This hearty beef stew is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly day. It’s low-carb, full of rich flavor, and so easy to make — everything comes together in one pot!
The moment I feel a chill in the air, I start craving rich and hearty stews. There’s nothing quite like a big bowl of comfort to warm you up.
This low-carb beef stew has to be one of my favorite options. The delicious flavors of the beef and veggies really infuse into the broth as it cooks. Not to mention, everything comes together in one pot!
But can a hearty stew really be low in carbs? Absolutely! The secret is to swap out high-carb, starchy potatoes for low-carb turnips instead.
After simmering in the broth, the turnips will be so tender and delicious, no one will ever guess they aren’t potatoes!
How to make low-carb beef stew
Ready to see how this delicious one-pot stew comes together?
For a super-easy cooking process, I like to start by prepping all of my ingredients. That way, I can just add them as I need them!
Step 1: Heat a cast iron dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Step 2: Season the beef with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add the beef to the pan in a single layer and sear for a few minutes until well browned. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
Step 4: Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the onions, carrots, garlic, and fresh thyme. Mix well and cook until the onions are tender.
Step 5: Add the vinegar. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.
Step 6: Add the broth, beef, bay leaves, turnips, and butter. Mix well, then bring everything to a boil.
Step 7: Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 – 60 minutes until the turnips and beef are tender.
Ladle into 4 bowls, garnish with fresh thyme if you like, and enjoy!
Reducing the carbs in this recipe
At 11 net carbs per serving, this recipe is already pretty low-carb. But if you’re adapting it for a Keto way of eating, there are a few ways to lower the carbs even more.
The first option is to reduce or omit the carrots. A medium carrot has around 4.5 net carbs, and there will be about half a carrot per serving.
If you’re cooking this stew for others who aren’t as concerned about carbs, you could also just give them all the carrots!
Next, consider reducing the amount of turnips. They add a great heartiness to the stew in place of potatoes, so I don’t recommend omitting them entirely.
The turnips add about 20 net carbs to the whole recipe, or 5 net carbs per serving. You could cut the amount in half to reduce the turnips to 2 net carbs per serving.
Feel free to play around with the ingredients to best-suit your way of eating!
Storage
Stews are a great meal to make ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week. The flavors will deepen even more overnight!
Any leftover stew can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, I recommend placing your serving in a large pot over medium heat and heating the stew slowly until it reaches your desired temperature.
Other delicious stew recipes
Hearty stews are the perfect way to warm yourself up all fall and winter long! If you’re looking for more delicious and satisfying recipes, here are a few of my favorites that I know you’ll love:
You can also take a look at this collection of low-carb diabetes-friendly dinner recipes for even more inspiration.
When you’ve tried this stew, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Beef Stew (Low-Carb)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1½ pounds beef stewing meet (cubed)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup onion (diced)
- 2 carrots (cut into rounds)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound turnips (cubed)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- Add the beef to the pan in a single layer and sear for a few minutes until well browned. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the onions, carrots, garlic, and fresh thyme. Mix well and cook until the onions are tender.
- Add the vinegar. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Add the broth, beef, bay leaves, turnips, and butter. Mix well, then bring everything to a boil.
- Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 – 60 minutes until the turnips and beef are tender.
Hi all,
I’m brand new to this site and everything looks delicious! I’m trying to find good recipes for a family member who was just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Dr. says he has a chance of lowering his numbers through diet and exercise. He sees Dr. on Sept. 21. I’m at a loss on how to do this correctly, portions and all the various no no’s befuddle me. Finally got an appointment with a nutritionist but it’s not til October 14. I’m really afraid the die is already cast. ps He won’t exercise. Thanks, Annie
His glucometer (home kit for measuring blood sugar) should quickly become your best friend. Measure before meals and 1.5-2 hours after meals. If the meal raises blood sugars significantly, then the portion size of the type of meal should be reconsidered. This is a good article on blood sugar levels if you need more resources: https://diabetesstrong.com/what-are-normal-blood-sugar-levels/
What a beautiful post! I just love my fathers skillet cornbread with black-eyed peas and turnip greens!He too makes the best burgers I have ever tasted! Tender and juicy that taste like no other I’ve ever had! Mother’s specialty is Chicken-fried steak with white gravy made in the renderings of sausage. Merry Christmas Shelby!
Hey Foodie 🙂 I love beef stew. Do you think you could reduce the fat in this recipe by using a leaner cut of beef instead of stew meat? How about using lamb? Any other options?
I love my mother’s recipe for Gazpacho. I have tried to make it according to her recipe but somehow it is never quite the same. I think it is because the ingredients these days are different than they were in the 70’s. Nowadays gazpacho is typically chunky. Mom’s was smooth and she pureed it with white bread so it was almost creamy with the most wonderful medley of flavors. Her special touch was to put chopped cucumber, onion and green pepper on top. A wonderful summery soup.
Wendy – I’ve never heard of bread in gazpacho – interesting! I think you could reduce the fat in this recipe by using leaner beef, eating a smaller portion and/or increasing the amount of veggies and decreasing the amount of beef. Cook some squash or other winter veggies and think of that as your entree, then serve some of the beef stew as a side dish. A pound of stew beef has about 1000 calories and 78g fat (31g saturated). A pound of lamb has about 1100 calories and 85g fat (37g saturated), so I don’t think switching to lamb would help you fat-wise.
My aunt made the best tasting tomato sauce. She used fresh vegetables and fresh herbs from the garden. She made a very large pot of it at once so everyone could enjoy it. I have tried to recreate it, but it just doesn’t seem to taste as good as hers did.
Adele – Your aunt’s tomato sauce sounds amazing. I’m not sure I’ve hit on the perfect tomato sauce recipe either, but I keep trying. Maybe it’s because I don’t have any Italian blood 🙂
My grandmother used to make the best fried chicken cutlets. They smelled amazing while cooking and tasted incredible. No one has even come close! She must have had a special touch.
Donna F. – My grandmother made mouth-watering fried chicken too. We’d always go to her house after church on Sunday for fried chicken and homemade cloverleaf rolls.
This sounds ridiculously good, gonna try it this weekend! BTW add a link to your blog on my website! It is a must!!
for some reason, I can never make my own hamburger patties taste as good or come out as juicy as my dad’s. I stood by his side and watched him make them at least a thousand times but he must’ve had a light touch while seasoning, mixing the meat & forming the patties because his burgers were the best ever.
Micaela – Now I’m craving a burger!
I am intrigued by the beef stew without potatoes. How strong is the anchovy taste? That might hold me back from making it.
I always loved my mother’s New England clam chowder. I finally asked her for the recipe a few years ago and discovered that her “recipe” was to buy it by the gallon from a local hole-in-the-wall seafood place and then freeze it in small sizes and pull out on a cold winter’s night. I was shocked! So much for that recipe. My best go-to home recipe is my Grandmother’s entire Christmas feast handwritten by her complete with gravy stains. Her turkey directions have never failed me so I never have to stress about how my turkey will turn out.
Erin – Do you like dishes that contain Worcestershire sauce? This beef stew tastes like it has a healthy dose of Worcestershire. I love the story about your Mom’s clam chowder!
Hi, My first time visiting your blog! Great site. I know now I will return. The Project52 is a great creative idea for a book. I hope someday to publish my Great-great Uncle’s handwritten cookbook. Lot’s of work transcribing his handwriting and testing recipes. My favorite is turtle soup where it begins with how to catch the turtle. Not sure I will test that one. LOL He was a chef at Windsor Castle during the reign of Queen Victoria. I wish I had more stories to tell on him. Oh yes, I still make Flat-Tops and I am writing up Kim’s cookbook. I miss HI.
Thanks, Anne! It’s so cool that you have your great-uncle’s cookbook. Boy, would I love to have Kim’s mango chicken flat-top right now. Yum!
sweetie’s grandma used to make an egg/omlette/souffle dish that he describes as heavenly. he thinks is was baked in a bread pan and sliced. supposedly it was light, airy and yummy, yet also a bit dense and held it’s shape when cut. i have tried and tried… anything sound familiar? it may be that his memory will always trump anything current. hugs
Epicurean – Sounds like a terrine made with eggs and cheese instead of meat. Maybe something like this? https://www.diabeticfoodie.com/ricotta-parmesan-and-lemon-zest-terrine-with-fresh-tomato-sauce/
Good recipe and I’d love to win a copy of this great book!
Yum! This looks awesome Shelby. I must make it. 🙂
That looks like amazing beef stew!
My great-grandmother always made the best fruitcake somehow! I’ve tasted many others, and I can’t even swallow, but somehow my great-grandmother’s was amazing!
Kristin – I’m with you on family fruitcake. I love my grandmother’s and my mom’s (now, not when I was little!), but find it hard to eat others.