Okra Stew With Beef And Tomatoes

It’s an easy recipe that practically cooks itself, and leftovers the next day are even better than the freshly cooked dish. This stew is so good. Tender pieces of meat, onions, and creamy okra are swimming in a rich tomato broth. The spices - paprika and cumin - add depth and warmth. It’s a wonderfully comforting dish and it’s just perfect when it’s cold outside. Although this is not a quick recipe, it’s very easy to make. You brown the meat and onions, add spices and liquids, then pretty much let it cook for a while. Add the okra and in just a few more minutes, your lovely stew is done!

Ingredients

You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious okra recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need: Olive oil: I love cooking with this delicious oil. But if you’d rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead. Stew meat: You can buy it already cubed, or you can buy a chuck roast and cut it into one-inch pieces. Chopped onions: I typically use yellow onions, but white onions will work too. Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work. To season: Cumin, paprika, cayenne, and - of course - salt and pepper. The amount of cayenne pepper I use doesn’t make the dish very spicy, but if you like spicy food, you can obviously increase the amount you use. Canned tomato sauce: It greatly enhances the flavor of the stew and also improves its presentation. It gives it such a pretty color. Beef broth: Homemade or store-bought. I prefer not to use a low-sodium broth. The brand I use, Pacific Foods, has 500 mg sodium per cup. Fresh okra: Okra is in season in the summer (July through September), but this is the perfect winter recipe… so I often use frozen okra. It works really well in this recipe.

Instructions

Making this rich okra stew is truly easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps: You start by cooking the meat and onions in olive oil. The stockpot will be a bit crowded, so if you’d like you can cook them in batches - two batches for the beef, setting it aside, then cook the onions. But I’m a super lazy cook so I just cook them together with excellent results. Next, you briefly cook the garlic and spices, then add the tomato sauce, beef broth, and salt & pepper. Your work is pretty much done - now just let the stew simmer until the meat is tender - this should take about 45 minutes. The last step is to add the okra and keep cooking for about 10 more minutes, until the okra is tender.

Expert tip

When you brown the beef and onions, the stockpot will be a bit crowded, so if you’d like you can cook in batches - two batches for the beef, setting it aside, then cook the onions. This will ensure even browning.

Frequently asked questions

Variations

I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you’d like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:

You can use avocado oil or ghee instead of olive oil.Try using smoked paprika instead of regular paprika for a subtle smoky flavor.It’s easy to make this dish spicy if you increase the amount of cayenne pepper.

Serving suggestions

I usually serve this stew in bowls with a spoon in addition to a fork and a knife. It’s also good on cauliflower rice, on spaghetti squash, or with thick slices of almond flour bread.