Oven-Braised Beef Stew with Carrot, Parsnip, and Lacinato Kale

I’m not gonna lie. This recipe is long and involved and may make you not wanna cook for a few days afterwards. Thankfully, this beef stew is the bomb diggity so it’s worth the work.

Beef stews that are slowly braised in the oven are tastier than those you cook in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Make this stew on a lazy weekend day so you can serve it later in your workweek. It reheats well and, like all stews, it tastes better the next day.

My favorite cut for beef stew is boneless short ribs but there was a sale at Whole Paycheck for their chuck roast so that’s what I used. Short ribs get super tender and don’t dry out like chuck can so use them if you can.

Time to make Oven-Braised Beef Stew with Carrot, Parsnip, and Lacinato Kale!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds beef chuck roast
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 large leeks, white parts only (split down the middle and sliced crosswise)
• 6 shallots, peeled and trimmed
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil, ghee, or fat of choice, divided
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 6 ounces Cremini mushrooms, washed and quartered
• 2 celery stalks, cut into medium sized pieces
• 4 large carrots, cut into fourths
• 12 mini parsnips, trimmed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 bunches lacinato kale, blanched

Equipment:

• All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.

Method:

Here are my ingredients all prepped…

…and my hunk ‘o beef.

I preheated my oven to 300 F and moved the rack to the lower middle.

I dried off the roast and cut it into 2-inch chunks and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

Then, I gathered my leeks and shallots…

…and sautéed them over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of macadamia nut oil in a large cast iron skillet. I seasoned them with some salt and pepper and once they were softened and browned, I threw in the garlic cloves to get a little color. Then, I transferred them to a large Dutch oven.

Next, I sautéed my mushrooms with some salt and pepper in the skillet…

…and transferred them to the Dutch oven.

I threw the celery, carrots, and parsnips (and some salt and pepper) in the skillet to brown. Since there was a lot of frond developing on the bottom of the skillet, I dumped in the can of diced tomatoes to help release it.

I transferred the root vegetables to the Dutch oven and added the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

I quickly rinsed out my skillet and heated a couple more tablespoons of macadamia nut oil over medium high heat. I seared the beef cubes in four batches so the pan wasn’t overcrowded and the beef would brown properly.

After I was done searing the beef, there was a lot of frond left on the bottom of my skillet so…

…I added the cup of chicken broth to release the meaty browned bits…

…and poured it over the beef stew in the Dutch oven. If I wasn’t on the Whole30 program, I would’ve added some wine as well to deglaze the pan. I added the cider vinegar and stirred the contents of the Dutch oven…

…and covered it with a piece of Parchment paper and the lid.

I popped the stew in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours or until the meat was nice and tender.

I tasted for seasoning but because I had added salt and pepper at each step of the cooking process, the stew didn’t need anymore. Then, I removed the twigs and leaves and transferred the stew to a container to store in the fridge.

In the meantime, I also blanched and squeezed dry two bunches of lancinato kale that I stored in the fridge until I was ready to reheat the stew.

When I reheated the stew tonight, I poured all the contents back into my Dutch oven and brought it to a boil over high heat. Then, I reduced the heat to a simmer and covered it for around 20 minutes to heat throughout. Then, I added the chopped blanched kale…

…and simmered the stew for around 5-10 more minutes.

This stew is a keeper. Even though it was a bitch to make, it was a delicious, rib-sticking meal that fed 4 adults and 2 kids and provided 4 boxes of leftovers.

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Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).

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