Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

When it comes to saving time in the kitchen, a pressure cooker is a busy mother's best friend. On a weeknight, it's almost always impossible to let a hearty beef stew simmer for hours, but if you take shortcuts, you'll end up with tough beef. Put the stew in a pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot, however, and you can have dinner on the table in an hour.

Word to the wise: It's tempting to use the quick-release setting on the Instant Pot to save 15 minutes. However, when it comes to soups and other liquid dishes, the manufacturer recommends allowing the dish to manually release its pressure.

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 medium carrots
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 pound beef chuck roast
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all produce. Thinly slice the onion, carrots and mushrooms, mince the garlic and cube the potatoes. 
2. Pat the chuck roast dry, and season it with salt and pepper.
3. Turn on the saute function on the Instant Pot, and add the olive oil. Add the chuck roast; brown it on all sides. 
4. Remove the chuck roast to a plate. Put the onion slices and beef broth in the instant pot, scraping up any browned bits of meat on the bottom. 
5. Add the tomato paste, garlic, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, dried thyme and dried rosemary. Return the chuck roast to the pot, and stir everything to combine. 
6. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. Using the manual setting, add 35 minutes of high pressure. 
7. Once the Instant Pot beeps to indicate that it's finished, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release. Once finished, open the steam valve, and then remove the lid. 
8. Stir the stew; taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.