Nitrate & Nitrite Free Beef and Sweet Potato Stew
This hearty, deeply savory stew is the kind of cold-weather cooking that fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma ā warm spices, slow-simmered beef, and sweet root vegetables all melding together in one pot. Processed meats and cured products are the usual culprits when it comes to hidden nitrates and nitrites, but this recipe sidesteps all of that entirely by building its rich, complex flavor from whole, unprocessed ingredients you can actually recognize. Bone broth, fresh aromatics, and a fragrant blend of turmeric and Ceylon cinnamon do all the heavy lifting here, no shortcuts or additives required. The beef chuck is seared in batches until a proper crust forms, which gives the broth that deep, restaurant-quality backbone before the sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips even hit the pot. A splash of apple cider vinegar brightens everything up and helps balance the richness of the slow-braised meat. By the time it's done, the beef is fall-apart tender and the vegetables are silky and sweet, soaking up every bit of that spiced broth. Finish with a scatter of fresh parsley and you've got a bowl that's as nourishing as it is genuinely delicious.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
- 2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 Ā½-inch cubes
- 1 Ā½ tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- Ā½ tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 4 cups bone broth
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the beef cubes thoroughly dry with paper towels and season with 1 tsp of the salt.
- 2
Heat the coconut oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in two batches to avoid crowding, add the beef in a single layer and sear undisturbed for 3ā4 minutes per side, until a deep brown crust forms and the pieces release easily from the pot. Transfer the seared beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining batch.
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