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BURRR… I think it’s time for some beef stew! Is it me, or has the weather been a little weird this year or two? It’s hot, and then it’s cold. I’m not complaining. My family lives inland to the beach areas of San Diego, so it can get rather hawt out!! It’s crazy how one day we’re in the mid 80s breaking out shorts to pulling out sweaters with a streak of 60s weather. So here I go making a winter stew! 😂

What I love about stew is that it contains some of my favorite components of a hearty dish, the texture of roast beef in the meat, a slight salty taste that I love in gravy (this might be a textural attribute as well), and the sweetness of just a little bit of soft carrots! Now, that’s what I call yum!

In this remake of a comfort food gone low carb, the white flour and potatoes just had to be omitted for their high glycemic index. (I know, the latter one was probably the hardest to give up for many of us eating low carb). These two items alone help to thicken up of the broth, and the potatoes add an unmistakeable flavor. However, if you’re like me, going low carb or keto with intermittent fasting, wasn’t exactly something I took to on my own. It took a health condition to ramp up my eating and other self-care habits. Note: I am labeling this meal as low-carb, as it does have a higher amount of net carbs than some ketogenic dishes I make. This is one dish I reserve for intermittent fasting so my other (lunch) meal can put me right at my daily net carb count.

So what does one do to thicken up this tasty favorite meal? (I may be speaking for myself here on it being one of those fall/winter favorites.) I simply replace the two items with eggplant and coconut flour. When eggplant is sautéed just right, it keeps a good texture while becoming tender. If you cook it for longer, you get a little bit of a mushy end result, especially in day two of leftovers. And, the coconut flour and xanthan gum help, too. I know some clean eaters are not partial to using this particular processed, yet non-GMO thickener. However, there aren’t too many thickeners like it that add the stew- or gravy-like consistency without the carbs or gel-like quality of other thickeners so I use just a little bit, every now and then.

Anyway, if you get a chance to make this recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback. As always, I appreciate you for reading this far and considering my recipes the next time you decide to make a low-carb meal.

Low-Carb Beef Stew

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Time in Slow Cooker

hours

Try my low-carb remake of a fall/winter favorite with large chunks of savory grass-fed meat, plenty of veggies, and that satiating effect of a tasty stew!

Approximate macros (calculated with Cronometer): 411 calories | 41.3g protein | 13.5g net carbs | 19.9g fat

Ingredients

Meat + Vegetables + Oil
1-1/2 pounds 1-1/2 grass-fed beef stew meat
1-1/2 1-1/2 medium carrots, cut into 3/4” lengths or 1/4” slices
1 1 small eggplant, cut in 1” cubes
6 6 medium mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4” slices
1/2 1/2 large onion, cut into 1” chunks
1/2 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1” chunks
3 tablespoons 3 avocado oil
Spices + Broth
1-1/4 cups 1-1/4 free-range chicken broth or pasture-raised beef broth
1 tablespoon 1 coconut flour
2 cloves 2 garlic, minced, or rounded tsp of pre-minced garlic
2 2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon 1 organic Worcestershire sauce (I like the 365 brand from Whole Foods)
3/4 teaspoon 3/4 paprika
3/4 teaspoon 3/4 black pepper
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 Himalayan pink salt
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 xanthan gum (thickener, if you use it for thickening)
parsley, chopped (optional garnish)

Directions

Set your 4-quart slow cooker to high, and add the carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and 3/4 of the broth.
In a large skillet add the stew meat, xanthan gum, coconut flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Stir the meat together with the dry ingredients until the meat is well coated. Then heat skillet to medium and sear the meat until browned on all sides. When done, transfer to the pot, and stir.
Next, with the heat still on, use the remaining broth to remove the crusted remnants from the pan, and then transfer to pot.
Add the minced garlic, and mix well.
Set a timer for 4 hours on your slow cooker ingredients.
Prior to serving, sauté the eggplant on medium heat in 3 to 5 tablespoon avocado oil covered for 5 minutes, then another 5 minutes uncovered until tender. Then transfer to pot, and mix well.
Serve stew in bowls and garnish with parsley (optional), and enjoy!