On cold winter nights there is nothing I crave more then a hot bowl of chunky stew. When you cross a hearty stew with one of my favourite types of food, Mexican, you get happiness in a bowl.
So let me break this amazing stew down for you. First off, you sauté red onion, garlic and jalapenos in a big pot until fragrant. Then tomatoes, stock, chunks of beef and a spicy combination of Mexican spices are combined and simmered for an hour on the stove until the beef becomes tender. The cubed butternut squash should only be added in the final 20 minutes of cooking, so that it gets cooked through, but not mushy.
I added black beans to this stew, which if following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, is an ingredient you can introduce once you are in complete remission. If you are on a legume free diet (such as the Paleo diet) then you can easily leave the black beans out without impacting the overall end result.
This stew is so warm, hearty and delicious. The beef is so tender it literally melts in your mouth, and the chunks of butternut squash add some extra substance. I love topping bowls of this stew with jalapenos, salsa and cilantro, but you could also add shredded cheese, chopped red onions or diced avocado.
I did a bit of research on which was the best cut of beef to use before going to the butcher. I settled on chuck shoulder, and was really happy with how tender the meat turned out. This is a cheap cut of meat that has a good amount of fat and tissue to add lots of flavour. Alternatively you can use short ribs, rump roast or pot roast with equally tender results.
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 jalapeños finely diced
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 yellow pepper chopped into small pieces
- 3 cups beef broth
- 28 fl oz canned tomatoes
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 can black beans optional*
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot on high heat. Cook the beef for approximately 6 minutes until the pieces are nicely browned. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the diced jalapeños, red onion and garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the yellow pepper, cooked beef, beef broth and canned tomatoes to the pot. Stir in the cumin, paprika, coriander, chili powder and salt. Cover the pot and let simmer for 1 hour.
- After an hour of cooking add the cubed butternut squash and black beans to the pot and let simmer for another 30 minutes until the butternut squash is tender and the beef is tender.
- Stir the cilantro through the stew before serving. You can top each bowl with slices of jalapeño, chopped tomatoes, salsa or more cilantro.
Notes
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
I haven’t made this yet. I have a question. Can you sub the butter squash with anything else?
You could use sweet potato instead, it would work well.
I made this soup and it was really, really good. Thanks for the great recipe.
Yea! So happy to hear that! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Wondering what cut of beef you used for the meat to be tender in an hour and a half time?
Thank you
I prefer using chuck for any stewed recipes, it has a lot of flavour and becomes incredibly tender after cooking for an hour an a half. I hope you enjoy!