Harvest Beef Stew
Harvest Beef Stew
Slow Cooker or Instant Pot, this Harvest Beef Stew is packed with protein and flavor
Beef after weight loss surgery
Post-op bariatric surgery patients are sometimes hesitant to go for beef dishes after surgery. Thick pieces of stew meat, like this Harvest Beef Stew, can be intimidating! Beef is dense and can hit hard or heavy. So how do you eat beef stew after surgery?
A few important tips include focusing on really small bite sizes (think a black bean) and to cook it in liquid.
I like the crushed tomatoes in this recipe (diced works too) to keep moisture in the beef. However, keep in mind the liquid is for the cooking process, but not ideal when eating. Having a soup or a more liquid based stew is much like drinking with your meals. The liquid will move the food through your stomach pouch faster leaving you hungry sooner!
Cook the meat in liquid, take small bites and avoid having the liquid itself. It is certainly different than before surgery, but those tips can help you enjoy dishes like this AND feel the prolonged fullness you want to control hunger or snacking in between meals.
Other Stews and “Stoups” for Bariatric Surgery Patients
From right to left: Italian Zucchini Stew, Cowboy Stew and Easy Weeknight Taco Stew (Dairy Free)
Harvest Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 lb stew meat 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup light Italian dressing
- 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 14 oz diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning canned
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Heat dutch oven or large deep skillet on medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp dressing and meat; cook meat 2-3 min per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Can also do this using the Saute function of the Instant Pot®.
- To a slow cooker, add remaining dressing, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. Add meat. Add tomatoes, water and Italian seasoning.
- Cook on low for 6 hours if using a slow cooker. For pressure cooker use high pressure for 10 minutes and naturally release pressure for 5 minutes. Serve with a fork or slotted spoon to focus on the lean protein and veggies but less of the liquid (for longer fullness).
If I double the recipe, does the cook time also double or stay the same??
That’s a great question! For a pressure cooker I believe you can keep the time the same. I would think the same for the slow cooker or dutch oven for this instance because the beef is in smaller pieces. If it was a large piece of beef it may change.