Hearty Beef Stew Recipe and Beef Stew with Barley Head-to-Head Competition #RecipeRehab

During this brutal Winter, we all turn to comfort foods. I’ve been serving comfort foods like beef stew, chicken soup, and plenty of hot casseroles. With the snow and extreme cold we have all been experiencing, it is so nice to sit down to a hearty, hot meal.  We have family favorite recipes but sometimes they aren’t the healthiest and need switched up a bit. That is exactly what Recipe Rehab on CBS does!

Recipe Rehab showcases healthier, more nutritious recipes to replace the unhealthier versions we grew up on. In the show, two chefs revamp a family’s recipe. The family then prepares both to see which recipe the family enjoys the most. Each recipe is judged on taste, health and ease of preparation.  It is a really fun show that will hopefully inspire you to cook healthier for your family as well.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Certified Angus Beef® brand. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I was invited to a personal Recipe Rehab challenge for Beef Stew. Both recipes include Certified Angus Beef® and were loaded with vegetables and healthier ingredients.

Hearty Beef Stew Recipe

The first Recipe Rehab recipe we tried was Hearty Beef Stew.  It is loaded with vegetables including shiitake mushrooms, baby carrots, onions, cauliflower, and celery.

It also includes a generous 2-1/2 pounds of Certified Angus Beef® sirloin tip. Choose nothing but Certified Angus Beef® for the best flavor, it is a cut above USDA Prime, Choice, and Select grades.  Certified Angus Beef® meets 10 standards for premium quality, including marbling. It is the marbling white flecks that you see above. They melt while cooking for the juiciest beef ever. I learned this while talking to my grocer’s local butcher.

The prep work for this recipe takes about 10 minutes but you’ll have to stay with the recipe as you cook it for another 50 minutes. Plus, allow an extra 2 hours to simmer for the most tender recipe. This is a great Sunday afternoon recipe!

The final product is like no other beef stew we have ever had. It was loaded with delicious, tender Certified Angus Beef® and plenty of vegetables. I really, really liked the additional vegetables used for this recipe. My kids had no idea there were mushrooms in it at all!  Adding a dollop of sour cream on top is the perfect touch.

My family agreed that it was tasty, although next time, I will reduce the pepper from 1 tsp black pepper to 1/4 tsp as it seem the pepper was competing too much with the other flavors.

Beef Stew with Barley Recipe

The second Recipe Rehab beef stew recipe is Beef Stew with Barley.  For this recipe, there were even more vegetables that I don’t normally put in beef stew like spinach and mushrooms and a few that I do but in lesser quantities including 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 1 stalk of celery.

Prep time for this recipe is also just 10 minutes, but you’ll stay with it for another 50 minutes as you cook. I like that both recipes browns the Certified Angus Beef® in a Dutch oven, sets the beef aside, and browns the vegetables afterward. It really adds a lot of flavor to the recipe – plus, it is less pots and pans to clean up afterward!

Toward the end of the recipe, add cooked barley – something I’ve never added to beef stew before. After this step, you can continue to cook in the oven for an additional hour. I highly suggest this as the Certified Angus Beef® comes out so tender and delicious!

By far, this was my family’s favorite Recipe Rehab Beef Stew recipe. The flavors were right on for us – plus, we like spinach in everything and don’t care of cauliflower that is in the other recipe. It is a hearty recipe that reflects some of the more traditional flavors that we are use to. For me, I try to include as many vegetables in my recipes as possible to make it healthier. I liked that both recipes added more vegetables, even though I was surprised by some of them!

In my family, the Beef Stew with Barley recipe won. Which one do you think would win in your family?  Find out how the official winner during Recipe Rehab this Saturday morning, February 15th on CBS. Check your local listings for air-time.

Certified Angus Beef® is the perfect choice for all the comfort foods you serve this Winter and steaks in the Summer. Calorie for calorie, it a nutrient powerhouse with zinc, iron, protein, and “B” vitamins. Plus, it is the brand that uses local farmers and ranchers across the country. For local readers, you’ll also like the fact that the Certified Angus Beef® brand’s headquarters are just south of Akron in rural Wooster, Ohio.

Find more great Certified Angus Beef® recipe on the Certified Angus Beef® Pinterest page. Follow Certified Angus Beef® on Twitter.