Beef Stew with Onion Soup and Ketchup

Seasoned, floured beef cubes seared and simmered 3 hours with onions, ketchup and Lipton onion soup mix, with potatoes added for the last hour and Kitchen Bouquet for color.

From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.

Steak and Seafood title card for Beef Stew with Onion Soup and Ketchup, photo coming soon
  • Prep 25 min
  • Cook 3 hr
  • Total 3 hr 25 min

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This is Sandra Mills's everyday beef stew. The beef cubes are coated in flour seasoned with garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, salt and pepper and seared in batches, then simmered for two hours with onions, ketchup and half a packet of Lipton onion soup mix.

Potatoes go in for the final hour, with a little Kitchen Bouquet spooned over them for a rich brown color. As she writes, the meat should be very tender when the stew is ready.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds cubes of beef
  • About 1 cup flour, to coat the meat
  • Garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, salt and pepper
  • 2 large onions
  • Hot water
  • 2/3 to 3/4 cup ketchup (the book gives both)
  • 1/2 packet Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
  • Peeled and quartered potatoes, or canned whole Irish potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet
  • Other vegetables as desired

Instructions

  1. Coat. Mix garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, salt and pepper into about 1 cup of flour. Trim the beef cubes and coat them in the seasoned flour.
  2. Sear. Heat a large heavy-duty pan on the stove. Sear the cubes, letting them brown before turning. Remove them as they are done and brown the rest. Return all the meat to the pan.
  3. Simmer. Cut the onions into small pieces and add them. Add enough hot water to just cover the meat, then the ketchup and the onion soup mix. Simmer on the stove for 2 hours.
  4. Add the potatoes. Add the potato quarters or Irish potatoes. Pour the Kitchen Bouquet directly onto the potato pieces with a spoon.
  5. Finish. Simmer for an additional hour. The meat should be very tender when the stew is ready.

Tips

  • Do not crowd the pan when searing; the cubes brown better in batches.
  • Add carrots or other vegetables with the potatoes if you like.

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