Instant Pot Roast Beef Stew - recipe, tweaks, & cooking

I decided to make it even easier for all of us who have busy schedules and can't spend 2 hours at a time in the kitchen. I went ahead and grabbed a cup of minced onion out of the freezer that we had prepared ahead of time. So I didn't take time to chop any of the onions. I also am not using any of the potatoes in the recipe. I prefer having a piece of sourdough bread to add to any food that I eat at this point. And that's my carb for the meal. 

Step 1: Place 1 T olive oil into IP. Set it to sauté, 3 min.  

When oil is hot, add fresh onion and grated garlic.

Quick version: place 1 T olive oil, 1 c chopped frozen onion and 2 tsp garlic powder (or 3 cloves minced) in IP. 

Caution:  If you don't put the oil, frozen onions and garlic in at the same time, when you add the frozen onion to the pan, the oil will start violently popping and may burn you.  Goal: translucent onions. 

Step 2: Broth and liquids --> Drain 3 cans of roast beef into a glass 4 c Pyrex. Set aside. 

The nice thing about this method is that you can pick out the hardened fat out of the meat and toss it.

Add three cans of roast beef to the instant pot. 

Frugal tip: Do not toss cans! Pour about 1/3 cup of water into each empty can swish it around and add it to your four cup Pyrex measuring container. This is an inexpensive way to have the additional broth that you need. 

And super frugal - which I am not; even typing this up sounds completely overwhelming to me and I don't have any kiddos at home. 

You can wash out the cans and pour melted wax in w/ a wick. Poof, a homemade emergency candle!

Add 3-4 T of healthy oil. You should have about 2 c. fluids. Add water and beef broth to get to 3 c. of fluids.

If you used canned roast beef, you'll need to reserve about 1 cup of the broth on the side for the quick method thickening (*) step below. 

Note:  for those comfortable using beef flavored granulated bouillon, I suggest the loose form, not the cubes. Add 1 tsp bullion and 1 c. water to your drained beef "juice".

Step 3: Pour broth the 3 cups of broth into the pot. 

Stir to combine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the pot.  You're trying to grab all of the bits and pieces off of the pan so there's no burning later. 

                

Almost done! 

Step 4 : This is where your prep time pays off! Add veggies to the IP.

Mix 1/2 c water, 1 can (6 oz) tomato sauce, 2 T thickener, 2 T liquid aminos (or Worcestershire sauce). Stir well. 

Place 2 bay leaves on top. 

Place lid on. Cook on high for 8 minutes. Natural release for 8 minutes.

Lunch and leftovers!!

Let the stew cool in a glass container you're planning on using. Or in something like this Pyrex pan. 

Frugal tip for storage: Then place it in smaller containers (like this recycled one from WinCo almond butter) to freeze or a glass jar to reheat and eat soon.

Frugal tip for marking: I put a masking tape label on with details. I've never had a label maker. 

Include dish name, who can eat it, & date.

Enjoy! And please give me tips or suggestions that you may have. I'm glad to try and tweak one of your recipes. During this holiday season it's important to have great digestion, healthy food, a joyful attitude, and a clear mind. All the reasons I switched my diet five years ago.