Keto Beef Stew

You’d think all beef stew was keto, right? Not if it uses potatoes, flours, or starches. This keto beef stew recipe has no starchy carbs…but instead uses a natural low carb substitute for cornstarch made from konjac root, and you’d scarcely know the difference between this and one thickened with starches.

Leave in or out as many or few vegetables as you like. I used rutabaga, onion, and carrot in mine (I found rutabaga makes a nice substitute for potatoes in this).

Amazingly beefy and filling, I think you’ll like this simple but rich beef stew as much as I do!

INGREDIENTS

2-3 pounds stew meat or roast (I used chuck roast this time)

Coarsely diced rutabaga, carrot, onion, or other vegetables as you like 
(I also used 2 stalks of celery cut into 2-3 large pieces per stalk, for flavor during cooking only)

3-4 cups beef broth or water

3 tablespoons red wine (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

Minced garlic to taste

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Glucomannan, aka powdered konjac root (optional, to thicken the stew)

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet (or pot you plan to cook the stew in), heat a bit of fat over medium-high heat and place the chunks of meat spaced evenly apart, and brown on all sides (don’t cook the meat all the way through). You may need to work in batches to brown the meat evenly, do not crowd the pan. This step is optional, but browning the meat on the outside helps give the stew a richer flavor. 

Generously salt and pepper the meat and place it in your cooking pot, add the garlic and pour the broth or water plus optional red wine over it all, and cover with a lid to cook.

Stove top: 2-4 hours on low heat

Crock pot: 8-10 hours on LOW

Wait to add the veggies to your pot until a bit over halfway into cooking time, unless you like your broth to be more on the vegetable-based side, in terms of flavor (I don’t, I prefer mine more beefy). 

Once the beef and vegetables are as tender as you’d like, add the glucomannan powder by dusting it lightly over the surface of the stew and stir it in very well. Let it set for a bit to see if it thickens to your liking. Don’t be generous with it, or you’ll wind up adding water if it’s too gloppy.

NOTES:

This freezes nicely. Just put it in the fridge a day or so before you want to eat it.