Stewtanesca

Easy weeknight winter stew

Stewtanesca, Recipe and Photo by me, Anna Vocino

I LOVE THE PUTTANESCA SAUCE!!

Okay, I say that about all my sauces, but right now, I LOVE THIS SAUCE THE BEST! I only ever had one child, so obviously she’s my favorite. But I cycle through sauce favorites like a dysfunctional mom in a VC Andrews novel.

I’ve been waiting for cold weather to strike so I can make all my recipes with Puttanesca Sauce to my heart’s content.

This is a recipe for a beef and mushroom stew, very similar to the slow cooker stew recipe for Beef and Portobello Stew in the first Eat Happy.

This version is cooked stove top for a quicker cook time, but you’re welcome to use a slow cooker on low for 3-4 hours. Remember if you use grass fed beef, it will cook quicker due to the lower fat content.

I use Eat Happy Kitchen Puttanesca Sauce (duh), because I’m fully high on my own supply. If you don’t care to buy my sauces, you can make homemade Puttanesca Sauce from the recipe in Eat Happy Too. Or if you want to sub out a jar of your fave no sugar added Marinara or my recipe for homemade marinara, you can do that too. I always want you to understand that you have options, these recipes are flexible.

But Stewtanesca? I can’t resist a good portmanteau recipe title.

Enjoy this one and Happy Halloween, my darlings!!

As always, here’s a downloadable, printable PDF of this recipe for you.

STEWTANESCA

(Serves 6-8)

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 pounds grass fed beef stew meat, cut into chunks

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, loosely chopped

• 3 stalks celery, loosely chopped

• 1/2 cup loosely chopped carrots

• 4-8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or you can use fresh if you have it)

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or you can use fresh if you have it)

• 1 thyme sprig (optional if you have fresh thyme on hand)

• 1 26-ounce jar Eat Happy Kitchen Puttanesca Sauce (or any no sugar added red sauce of your choice)

INSTRUCTIONS

Season beef with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil to medium-high heat in a Le Creuset or Dutch oven pot and sear each side of the beef chunks, about 3–4 minutes total. Remove beef from pot and set aside on a plate.

Add onion, celery, and carrot to pot and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms to pan and cook 3-5 minutes until soft. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in oregano and thyme.

Add beef back into pot with reserved juices on plate and stir with vegetables. Pour in jar of Puttanesca sauce and stir to incorporate with beef and veggies. Drop in thyme sprig. Turn heat to low, cover, and let simmer 60-90 minutes until beef is fork tender. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve, discarding thyme sprig.