No Water Beef Stew

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Tender beef short ribs simmer with tomatoes, sweet peppers, leeks, carrots, and garlic in this cozy no-water beef stew. The vegetables make their own flavorful cooking juices, so there’s no added water, broth, or wine in this one pot recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef stew, bulgarian stew, stew recipe

Servings: bowls

Author: The Modern Nonna

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs thin-sliced aka ‘flanken cut’
½ tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
2 leeks pale green and white parts cut into 1 inch rounds (or 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped)
4 cloves garlic peeled
¾ pound fresh tomatoes, stemmed and quartered (or 1½ cups crushed canned tomatoes)
⅓ pound sweet peppers, stemmed, seeeded, and cut into strips
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
fresh or dried rosemary for seasoning optional
fresh or dried thyme for seasoning option
1 bay leaf optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut the ribs in half, so that each piece of meat has two bones or less and is about 4 to 6 inches long.
In a heavy-bottom pot with a lid, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the ribs on both sides, until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper. Transfer the ribs to a plate. (Leave any rendered beef fat in the pot.
Add the leeks and peeled, whole garlic cloves to the hot pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, peppers, and carrots. Add the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf (if using). Season everything with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to release their juices, about 2 minutes.
Return the meat to the pot (along with any juices or fat that have accumulated on the plate) and nestle the meat in, so that each piece is covered on as many sides as possible with the vegetable mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. The stew should stay at a low simmer.
Cook for about 1 hour, until the meat easily falls off the bone and can be shredded without resistance. Serve as is, or remove the bones prior to serving. Pairs perfectly on rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.

Notes

Serving suggestions: Serve atop creamy polenta or mashed potatoes. Or serve with crusty bread.
Veggies: The vegetable quantities are a suggestion. Measure with your heart ❤️. Feel free to add more tomatoes or peppers, which will make the dish even soupier. Garlic lovers can feel free to add a few more cloves.
Soupier version: This no-water beef stew truly requires zero water. However, if you prefer a slurp-able soup, feel free to add 1 or 2 cups water or broth. After returning the seared meat to the pot, then add the water.
Tomato and pepper variations: For the tomatoes, I recommend Roma, Early Girl, beefsteak, or heirloom. Avoid grape and cherry tomatoes, which are not as juicy. You can use bell peppers instead of sweet peppers. This recipe will work fine with less-sweet, out of season tomatoes. The sweet peppers add natural sweetness to balance out the tomatoes’ acidity. You can also use canned crushed tomatoes.
How to clean your leeks: When cooking with leeks, be sure to soak the chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water to help release any hidden dirt. Dry well before cooking the leeks.
Add ins: You can also add about 1 cup fresh or frozen peas during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
To make in the instant pot: Sear the meat and vegetables on the sauté setting (high), and then once all of the ingredients are in the pot, cook on ‘pressure cook high’ for 45 minutes with a natural release.
Beef cuts: This recipe works with many cuts of beef. I use thin-sliced beef short ribs (aka ‘flanken cut’), which cook quickly and include small bones. If using traditional, thick, bone-in short ribs, you may need to increase the cook time to as much as 2 ½ hours total, for tender meat. Optionally, once cooked, transfer the meat to a cutting board, remove and discard the bones, and shred the meat with two forks; then return the meat to the pot and serve.

Nutrition