Winter Harvest Mexican Beef Stew
Every once in a while I feel like I hit a home run in the cooking department when both of my girls devour a meal without any complaints! Recently the trend has been one girl will love something and the other will pick around a meal. Well this meal changed that trend (at least for a night!) In all honesty, this Mexican inspired beef stew was something I wasn’t sure if my girls would dig— ages 3.5 and 1.5 years old. I made it knowing it was a risk but I was really craving a chili type beef stew and wanted to just go for it. Well hot damn!!! Both of my girls loved this soup so much and I love how incredibly flavorful and nourishing all the ingredients are. It wasn’t overly spicy but the little bit of heat that there was, was nicely balanced with the sweetness of the winter squash. Mamas and papas— do not let the ingredients list intimidate you. Your kids can totally surprise you with this meal. We even invited our neighbors over for dinner when we had this and their girls (ages 6 and 8) both loved this stew and went back for seconds. It’s incredibly delicious! If you have a picky eater this meal is also really easy to “deconstruct” if you kiddo doesn’t like everything served together in a bowl. You can add toppings like avocado, sour cream or whole milk plain yogurt and cilantro to taste. This stew comes together quickly and then just simmers away all day on the stove. It’s a little bit of prep work at the beginning but then it’s hands off time for the rest of the day!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we all do! We’re making it again next week for another family and I can’t wait! Also- we served these with the homemade “Duck Fat Tortilla Chips” from my Let Them Eat Dirt Cookbook.
Winter Harvest Mexican Beef Stew
PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: 4 hours SERVES: 6-8
3 Tablespoons Chili powder, divided
2 teaspoons unrefined salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 pounds beef stew meat (or chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)
2 Tablespoons ghee, divided
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 (30 ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained
1 (30 ounce) jar diced tomatoes
1 cup beef bone broth or chicken stock
1 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 cup roasted pumpkin puree (or any winter squash)
3 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash cubes (about 1/4 inch size chunks)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Combine 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the chili powder, salt and cumin in a large bowl. Toss with the meat until evenly coated.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon of the ghee over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of the beef and brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes total. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned beef to a plate. Repeat with the remaining meat. Adding more ghee as needed.
Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and bell peppers along with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder. Cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 3 minutes (if the pan starts to dry out a bit or veggies start to stick to the bottom of the pan add a splash of the broth).
Stir in the hominy, tomatoes, broth, orange juice, lime juice, pumpkin puree and reserved beef with any juices. Season with additional salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium -low, cover and cook for 2 hours. Add the butternut squash cubes and continue to cook for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
Garnish with avocados, sour cream, and cilantro if desired.
