PLUM BEEF CASSEROLE (Oven, Slow Cooker & Instant Pot)
Made with plum jam for deeper flavour and richness, this beef casserole is perfect for a cosy family dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 600 g diced lean beef or beef chuck (US), diced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons flour see notes for using cornflour
- 1.2 ltrs hot water
- 2 beef stock cubes / bouillon
- 90 g plum or damson jam or conserve large fruit chunks removed
- 700 g baby potatoes washed and halved (tiny ones left whole)
- 600 g parsnips or carrots or mix peeled and sliced diagonally 1 inch
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
TO SERVE
- Buttered crusty rolls/baguette
See notes for baby & toddler
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190ºc/170ºc fan/375ºf/gas 5.
- Heat the oil in your oven-proof casserole pot over a high heat. Add the beef and onions, followed by salt & pepper and cook for 6 minutes to brown, stirring every now and then.
- Turn the heat to low and add in the garlic and flour. Fry, stirring, for a further minute.
- Next, slowly add in the hot water and stir well. Then crumble in your stock cubes and add in the jam. Stir until both are dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and add in all the root veg, the bay leaf and the rosemary. Give it a stir, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 ½ hours. Leave to cool down for around 10 minutes before serving and remember to remove the bay leaf.
SLOW COOKER
- Add in the hot water, crumble in the stock cubes and add the jam. Stir until dissolved. Add in the beef, then all the other ingredients. Level out. Cover with the lid and select low to cook for 8-10 hours, medium to cook for 6-8 hours or high to cook in 4-6 hours. Then to thicken the sauce, mix the flour with a little water to make a loose paste and then add into the pot. Stir in well. Then leave, uncovered on high for 30 mins.
INSTANT POT
- Do step 2 in your Instant Pot, using the Saute, high setting. Follow steps 3-4. Then add in all the root veg, bay leaf and rosemary. Select Cancel, put the lid on, close and lock and turn steam release to Sealing. Select Meat/Stew setting (35 mins). Then quick release, or natural venting for around 10 mins if you prefer. Remove bay leaf before serving. To thicken the sauce, once cooked, mix your flour with a little water to make a loose paste and add into the pot. Stir well to mix. Cook on Saute for 5 minutes.
Notes
Make it Gluten-Free
To use cornflour instead of flour (to make it gluten free): Make your stock in a large mixing bowl (the hot water + stock cubes). Put the cornflour in a mini bowl and add a tablespoon of the stock and stir to make a paste. Then add the jam to the stock in the large bowl and using a balloon whisk, stir until dissolved. Then add in the cornflour paste and continue to stir until well mixed in. Pour the stock mixture carefully into the casserole pot. Move onto step 5.Freezer Dump Bag Beef Casserole
What to add to a food storage bag for freezing; the chopped root veg and onion, crushed garlic, diced beef, chopped rosemary, salt & pepper.Method - Slow Cooker & Stove
Instant Pot
Add in the hot water, crumble in the stock cubes and add the jam. Stir until both are dissolved. Add in everything from the food bag. Cook on high for 45 minutes, then natural release 10 minutes. To thicken the sauce once cooked, mix your flour with a little water to make a loose paste and add into the pot. Stir well to mix. Cook on Saute for 5 minutes.Baby & Toddler
Switch to low-salt stock and refrain from adding salt to the cook. You can add a little less jam too if you like.
BABY-LED WEANING
6-8 months They will need their carrots and parsnips cut into finger size sticks and slice larger baby potatoes into quarters lengthways before cooking. You can cut all the root vegetables in this way, or just to a few pieces and then once cooked, dig those out to serve to little one. Once cooked, shred their beef chunks with a knife and fork. Mix in with the vegetables if you like. 9 months + Cut vegetables for cooking as per the recipe. Then cut their cooked vegetables into bitesize pieces. Flake their beef with forks.SPOON FEEDING
6 months
Add some casserole to your stick blender pot or food chopper (if you have that one that purées) and whizz into a purée. Add a little warm boiled water to loosen as needed.7-9 months
Add some casserole to your food chopper. Using short sharp pulses, to finely chop, checking and adding a little sauce, warm low-salt beef stock or warm boiled water to loosen as you go.10-12 months
Add just the casserole to your food chopper pot. Gradually pulse, just a few times then check the consistency. It should lumpy with small pieces. If it needs loosening, add a little sauce or warm low-salt beef stock.12 month + Transitioning Period
Shred the beef pieces using forks and mash down the root veg with the back of a fork. Discard the potato skins. You can mix it all together and add a little more sauce if you like.Toddlers
Flake the beef up using the back of a fork. Either mash down the root veg with the back of a fork, or chop into bitesize pieces. Using the back of a fork, mash up the potatoes and parsnip, or chop into bitesize pieces.FUSSY EATERS
Look out for and remove any bits of fat or gristle from their beef. It may help to flake apart their beef with the back of a fork. If your fussy eater doesn’t like sauces, lift their serving out with a slotted spoon. If your fussy eater prefers their food separated as opposed to mixed in together, you can quickly arrange piles of the beef, carrots, parsnips and potatoes on their plate.
Nutrition
Calories: 2259kcalCarbohydrates: 301gProtein: 159gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 372mgSodium: 2444mgPotassium: 7197mgFiber: 44gSugar: 79gVitamin A: 83IUVitamin C: 242mgCalcium: 488mgIron: 23mg
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