Instant Pot Veal Stew
The Instant Pot creates a tender flavorful veal stew with tomatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, spinach and potatoes, bathed in a rich sauce.
Servings (change as needed): 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds veal stew meat, cut into cubes 1 1/2-2 inches/3.8-5 cm (larger pieces will need increased cooking time)
- 2 tablespoon flour
- seasonings: salt, pepper
- 3 tablespoon oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (3 teaspoons)
- 1 1/2 cups diced carrots, 1 inch (2 carrots)
- 1 1/2 cups diced celery, 1 inch (2-3 ribs)
- 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes, 1 inch (1 medium)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or red wine if you don't have white)
- 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes without juice (~396 ml can)
- 1 cup chicken broth (or more if sauce too thick)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- zest of small lemon (optional)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Slurry for thickening broth
- 2-3 Tbsp cornstarch stirred into 3 Tbsp water
Instructions
- PREPARE VEAL: Pat veal dry with a paper towel (to help with a good brown sear on the meat). Sprinkle veal with salt and pepper. Dredge veal with flour until lightly coated.
- SAUTE VEAL: Set instant pot to SAUTÉ function. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add half of the veal cubes and sauté on all sides for about 5 minutes to brown. Don't crowd pot. Transfer to plate. Repeat by adding 2nd tablespoon of oil and sautéing remaining veal.
- SAUTE AROMATICS: Add last tablespoon oil. Add onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 1-2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Turn instant pot OFF.
- BUILD STEW AND COOK: Press PRESSURE or MANUAL on HIGH and use the + and - buttons to adjust time to 25 minutes. Add and stir together carrots, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, veal, broth, thyme and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Close and lock instant pot lid. Turn vent knob to SEALING position. It will take about 15 minutes to reach pressure and begin countdown. When finished, do a natural release method for 10-15 minutes, then turn to VENTING to do a quick release of the remaining pressure. Unlock lid. Turn pot to OFF
- FINISH STEW: Press SAUTÉ. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Add cornstarch slurry to the cooking liquid in the pot and stir for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Add zest if using or a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, thyme). Ladle into bowls and serve with hot crusty bread and butter if desired. Or over egg noodles or rice.
Video
Notes
Mushrooms: You might notice I added mushrooms in the pictures. While they were great in the stew, I left them out of the recipe to reduce the total volume - and therefore the time to build pressure - particularly for a 6 quart instant pot. Eliminating them also reduces the sauté time (mushrooms are best be sautéed with the onions). Feel free to include them if you like, though, if you don't mind adding the extra time.
Variations:
- Vary the vegetables - leave out what you don't like, add more of one and less of another or add a different vegetable such as parsnips. The only things to consider are the amount of room in the pot (don't go above the manufacturer's directions) and the type of vegetables. Soft vegetables like zucchini will become too mushy. If you like, add 1/2 cup or more of frozen peas when you are thickening the gravy on the sauté function at the end of cooking.
- Vary the seasonings - oregano, marjoram, sage, a bay leaf or tarragon would be good. And add a dash of worcestershire sauce
- Lemon zest brightens the flavors if you like lemon.
- Sauce: Make the gravy/sauce as thick or thin as you like. More cornstarch slurry thickens it. Extra broth thins it. A tablespoon of tomato paste will richen it.
- Add heat with red chili flakes.
- add a few dashes of for extra depth
Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 858mg | Potassium: 1622mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 10494IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 7mg