Here in Minnesota it gets cold. Like really, really cold. So cold that we go into hibernation from November till April. Every single year I wonder why I live here, and if my entire family wasn't so close I would probably be tempted to move elsewhere. But here I am!
I love a good, hearty stew that fills me up and keeps me cozy. Making your own soup is so easy and you can make a ton of food for next to nothing! Use a homemade broth with your soup, and there's really nothing better.
My husband loved this recipe. The only reason I mention that is because when he has seconds and has that certain look on his face like I just made his entire day because of this meal, that makes a wife feel pretty good.
Because of the barley, this recipe is not gluten-free. And to be honest, you could easily swap out the barley for something like white beans or even lentils.
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is chopping the veggies. To make this faster on a busy night, take time during your food prep day to chop the carrots, celery and onion. Potatoes will turn brown if you chop them in advance. This way you'd be ready to throw everything in the Instant Pot and get cooking!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1.5 pounds beef stew meat
1 Tbsp butter
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
3 small russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 quart beef broth
1 cup water
1 cup corn
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup barley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (or more to taste)
1 tsp dried thyme
Directions
1) Set the Instant Pot to the 'Saute' function, drizzle in oil. Add stew meat and brown. Once the meat is browned remove from the pot onto a plate, set aside.
2) Add butter to the pot and melt. Add in the carrots, celery and onion. Cook 3-4 minutes until onion becomes translucent.
3) Stir in tomato paste, broth, water, corn, diced tomatoes and barley.
4) Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
5) Set Instant Pot to 'Manual' for 18 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.