Irish stew is a classic dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton, potatoes, and onions. However, with a few smart ingredient swaps, you can enjoy all the comforting flavors of Irish stew while staying true to your ketogenic lifestyle. This article will guide you through creating a keto-friendly Irish stew that's rich, flavorful, and satisfying.
What is Irish Stew?
Irish stew is a blend of tender meat and root vegetables simmered in a savory broth. It is often considered the national dish of Ireland, traditionally made with mutton or lamb, onions, and potatoes. Modern versions often include stout beer, giving it a unique and robust flavor.
Keto Adaptation: Making it Low-Carb
The key to making Irish stew keto-friendly lies in replacing the high-carb ingredients with low-carb alternatives. Potatoes, a staple in traditional Irish stew, can be substituted with turnips, cauliflower, or celeriac. Carrots can be used in moderation for color and flavor, or replaced with red bell peppers.
Ingredients for Keto Irish Stew
Here's a list of ingredients you'll need to create a delicious and hearty keto Irish stew:
- Meat: 2 pounds of beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes (or lamb stew meat). Stew beef requires plenty of internal fat and connective tissue to allow it to turn tender rather than tough over long simmering. Chuck roast has ample quantities of both; plus, it has tons of beefy flavor.
- Vegetables:
- 1 medium onion, chopped (use the green part of one leek for a low-FODMAP option)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped (use 1.5 stalks for low-FODMAP)
- 2 carrots, chopped (optional, for color and flavor)
- 2 pounds of low-carb root vegetables, peeled and chopped (such as turnips, cauliflower florets, celeriac, or rutabaga)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (eliminate for low-FODMAP or replace by adding a pinch of asafoetida or sautéing the meat in garlic-infused olive oil)
- 8 oz. Baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- Liquids:
- 14.9 ounces Guinness Stout (optional, can be substituted with beef broth or red wine)
- 2 cups beef broth (low-sodium is recommended)
- ½ cup dry red wine (optional)
- Vinegar (optional)
- Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, crushed (or dried)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste; kala namak black salt is a flavorful option)
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- Thickener:
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (or glucomannan)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to make a keto Irish stew, incorporating both stovetop and Instant Pot methods:
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Preparing the Meat
- Dry and Season: Place the diced stew beef onto a paper towel-lined plate. Do half the meat at a time, refreshing for a new paper towel in between batches. Doing this will allow the meat to be dried off and create a better sear in the pan. Once the meat is on the paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Pat the beef dry with paper towels to ensure it’s completely dry. Then season well with salt and pepper, making sure you cover every surface.
- Sear the Beef: Heat a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until the pan is nice and hot. Add in the avocado oil. Add the beef to the pot in a single layer (you’ll likely need to work in batches) and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove all beef to a bowl and set aside. Add additional oil as needed between batches. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the beef and sear on all sides until golden. You’ll have to work in batches here-don’t overcrowd your pot. Once each batch is done, remove from the pot and repeat with the remaining beef. If your pot is getting dry and you need more oil, feel free to add some. Do half of the stew beef and allow the meat to sear on the first side for a couple of minutes, turning the heat down if necessary to prevent burning. Do not disturb the meat until a nice brown crust has formed on the bottom. Remove the meat to a plate. Repeat with the remaining stew beef. You will need to cook the stew beef longer on the first side this time since there is more water in the bottom of the pot now. Be patient during this step! Do not disturb the meat until it is nicely seared, then stir it and repeat the browning process on the other side. Then, add all the beef together in the pot.
Building the Flavor Base
- Sauté Aromatics: To that same pot, add the mushrooms and cook until crispy and golden. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Once golden, add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until soft. Then add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, around 1 minute more. Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion and celery until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, tomato paste, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute. In the meantime, dice the celery into a small dice, as well as the onion. Prepare the fresh parsley by chopping it into a fine mince too. Set aside while the beef is cooking. Add in the minced garlic. Give the mixture a stir.
- Deglaze the Pot: Add ½ cup beef broth and vinegar to the dutch oven and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat. Deglazing is basically a fancy word for scraping the browned goodness from the lamb meat off the bottom of the skillet. When you use the wine and a wooden spoon and deglaze the pan, that goodness gets put into the recipe for more flavor. Add in the tomato paste. Add in the stout beer to deglaze the pan. Use your spoon to scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. You could also use dry red wine in place of that bit of broth, if you wanted. Yum!! (Deglazing just means adding liquid to the hot pan and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Those browned bits equal LOADS of flavor!
Simmering the Stew
- Combine Ingredients: Add the beef back to the skillet along with the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Then, add in the beef stock, fresh thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Add the broth, thyme, rosemary, and beef to pot and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the beef back into the pot along with potatoes, carrots, celery, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and beef broth. Stir to combine. If there is not enough liquid to cover the vegetables, add water - only as much as needed.
- Simmer: Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook over low heat for 1 ½ hours or until beef is tender. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then simmer until the beef is tender. This could take around 50 minutes to an hour, so keep an eye on it. Cook over low heat for 1 ½ hours or until beef is tender.
Adding Vegetables and Thickening
- Add Vegetables: Add the turnips, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Stir to combine. When the beef is almost tender. Add in the celery, onion and cauliflower florets. Remove from the oven, add the zucchini, turnip, and carrots, and stir to combine.
- Thicken (Optional): Remove ½ cup of liquid from the pot to a small bowl or measuring cup. Sprinkle with the xanthan gum and whisk well to incorporate. We’re going to use xanthan gum to thicken the stew. It’s easily found at most well-stocked grocery stores or you can order it from my Amazon link. Xanthan gum sounds a little weird, but it’s a totally natural product that’s added to more foods than you realize. Remove 1/2 cup of liquid from your stew and sprinkle just a 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum over the top and then immediately whisk it all together. To thicken the broth, push the meat and vegetables to the side and whisk the glucommanan into the liquid. It will continue to thicken as it sits.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Brown the Beef: As above.
- Combine Ingredients: Transfer the browned beef and all other ingredients (except xanthan gum) to a slow cooker.
- Cook: Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the beef is tender.
- Thicken (Optional): As above.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Brown the Beef: Using the Sauté function.
- Deglaze: Add Guinness beer and tomato paste until just hot enough to deglaze the pot, about 1 minute.
- Combine Ingredients: Add all ingredients (except xanthan gum) to the Instant Pot. Cut the broth back to half a cup, as pressure cookers force a lot of liquid out of meats and veggies.
- Pressure Cook: Cover and seal the lid and set to 20 minutes with High Pressure on Manual mode. Allow the pressure cooker to release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
- Thicken (Optional): As above.
Tips and Variations
- Meat Choice: While beef chuck roast is recommended, lamb stew meat can also be used.
- Vegetables: Feel free to adjust the vegetables based on your preferences and what you have on hand. Mushrooms, celeriac, and rutabaga are all great low-carb options.
- Liquid: If you don't want to use Guinness, you can substitute it with beef broth or red wine.
- Thickening: If you prefer a thinner stew, you can skip the thickening step altogether.
- Flavor: Add more kosher salt or black pepper to taste. If you want more of a citrus taste, add a bit of tomato paste.
- Add Green Veggies: Adding things like baby spinach or a bit of kale is never a bad idea. This low-carb lamb stew is a great way to get the kids to eat more greens.
- Dairy-Free: Ensure you are using a dairy-free Worcestershire sauce.
- Low-FODMAP: When using the xanthan gum, either sprinkle it thinly across the surface of the stew or add it to a cup with about a half cup of broth and whisk until dissolved, then add to the pot. If it's added in one 'heap', it will gel together and not thicken the soup.
Serving Suggestions
This keto beef stew is plenty comforting on its own, but if you want to bulk this meal up, serve this alongside any of our favorite keto side dishes.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Creamed Brussels Sprouts
- Smashed Broccoli
Storage Instructions
If you have any leftovers (or want to make this meal ahead of time), let the stew cool to room temperature before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I swear it gets even better as it sits!
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