January kicked my butt. Hard. I had big plans to eat perfectly healthy and go to the gym everyday and that definitely did not happen. I knew that I needed to start being more prepared, so I tried making some freezer meals. I wasn't sure if they would have the same home-cooked taste, but I was so surprised. My husband even texted me about this beef stew from work to tell me how amazing it was!
*post updated 8/28/19
This beef stew is so simple and everything but the broth & potatoes are already in the freezer bag. You can come home, dump the bag in the Instant Pot and in 25 minutes dinner is ready! This means that I can spend some time with the kids before they go to bed. That is so worth it to me to prepare ahead of time.
I used the pre-cut stew beef and it worked really well. It was very tender once it was cooked, but you could also use a larger cut of beef and cut it into smaller pieces. The veggies are also all cut to a similar size to help them cook more evenly. You can use any beef broth that you like, but my personal favorite its Bonafide Provisions Beef Bone Broth. It has so much flavor and even adds a boost of nutrients. It's also made from the highest quality beef bones. You can buy it from their website, in bulk on Amazon or I get mine at my local grocery store in the freezer section.
When you are making this in the Instant Pot it can go straight from freezer to cooking. When you are using a slow cooker, it needs to be thawed overnight in the fridge first. This is because the slow cooker doesn't come to temperature fast and you don't want bacteria to accumulate on the meat. This is also a great option when you are busy because you can set it in the fridge the night before and then place it in the slow cooker in the morning before work.
Used in This Recipe:
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Paleo Beef Stew Freezer Meal
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Stew Beef
- 3 Carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks Celery chopped
- 1 Yellow Onion sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Tbls Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- 1.5 lb Red Potatoes quartered
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Place all of the ingredients except the broth and potatoes into a freezer bag and try to get all the air out. Seal tightly and place in the freezer
- When ready to make the stew, take the bag out of the freezer and place contents into the Instant Pot. Add in the broth and seal the lid. Close the steam valve and set to manual pressure mode at 20 minutes
- When done, release the steam and add in the potatoes. Seal the lid and set for 3 minutes. When timer goes off. Let manual release for 2 minutes and then quick release. Remove the rosemary and bay leaves and discard
- Beef should be tender and cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed
Slow Cooker
- Place all of the ingredients expect the broth and potatoes into a freezer bag and try to get all the air out. Seal tightly and place in the freezer.
- Remove the bag out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the fridge.
- Place the thawed contents in the slow cooker, add in the broth and potaotes and cook on low for 4-5 hours and on high for 2-3 hours
Planning on making this soon but not from frozen. How long would it need to pressure cook if it’s not frozen? Would I add my potatoes at the same time also if not cooking from frozen?
When you cook it in a slow cooker do you add the potatoes with the broth? Thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious!
Yes you do! I will update that in the post, thank you 🙂
Hi Sarah, how would you change the timing if only the meat is frozen and the rest of the vegetables are thawed?
Hi Rebecca, I would have to test that out to give you specifics. But I would recommend cooking the meat first and then adding the veggies toward the end so they don't get mushy