The Only Way To Thicken Beef Stew Without Adding Extra Ingredients
Beef stew is the ultimate comfort food. Warm, thick, and filled with hearty vegetables and tender meat, a bowl of beef stew can cure any malady, whether you're homesick over the holidays or just in need of a delicious meal to warm you up on a cold day, a thick beef stew is sure to brighten up your day. But what if your stew is running, well, a little thin? A runny stew can ruin a perfectly delicious dish.
Adding in a cornstarch slurry or making a flour roux base for your stew are two of the most popular ways to thicken the dish, however, this is not the only way to thicken your beef stew. One delicious way to improve its texture is by mixing up what's already in your pot. That's right, you can make a delicious and thickening slurry from what's already in your pot.
To do so, simply scoop out your broth along with your stewed veggies (skip the beef), and blend the mixture into a slurry. Once your blend is smooth and even, you can add the mixture back into your stew and stir until the mixture is blended into the broth. The broth and veggie slurry will perfectly thicken your stew and further incorporate the flavors of your stewed veggies with your broth, making for a delicious and comforting dish.
The secret to a thicker stew is in your pot
There are many ways to thicken your beef stew, so why use the veggies in your pot? Well, for one, making a slurry of your veggies and broth is a fantastic last-minute thickening method. And though you could also use a cornstarch slurry, which is often used to thicken gravies and sauces, incorporating your veggies has the added benefit of spreading the flavors of your chosen vegetables throughout the stew.
Additionally, potatoes, a standard beef stew ingredient, are the perfect ingredient to help add heft to your dish. This is because potatoes contain high amounts of starch, molecules that help thicken liquids, especially when added to heat. So why not thicken your bowl with ingredients that you already have on hand? You can control your stew's thickness by adding more or fewer potatoes to your slurry, depending on how thick you want your stew. However, if you want your potatoes in chunk form, or if you want to supplement your stew's thickness with another vegetable, you might want to take a look in your pantry.
It's all about starch
The key to this method of thickening your stew lies in the natural starches found in your veggies, but if you want to maintain your balance of veggie-to-beef ratio, you might want to try using beans instead. Beans, such as cannellini or white kidney beans can make a fantastic, nutritionally dense thickening agent, while also providing a fair amount of protein and fiber to your stew. It also helps that beans are often used in stew recipes. If your beef stew recipe calls for beans, set aside some of your beans. When the rest of your veggies are almost finished cooking, blend your beans into a puree then mix them in with the rest of your stew and let it cook for several minutes as the mixture thickens.
If you keep your beef stew, super simple, using just meat and potatoes, there's still no need to look beyond the pot. Those delightfully thickening starches can be found in those delicious and comforting starchy stewed vegetables.