southsidekitchen.com
Beef and Vegetable Casserole
Beef and Vegetable Casserole is a delicious, hearty winter meal. This simple recipe is a one-pot wonder that's quick and easy to put together.
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef, oyster blade or similar
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 brown onions, peeled
- 2 large carrots, peeled
- 3 stalks celery, ends removed
- 8 sprigs thyme, stems removed
- 3 bay leaves
- 250 g button mushrooms
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 500 ml red wine
- 400 g tomato purée
- 750 ml beef stock
- 2 large potatoes, peeled
- 4 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
- crusty bread, to serve
Instructions
- Roughly dice the beef into 3cm chunks, trimming off any excess fat. Place into a bowl and cover with flour, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly and set aside.
- Roughly chop the onions into large wedges. Dice the carrots and celery into large chunks of about equal size. Halve or quarter the mushrooms so they are a similar size to the other vegetables. Roughly chop the potatoes into large chunks and set aside in a bowl of cold water.
- Place a large oven-proof pot or casserole on high heat. Add the olive oil and brown the beef until lightly coloured on all sides. If any excess flour sticks to the pot, add a dash of the red wine and stir to loosen. Once the meat is browned, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 150ºC and adjust the oven racks to accommodate the casserole so it can cook in the centre of the oven.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high and add some more olive oil to the pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions have softened. Add the tomato purée and mushrooms. Stir to combine and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the red wine, bring to a simmer and bubble for 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the beef and any juices back into the pot. Season well with salt and pepper then top with the beef stock until the contents are covered by about 3-4cm of liquid. Bring the pot to the boil then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven.
- Cook in the oven for 3 hours, stirring about once every hour.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the potatoes. Taste the casserole sauce and season as necessary. Return the pot to the oven with the lid askew and cook for a further 60 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce has thickened. If after 60 minutes the sauce needs to be thickened further, remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the stew is ready, remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir about half the chopped parsley through the casserole. Serve in bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley and a side of crusty bread.
Notes
- Mix and match the vegetables to your liking – pumpkin, green beans, Brussels sprouts, etc. all go really well in this casserole.
- If you'd like to serve with a side dish, instead of putting the potatoes in the stew, make mashed potato and serve alongside.
- Although this casserole is great to serve straight away, if you leave the sauce to thicken overnight it will be even better the next day. If you have the time, prepare this dish the day before and after removing from the oven, let the pot cool completely before placing it in the fridge. When ready to serve, place the pot on the stove, add a little water to loosen the sauce, and reheat to serving temperature. This is especially good for entertaining as you can make everything the day before, keeping your kitchen clean when guests arrive.
- Any leftover casserole can be used as a meat pie filling or a sneaky beef and gravy roll.