Guinness Beef Stew

Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any cold winter night, this healthier Guinness Beef Stew is a hearty meal sure to warm you up from the inside out.

Happy (almost) St. Patrick’s Day! And I have just the meal to help you celebrate, all you have to do is not drink 1 and ½ bottles of your St. Patrick’s Day Guinness supply (but I can’t stop you from drinking the other ½ while cooking- wouldn’t want it to go to waste 😉 ). I’ve tried a few Guinness stews in the past and have always been disappointed in how faint the Guinness flavor was. So going into this stew I knew I needed to find a way to bring that dark coffee taste Guinness is known for center stage. My solution? strong-brewed coffee and chocolate.

Note: recipe and pictures updated 3/14/18 (originally posted 3/16/2016)

Let me preface by saying I am not a beer drinker. Life would be so much easier (and cheaper), but I just never am able to finish a whole glass. Except for Guinness.  I don’t know if it’s the creamy mouthfeel, the dark coffee and almost chocolate-like undertones, or my Irish heritage, but Guinness is one of the few beers I find myself truly enjoying each sip.

I went into this recipe wanting the Guinness flavor to shine, so if you don’t like the flavor of Guinness you may want to sit this one out. In order to get the full flavor of the Guinness I subbed out 1 cup of broth for a cup of strong-brewed coffee, which I made in a French Press by doubling the recommended amount of beans per 8-oz of water. While the coffee would add, well, a coffee flavor, I knew it wouldn’t be enough to bring out those dark, malty notes, so I also added 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. The flavor at this point was close, but I still wanted just slightly more Guinness, so I went with an obvious solution: add an extra ½ can of Guinness. And it was just the right amount. Yes, this stew has a Guinness flavor, but I was relieved to find it is not too “alcohol” tasting after adding the extra beer.

A final note on flavoring: I strongly recommend using low-sodium beef broth. If you don’t have the option to buy low-sodium broth, then I recommend you dilute your stew with water. Start by adding 1 cup of water, taste, and then add more if necessary. I also didn’t put potatoes in this recipe, but if you do decide to throw some in, they will also help to soak up some of that extra sodium.

Despite it seeming like half the population has some percentage of Irish heritage, growing up I was always most proud of being Irish. So when St. Patrick’s Day would come around, my family would always do something special. Whether it was cooking an Irish stew or potato soup at home or going out to eat and listening to traditional Irish music, this day always brings back warm memories of being surrounded by family. Whatever you intend on doing for St. Patty’s, I hope you too surround yourself with people who love you and good food!

Sláinte mhaith!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

3/14/18 Update: If you want to decrease the cooking time, you can throw the carrots in the pot at the same time as the broth. Still bring to a boil and cover, but then simmer for just 30 minutes. Remove lid, bring back to a boil, and allow to boil for 30 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid. Continue with instructions as written. This should save you an hour of cook time, but note that the stew liquid will be a bit thinner than if you follow the recipe as originally written. The taste though is just as good!

P.S. This stew goes PERFECTLY with whole wheat beer and cheese bread 😉

Print Recipe

Guinness Beef Stew

Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any cold winter night, this healthier Guinness Beef Stew is a hearty meal sure to warm you up from the inside out.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 35 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Irish

Keyword: Beef, Healthier, Stew

Servings: 8

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Kelli

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless chuck roast cut into 1-in cubes
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter or cooking oil
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour will not use all of it
• 1/2 Onion chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• 2 Tbs Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbs Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3 Cups Low-Sodium Beef Broth
• 1 Cup Coffee strong-brewed
• 1 and 1/2 cans of Guinness total of 22.35 ounces
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp dried Thyme
• Black Pepper to taste
• 1 lb Carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 head Cauliflower cut into individual florets

Instructions

• Place 1/2 Tbs butter or cooking oil in a cast iron or regular skillet and melt on medium heat.
• Dredge 1/2 of the beef in flour and brown in prepared skillet. Remove and add another 1/2 Tbs of butter or oil and repeat with remaining beef. Remove and set aside.
• In a large soup pot, place last tablespoon of butter or oil and add in onion and garlic. Saute until onion is soft. Add in tomato paste and cocoa powder. Let bubble for 1 minute.
• Slowly stir in broth, beer, coffee, and worcestershire sauce. Carefully add in beef.
• Add in thyme and pepper, then bring stew to a boil. Once boiling, cover pot and reduce heat. Let stew simmer for 1 hour.
• Uncover and add in carrots. Bring stew back to a boil, and leave boiling for 50 minutes (this will help to evaporate some of the liquid).
• Next, add in cauliflower, cover, and let simmer on low for 30 minutes.
• Finally, uncover stew and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
• You can serve the stew now, or let it cool down a bit by placing it on low for another 10-15 minutes.

Notes

For a shorter cooking time, see 3/14/18 update in post above. Nutrition for 1/8 of recipe: 264 calories, 12 g fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 25 g protein