This Turmeric Beef Stew is designed with leftovers in mind! I make a variation of this recipe (depending what kind of ground meat + veggies we have on hand) about once a week, sometimes twice. It makes a huge pot of stew, great for when you need some easy meals to reheat during the week. Not gonna lie, sometimes I'll eat stew for almost every meal until it's gone! But it freezes well too. Don't need that much stew? The recipe can easily be halved!
This stew doesn't contain any nightshade vegetables, like potatoes, tomatoes or peppers. These veggies and spices can sometimes be irritating or triggering for people with autoimmune disease, especially diseases associated with the joints and bones, like rheumatoid arthritis. With ulcerative colitis, I feel a lot better skipping the nightshades.
Wanna know one of my favorite kitchen hacks? Thickening soups and stews with pureed squash! You get all the soluble fiber and nutrients, yet you don't even know the squash is there. For this batch of stew, I used kabocha squash but you can use any squash (butternut, acorn, pumpkin or even sweet potatoes). See the * after the recipe for a full script of how I prepped my squash and what else you can substitute.
I served a similar stew the last time my in-laws were over. My father-in-law said, "I don't know what it is, but it tastes good!" I'll consider that a win!
Ingredients:
3lb ground beef
3 Tbsp pastured lard, divided
4 stalks celery, diced
4 medium-sized carrots, diced
4 cups sweet potatoes, cubed
2 cups broccoli florets, bite-size pieces (frozen works too)
3 cups cauliflower florets, bite-size pieces (frozen works too)
3-4 cups bone broth (depending how thick you like your stew; I used unsalted)
2 bay leaves
2.5 tsp turmeric, ground
2.5 tsp ginger, ground
2.5 tsp sea salt (to taste, use less if your broth is already salted)
2 cups pureed squash (I used kabocha - see * below for what I did)
1/2 cup frozen peas (Omit for AIP)
2 cups frozen spinach, chopped or crushed
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef in 1 Tbsp lard until cooked through. Transfer the beef and its juices to a large glass bowl and set aside.
2. In the same large soup pot, simmer the remaining 2 Tbsp lard with the celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, bone broth, bay leaves, turmeric, ginger and sea salt - with the lid on, until veggies are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the ground beef + its juices, pureed squash, peas, spinach and apple cider vinegar. Simmer on low, uncovered, until peas are cooked through.
Serve as is or over rice. My husband and kiddo love it with shredded cheese on top. If I tolerated corn, I would probably dip some organic corn chips in it - YUM!
Enjoy!
*How to roast your squash:
You can do this up to a few days in advance or while you're cutting up all the other stew veggies. Use whatever kind of squash you have on hand (butternut, acorn, pumpkin, kabocha or even sweet potatoes). I used kabocha.
Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, place cut side down in a baking dish, pierce the skin with a knife and bake at 400F until knife-tender (30-40min).
Let the squash cool down, peel + discard the skin. Place the cooked squash in the food processor and puree.
My kabocha puree was THICK so I added about 1/4 cup of water to thin it out. The puree was still very thick in the end. So keep that in mind if your squash puree is thinner - you might not need as much broth when you make the stew!
If you're using sweet potatoes, use the same steps as above - you just won't need to scoop out the seeds! Depending on their size, they may take longer to cook. And the stew will be on the sweeter side - you may need more spices and apple cider vinegar. Feel it out.
You can also try this recipe with canned squash or sweet potato puree in a pinch.
Have you tried any of my recipes? Let me know! I love hearing from you!