Brazilian Beef Stew with Ground Beef!
The Summer Beef Stew is based on a traditional Brazilian Picadinho stew. It cooks on the stovetop so no hot oven and it has quick cooking ground beef. It's also loaded with fresh summer veggies, including tomatoes, carrots, and green peppers. The flavor of this stew is smokey and savory, almost like a bean-less Brazilian chili. But it also has a tang and depth of flavor from the olives and cilantro.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ½ cup Green pepper, diced
- ½ cup Yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup Carrots, shredded or finely diced
- 4 Fresh Tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic (about 3 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons All purpose Flour
- 2 cups Beef Broth or Stock (or Chicken Broth/stock)
- ½ cup Olives, pitted and chopped (I used green olives)
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped (or 1 tablespoons dry)
Instructions
- PREP. Deseed and dice the green pepper. Peel and dice the onion. Peel and shred or dice the carrot. Dice the tomatoes. Mince the garlic. Chop the olives. Chop the Cilantro.
- COOK BEEF. Preheat a large skillet or frying pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and the ground beef. Break the beef up with a spatula and then let it cook to brown and render some of the fat. Cook for 5-8 minutes until all pink is gone. Transfer it to a plate or bowl and leave the fat in the pan.
- COOK VEGGIES. To the same pan used for the beef, add the green pepper, onion, carrots, garlic, and tomatoes. Also add in the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let cook for 5-8 minutes until glistening and starting to soften.
- MAKE SAUCE. Add the beef back in and sprinkle the flour all over the top. Stir to mix the flour into the beef and veggies. Then stir in the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low heat, cover, and cook for 5-15 minutes (the longer you cook it the more all of the flavors melt together).
- FINISH. Finish with the chopped olives and cilantro. Serve over Brazilian Rice (or any cooked rice).
Notes
- Stew too thin?? If your beef stew did not thicken enough after the broth simmers, the simplest way to thicken it is to use a cornstarch slurry. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into ¼ cup cold water. Then add it to the stew and mix in. Bring back to a simmer for it to thicken.
- Slow Cooker: To make this in a slow cooker, I recommend searing the ground beef on the stove and then adding it to the slow cooker. Then add all of the vegetables to the slow cooker with the seasonings. Mix in the flour to coat everything, mix in the broth and set the slow cooker on high for 6, 8 or 10 hours, depending on your schedule. Add the olives and the cilantro near the end of the time.
- Reheating: To reheat, place it in a microwave safe bowl and warm it for 1-2 minutes. Or you can place it back in a pot covered on the stove and warm it on medium heat. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Freezing: You can freeze this beef stew for up to 6 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then warm on the stove. Or place the frozen stew in the oven at 400 F degrees for 30-40 minutes until warm.