth of some sort…chicken or beef probably. I think you could also do it without the onions and garlic. It might not have the same flavor though, since those are the aromatic base of the dish.
In case anyone sees this in the future, ACV was great. I’m sure the wine is better and a different flavor profile, however we were on WHOLE30 so, this with the ACV was delicious!
Good to know Jen! Thanks for sharing your modification!
I don’t eat FODMAPS (onions, garlic) and do a similar beef stew without them. I’ve been using turnips and they work great. To make up for the flavor of the onions and garlic I add tumeric, black pepper and oregano. I have worked my way up to using a little granulated garlic and that does help. I do my stew in the slow cooker. I do find that a good red wine adds a lot of flavor. Malbec is my favorite. But you can do it without too. A good beef stock (homemade from grass fed beef bones) is the key.
Love this, Bet! Thank you SO much for contributing to this…I think folks will find it helpful 🙂
Thanks so much
You’re welcome
Glad to see yet another good way to hide greens, yet still get the nutritional benefits. Off to the kitchen to give this a try. Thank you!
I’m almost done making this and it smells amazing. My concern is, it looks like soup, not stew. Are you sure you left the lid on during the 2 hour simmer time?
I’ll have to see if Jaime knows the answer.
Mine looks like soup too…
Hi Kirsty…if the broth is too thin, you can reduce it down by bringing it to a boil until it decreases in volume. Unfortunately different veggies have different moisture content at certain times in the season, so they may release more liquid.
This is excellent! I made it for dinner this evening. I tripled the carrots and celery, and quadrupled the kale. I browned ground beef with onions in the bottom of a large deep pan. Then I added the other ingredients as I cut them up. No pureeing, no removing beef from the pan. I added only 2 cups hot water (in lieu of beef broth), as I knew I was not waiting 2 hours for “stew”. And (oops!) I forgot the vinegar. This is now a one-pot wonder. OMG good! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m chuffed you loved it so much. 🙂
Looking good, still boiling down the beef bone broth. Recommend cutting liquid at least in half. 1-2 cups is plenty if you want a stew. Probably just 1 cup.
Thanks for recipe.
That’s so cool!Can’t wait to try it. Pinned for later
Yay! Hope you enjoy it 🙂