Beef and Lentil Stew

Kid and Husband Tested and Approved
The not-so-picky eaters gobbled it up. The picky eater had a number count to eat, but she was sick and not that hungry anyway. That's my story, and I'm stickin to it because it really is good. We've all gotten tired of the celery and carrot bases, as well as the go-to soup filler, potatoes. Dh isn't keen on cooked carrots anyway, so this was a welcome soup change with petite diced tomatoes and fresh spinach.

Notes: 
This serves at least 6. With our family of little people there was a ton leftover. Great the next day and hubby's lunch.

Total time could be around 2 hrs, so give yourself time for simmering and deeper flavor. If you don't have that much time, cook the beef longer at the beginning, add the onions and other wet ingredients and lentils, bring to a boil and simmer at that point. I removed the beef to cook the onions to give them more room and less interruption and stirring of the meat. It's not necessary for time's sake (and dirtying more dishes).  :)

For the flour in this recipe I used unbleached all purpose, but you can sub GF flour blends or individual ones like masa harina or arrowroot (these would be smoother for coating vs an almond flour). The purpose is to add a thickening agent, and it keeps some moisture in the meat while browning. You can also wait and add cornstarch the last 10 minutes (1 Tbs cold water mixed with 1 Tbs corn starch). Skip this altogether if you want more of a brothy soup and not a thick stew.

For the spinach you can use frozen, just be sure to thaw and squeeze out the water. Fresh is pretty and rustic, but whatever you have works.

For the garlic, I had already minced in a jar, which is about 1 tsp to a fresh clove. You can use powder if that's what you have on hand. I'd say about 4 tsp or to your taste.

Ingredients

3 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 lb beef stew meat 
1 tsp each salt and pepper
Approx 1 cup flour to coat the beef
2 (14) oz cans petite diced tomatoes
1 small yellow onion diced
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable stock
Approx. 12 oz lentils rinsed
Fresh baby spinach leaves - added at the end, roughly chopped, or just hand tear as you add.

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt and pepper, add the beef and mix to coat.


2. Heat 2 Tbs (or turns of the pan) oil in a large stock pot over medium/high heat, shake excess flour from the beef as you transfer to the pot. Brown evenly turning 2 or 3 times (approx 8 min).


3. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon, set aside in a bowl, cover.


4. Add and heat the other 1 Tbs of oil to the pot, add the onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent (approx. 6 min).


5. Add the beef back to the pot, tomatoes in juice, oregano and stock. Bring to a boil.


6. Reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer approx. 40 min stirring occasionally.


7. Add the lentils. Remember they will expand a bit, so you can add some water or more stock at this point, to preferred consistency. Cover and continue to simmer another 30 min or until lentils are tender.


8. Stir in the spinach and simmer another 5 minutes to wilt. Season to taste with salt and pepper.