Quick and Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew Red Wine Recipe

An Instant Pot beef stew recipe is a great way to cook an entire, hearty meal in a fraction of the time it takes using other cooking methods like the stove or oven. Whether you have an Instant™ pot, a traditional pressure cooker, or none, we have instructions to make this quick and easy beef stew with red wine recipe a great soup with vegetables to serve for dinner.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Preparation

Why I ❤️ it

When I moved out of my parental home, an old pressure cooker was one of the parting gifts I got from my mom. I still have it to this day decades after, and it works just as flawlessly. A couple of years ago, at my readers' request, I bought an Instant pot to start creating recipes with it.

This cooking method allows us to save on cooking gas or electricity when boiling beans, and on the grocery bill by buying inexpensive cuts of meats and turning them into delectable stews with meat that melts in your mouth. You're going to love this flavorful and filling pressure cooker stew, and the recipe has instructions to cook it with both types of pressure cookers.

Utensils and tools

• Large mixing bowl
• Pressure cooker or Instant pot

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of beef stew meat, [1.5 kg] chuck, blade, or flank
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 2 teaspoons of salt, (or more, to taste), divided
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or more, to taste), divided
• 3 cups red wine (merlot or cabernet)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups of beef broth (or chicken or vegetable broth)
• 3 sprigs of rosemary
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 loves of garlic cloves (whole)
• 2 pounds waxy potatoes, [1.25 kg], peel and cube them
• 2 pounds carrot, [1.25 kg], peeled and sliced
• 3 large red onions, quartered
• 1½ cups peas, blanched (I used frozen peas)

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1

Heat the oil over medium heat in the pressure cooker. Add the seasoned meat (careful with splatters). Cook and stir until all the liquid has evaporated. Brown the meat stirring to brown evenly.

Sift the flour into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent clumps from forming, stir to mix well.

How to make it in a traditional pressure cooker

Step 2

Add the marinade, 3 cups of water, 3 cups of broth rosemary, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, and bay leaf. 

Cover, place the pressure valve, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, counting from the time the valve starts to whistle.

Step 3

Remove the cooker from the heat and cool under running water for 1 minute. Stop the water and carefully remove the valve to break the vacuum. Remove the lid.

Add 2 cups of water. Add garlic, potatoes, carrots, and onions, cover, and place the valve. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes counting from the time the valve starts whistling.

Step 4

Remove the cooker from the heat and cool under running water for 1 minute. Stop the water and carefully remove the valve to break the vacuum. Remove the lid.

Add the peas and cook uncovered over medium heat until the peas are heated through (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to make it in an Instant™ pot or electric pressure cooker

Step 2

Select the SAUTE setting on the keypad. Heat oil (about 2 minutes). Add the seasoned meat (careful with splatters). Simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Brown the meat stirring to cook evenly.

Sift the flour into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent clumps from forming, stir to mix well. Press Cancel on the keypad.

Step 3

Add the marinade, 3 cups of water, 3 cups of broth, rosemary, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, and bay leaf. 

Close the lid to the locked position and position the pressure valve. Select PRESSURE cook on HIGH on the keypad. Set timer to 15 minutes.

Step 4

When done, press CANCEL, let it cook down for about 3 minutes, and carefully use the quick release to release the pressure.

Remove the lid. Add 2 cups of water. Add garlic, potatoes, carrots, and onions. Cover, and place the valve. Select PRESSURE cook on HIGH on the keypad. Set timer to 10 minutes.

Step 5

When done, press CANCEL and carefully use the quick release to release the pressure.

Remove the lid. Add the peas, Select the SAUTE setting on the keypad and cook uncovered until the peas are heated through (3-5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Press CANCEL to serve immediately, or cover and select KEEP WARM to serve later.

How to make it in a regular pot

Step 2

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the seasoned meat (careful with splatters). Simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Sauté to brown the meat, stirring to cook evenly.

Sift the flour into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent clumps from forming, stir to mix well.

Step 3

Add the marinade, 3 cups of water, 3 cups of broth, rosemary, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, and bay leaf. 

Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Stir often and add water as it becomes necessary to maintain the same level.

Step 4

Add garlic, potatoes, carrots, and onions. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Stir often and add water as it becomes necessary to maintain the same level.

Add the peas and cook uncovered until the peas are heated through (about 5 minutes). 

Step 5

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Variations

You can perfectly make an alcohol-free version by not adding wine to it.

Top tips

Waxy potatoes are the opposite of floury potatoes. The former do not dissolve so easily during cooking. Yukon works very well.

Instructions for the electric cooker are specifically for the Instant™ pot cooker, as that is the one I have, but it's probably fairly similar for other brands. Consult the manual.

If you have any leftovers, you can freeze them in a freezer-safe container, and reheat them later. If you will eat it the next day, you can keep it in the refrigerator.

Cooking with pressure cookers

Pressure cookers used to have a reputation for being dangerous, and some people to this day refuse to use them. The problem of exploding cookers was largely solved by adding a second security valve that releases steam if the main valve gets clogged (which may happen with starchy foods and beans).

The advantage of the non-electric cookers is that they are inexpensive, harder to damage, and will work on whatever stovetop you have (except if you have an induction stovetop).

It's important to familiarize yourself with the owner's manual and keep the valves clean, and the cooker in good condition.

Cooking with electric pressure cookers

I, too, eventually succumbed to the siren song of the modern pressure cooker and got myself an electric, programmable one. The main reason is that I now have an induction cooktop on which my mom's old one does not work, so the Instant^™ Pot gives me the choice to use it as a pressure cooker, or a slow cooker.

I can say that, while I enjoy using it very much, it's not much better than my old one, as I don't need the programming functions on it. If you work outside of your home, I can see how that's a great feature to have.

Serving suggestions

You can serve this soup with some rustic bread if you wish.

Nutritional information

Calories: 959kcal - Carbohydrates: 51g - Protein: 47g - Fat: 53g - Saturated Fat: 18g - Cholesterol: 161mg - Sodium: 1056mg - Potassium: 2053mg - Fiber: 11g - Sugar: 12g - Vitamin A: 25535IU - Vitamin C: 45mg - Calcium: 172mg - Iron: 11.2mg

FAQs

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