Recipe: Hearty beef stew using the Ninja Cooking System

Disclosure: I received a Ninja Cooking System in exchange for writing this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love to cook. I think I’ve always loved too, even at an early age. I’ve yet to experiment and create my own recipe from scratch because I feel I’m always learning, but that is a goal of mine.

I’m queen of finding and following recipes. I rip them out of my food magazines as soon I see something I like, and slip it into my orange binder.

My latest obsession has been trying to learn how to cook tasty meals in one pot. Enter the Ninja Cooking System. This machine is not your average slow cooker. It’s pretty crazy how much the Ninja can do.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with it, and over the past month, I’ve used it once a week. That has been my goal when I decided I wanted to master “one pot wonders.”

So far, I’ve cooked my tomato sauce with meatballs, short ribs, beef stew and steamed salmon.

I’m gonna share the beef stew recipe in just a minute, but wanted to list the cool features of the Ninja Cooking System.

* Steam infused roasting: Bottom & Side Heat and super-heated steam cooks 30% faster**, with less fat vs. conventional ovens.
* Fast one-pot meal making: Delicious family meals ready in 30 minutes. Everything ready at the same time. Tastes great! Saves time! Easy non-stick pot clean-up.
* “Searious” slow cooking: Sear using built-in stovetop before slow cooking – all in one appliance! Re-heat meals in the same non-stick pot!
* Steam infused baking: Combination of steam infusion and direct heat offers more moist, better tasting results with 30% less fat.

My favorite feature is the built-in stovetop. That truly is one pot cooking. The equipment is easy to use and cleanup really is a breeze. Just ask my husband!

The below recipe calls for including peas. I omitted them as you’ll see in the pictures. Not really a fan. 🙂

HEARTY BEEF STEW {courtesy Ninja Cooking System}

Why brown and braise the beef in the same pot? You keep all the rich flavor of the browning, and it makes cleanup a breeze. This recipe adds the convenience of the slow cooker — no tending needed!

PREP: 10 minutes • COOK: 7 hours • SERVINGS: 8

Ingredients

2 pounds beef for stew
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups beef broth
4 red potatoes, cut in half
2 onions, cut in quarters
1 cup baby carrots
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions

1. Season beef with salt and black pepper. Coat with flour.
2. Pour oil into pot. Set to STOVETOP HIGH and heat oil. Add beef and cook uncovered 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir broth, potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, and thyme in pot. Set to SLOW COOK LOW for 7–9 hours.

4. Cover and cook until beef is fork-tender. Stir in peas during last 10 minutes of cooking time.

5. Enjoy!

So, that’s it. Super easy! I’ve now incorporated using my Ninja into my weekly meal planning and it’s been more than helpful. I usually cook dinner while my kids are having lunch around 11:30 a.m. and it’s been ready by 6 or 6:30 p.m.

Do you have a favorite one pot recipe? I’m looking for more, so please feel free to leave your link in the comments!