Instant Pot Beef Stew

I had heard about the Instant Pot and was intrigued because I had never cooked with a pressure cooker.  I liked that it was electronic and less scary than stovetop pressure cookers and the Instant Pot seems to have a cult following.  Amazon Prime Day sealed the deal- W and I both saw the IP for a great price and texted each other at the same time.

I've had a good amount of success with the IP thanks to Facebook groups and online recipes, and I appreciate the amount of time I've saved with it.  I made this Instant Pot Beef Stew for some friends and it got rave reviews.  

Thanks, Jennifer Robins of Predominantly Paleo!  I didn't make this recipe paleo but it was great as written.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces tenderloin, cut (or stew meat -aka chuck roast)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 3 yukon gold potatoes chopped (replace with sweet potatoes for AIP)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 cups beef bone broth, organic or homemade (make sure AIP compatible if observing)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil, ghee, or lard (stick to avocado oil or lard for AIP)
• 1-2 teaspoons sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon pepper (omit for AIP)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (omit for AIP)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (omit for AIP)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour - I used cornstarch
• Worcestershire sauce to taste (omit for AIP)
• Optional: sweet potato, parsnip, turnips

1. Turn your Instant Pot onto “Saute” and put in your oil and tenderloin
2. Saute until the meat is no longer pink then toss in your remaining veggies
3. Stir to combine then add in the broth and seasonings
4. Stir once more then place the lid on your Instant Pot and press “Stew/Meat”
5. The setting should automatically set itself for 35 minutes on high pressure
6. Make sure your steam valve is closed and let it cook as indicated by the display
7. Once cooking is complete, your Instant Pot should automatically switch over to warm – You can leave it as is or quick release the pressure. I let mine rest and release the pressure on its own slowly.
8. After about 20 minutes passed on the “Warm” setting, you can then open the top
9. Carefully ladle out about 1/4 of the liquid and combine that in a small bowl with the arrowroot flour
10. Add the slurry back into the pot and stir to thicken
11. At this time you may taste the stew and see if you’d like to add in additional salt; it is better to start low and add then to over-salt from the beginning
12. At this time you may serve the stew or leave it on the “Warm” setting until ready to enjoy