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overhead view of keto beef stew in a white bowl
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Keto Beef Stew

This Keto Beef Stew is filled with tender beef and healthy vegetables, all smothered in a thick gravy. Cook it in the slow cooker or make it in the oven!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Difficulty Easy
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 362kcal
Author Nora

Ingredients

For the meat

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2.5 pounds beef stewing meat in chunks
  • 1 teaspoon salt or less, depending on what kind of broth you're using
  • black pepper to taste

For the gravy

  • 1 small yellow onion diced (about 1/3 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic sliced
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce OR liquid aminos to taste

For the vegetables

  • 1 pound radishes halved
  • 2 large carrots peeled, ends trimmed and cut into thick slices
  • 5 large celery sticks trimmed and thickly sliced
  • 1 (8oz) package mushrooms cleaned and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons frozen peas no need to defrost

To finish

  • 2 teaspoons glucomannan

Instructions

  • If using the oven, heat oven to 350°F.
  • Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet (OR in a large oven-safe pot - like a Dutch oven). Brown beef for a couple of minutes on all sides, sprinkling with salt and pepper as it cooks. Transfer to a 5-6 quart slow cooker (OR set aside on a plate).
  • Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning and tomato paste, then stir in 1/2 cup beef broth and the soy sauce. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then transfer to the slow cooker (OR add the meat back into the Dutch oven).
  • Add all vegetables EXCEPT for the peas, then pour over the remaining 2 cups of broth.
  • Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. (Cook 2 hours in the oven, stirring CAREFULLY (HOT!) every 30 minutes; lower heat to 320°F if ingredients on top start browning too fast); do not stir in slow cooker!).
  • Open the lid, stir, then add the peas. Cook without the lid for 15 more minutes (OR 5 minutes on the stove).
  • To thicken, stir glucomannan into a few tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Add to the stew, 1/3 at a time, stirring well after each addition. The stew will thicken after 1-3 minutes. Only add enough glucomannan until the stew has thickened to your liking! Then serve immediately.

Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Peas/carrots: These are higher starch vegetables, especially the peas. I throw in a handful because it makes the stew feel more “classic”. You can absolutely leave these out if you’re not comfortable eating peas on your personal diet plan! If you want to leave out the carrots, add 2 more sticks of celery.
  • Soy sauce: I use soy sauce as an accessible lower sugar alternative to Worcestershire sauce, as it’s very easily available. You can use liquid aminos if you prefer/have access to it.
  • Tomato paste: I use just enough tomato paste to give the stew a richer color and a deeper flavor. If you don’t have this on hand, you can omit it. It will alter the gravy a little though. Ketchup could be a substitute, but make sure it is sugar free if you want to keep the carb count down.
  • Radishes: I used pink baby radishes, the lose a lot of their color during cooking and look more like white baby potatoes in the end. You can also use a large white radish or Daikon and dice it up if that’s all you can find.
  • Glucomannan: This is my favorite low carb thickener for gravies, stews and soups. You can use arrowroot if you don’t mind the starch, or organic cornstarch.
  • Stew meat: You can use cheap meat here, it will get tender during the long cooking time. Save your expensive cuts for date night 😉

Recipe tips

  • Please do not skip browning the beef/cooking the onion before adding the broth! It will really enhance the flavor of the stew so, so much.
  • You can add broth in the end to make more gravy if your family likes a lot of gravy. Keep in mind, you’ll need to use more glucomannan if you add more broth than the recipe calls for.
  • Please add the glucomannan/water mixture gradually. You don’t want to end up with beef stew pudding!
  • Slice the vegetables evenly for best results.
  • Hold back on the salt if you have a strongly salt beef broth, otherwise you might end up with an overly salty stew.
  • If you cook the stew in the oven, do not forget about the stirring if you’re using a Dutch oven. The lid reflects the heat very strongly and if you don’t stir at least once, the top layer of ingredients could burn.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1127mg | Potassium: 1156mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3562IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 5mg