A few months back, while living in San Francisco, my wife Emily and I stumbled upon a delicious stew recipe that quickly became a staple in our home. Since then, I’ve made it numerous times, especially for our friends during Shabbat dinners—and the demand just keeps growing! The other night, my friend Tomer asked me for the recipe, and that’s when it hit me: I hadn’t ever actually written it down (it originally came from Emily’s culinary explorations).

At this point, I’ve cooked it so many times that the recipe feels second nature—I could probably make it in my sleep! Even though beef stew might sound repetitive when eaten week after week, it’s consistently satisfying and a definite favorite with our kids.

So, inspired by Tomer’s request and my desire to keep track of our family favorites, I’ve decided to start documenting the recipes I truly love. Kicking off this tasty journey is our famous Instant Pot Beef Stew: a quick, easy, and reliably delicious meal that never disappoints.

Prerequisite

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb+ stew meat
  • 1 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3-4 medium-large carrots
  • 3 medium gold potatoes
  • 1 pint crimini mushrooms
  • 18-32 oz beef broth (depending on desired thickness)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Red wine

Instructions:

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Instant Pot. Sauté half of the meat on one side, seasoning with ½ teaspoon salt, for 5 minutes.

  2. Flip meat and repeat seasoning with another ½ teaspoon salt; sauté for another 5 minutes.

  3. Remove sautéed meat and set aside. Do not clean the pot.

  4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the remaining meat.

  5. Wash and peel carrots and potatoes; cut into approximately ¾-inch pieces.

  6. Clean mushrooms and quarter them.

  7. Chop onion and set aside. Separately, chop garlic and set aside.

  8. Sauté onions in the same pot used for the meat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

  9. Add garlic, stir, and sauté for 1 additional minute.

  10. Pour in about 3 oz red wine. Use a wooden spatula to deglaze the pot thoroughly.

  11. Add vegetables and meat back into the pot.

  12. Pour in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce; stir gently to combine.

  13. Top off with tomato sauce (do not stir after adding tomato sauce).

  14. Close Instant Pot, set to pressure cook, and press Start.

  15. Wait for the timer, then release the vent, serve hot, and enjoy!