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Beef stew with onions

Braised Beef with Whole Onions

Make dinner tonight with meat and whole onions! This recipe gives you a wonderfully fragrant braised beef, infused with onion and garlic, in a delicious tomato-and-meat sauce. It comes out tender and juicy — great for a special dinner.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beef (boneless)

800

Onions (small)

400

Water

250

Tomato paste

Garlic

Olive oil

Curry powder

Paprika (ground red pepper)

Ground hot pepper (chili)

Ground black pepper

Salt

Chili pepper

0.25

Parsley

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 52 % 12 g

Fats 30 % 7 g

Carbohydrates 17 % 4 g

124 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you braise beef with onions? Gather your ingredients. Use boneless beef — just the meat. Go with small onions; the smaller the better. Shallots or small pearl onions are ideal, but if you can't get those, small regular onions will do.
Step 2:

Rinse the beef and pat it dry with a paper towel — otherwise the extra moisture will keep it from searing and it'll just steam instead. Cut it into large or medium pieces.
Step 3:

Peel the onions and leave them whole.
Step 4:

Peel the garlic and leave the cloves whole too. Or, if you prefer, finely chop the garlic with a knife.
Step 5:

Heat the olive oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet. Lay the beef in a single layer.
Step 6:

Sear the meat over high heat to lock in the juices right away. Brown the beef on all sides until golden.
Step 7:

Reduce the heat to medium, add the whole onions and garlic cloves to the meat, then add the paprika, curry powder, chili, ground black pepper, and salt. Stir and cook everything together for 1 minute.
Step 8:

Add the tomato paste, stir, and simmer over low heat for 1–2 minutes.
Step 9:

Pour hot water into the skillet and stir until smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil.
Step 10:

At the last moment, I added some dried paprika flakes for flavor and aroma. If you have this seasoning, definitely add it — it only makes things tastier.
Step 11:

Simmer everything together, covered, at a gentle bubble over low heat for about 40 minutes, until tender, adding hot water as needed. The onions should cook through and soften but not fall apart — they should stay whole.

Plate the finished beef, garnish with chopped parsley and chili pepper rings, and serve. Enjoy!

Since everyone's sense of salty, sweet, bitter, spicy, sour, and hot is different, always add seasonings to your own taste! If you're using a seasoning for the first time, keep in mind that some are especially important not to overdo — chili pepper being one.
If you use a store-bought spice blend, read the label — these often already contain salt, so account for that or you risk over-salting the dish.
You can swap the beef for any other meat you prefer, but keep in mind that the cooking time, flavor, and calorie count will change. Pork and lamb are usually fattier than beef, while chicken or turkey are leaner. Cooking time also depends on the cut and on how young or old the meat is.