Butternut Squash and Beef Stew

Squash is always a great choice for the slow-cooker because it gets so perfectly tender without actually requiring you to wait around for it to cook. Add some stewing beef and a few other vegetables, dump in a can of tomatoes, and leave it while you run out for a day of errands: it’ll be waiting to make a cozy lunch or dinner by the time you get home.

As well as being full of flavor, this recipe is also packed with nutrition: it’s almost the kind of stew you could eat for every meal if you think variety is overrated and just want something to fuel you. There’s protein, there’s fat, there’s a little bit of carbohydrate from the squash – and there’s also a healthy dose of all the B vitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and other minerals (the beef-spinach combo really makes for an impressive nutrient list). It’s missing Vitamin D, but that’s about it!

You can’t serve a Paleo stew with a thick slice of baguette, but that doesn’t limit your side dish options to carrot sticks or nothing! A really hearty salad might do the trick, or ladle your stew into bowls over a big pile of cauliflower rice and dig in.

Beef Stew Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 min. COOK: 6 h.

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Ingredients

• 1lb. beef cubes for stewing;
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and diced;
• 1 medium onion, diced;
• 3 garlic cloves, minced;
• 4 carrots, diced;
• 6 oz. mushrooms, sliced;
• 6 oz. spinach, chopped;
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 14 oz. diced tomatoes;
• 1 tbsp. chili powder;
• 1 tsp. paprika;
• 1 tsp. dried oregano;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Preparation

1. Warm up a skillet over a medium-high heat.
2. Brown the beef cubes in the skillet for about 1 minute per side.
3. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the spinach and the mushrooms, to the slow cooker.
5. Give everything a good stir, set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6 hours.
6. Add in the mushrooms 30 minutes before the stew is done.
7. Add the spinach just before serving.