Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans

Beef stew, quickly prepared with top sirloin steak, white beans, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Published January 25, 2011
Elise Bauer
Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans
Elise Bauer

Hmm. "Quick stew" is somewhat of an oxymoron isn't it?

Most stews are braised in plenty of liquid for long slow cooking. This stew is barely "stewed", and the main reason it comes together so quickly is that you are using top sirloin for the beef, a much more tender cut of beef than chuck, which is what is usually used in stews and requires long slow cooking to become tender.

Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans
Elise Bauer

This recipe is updated from one I posted several years ago, with slight modifications to extract more flavor from the ingredients given the short cooking time.

The revised stew has passed the parent approval test, with two thumbs up from both mom and dad. Enjoy!

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Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4-5 ounces of cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
  • 4-5 ounces some other fresh mushroom, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, etc.
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1 medium onion, cut lengthwise into thin wedges
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup dry white or red wine (can sub beef or chicken broth)
  • 16-ounce can small white beans (such as Great Northern, navy, or cannellini), rinsed, drained
  • 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Method

  1. Dry sauté the mushrooms:

    Put a large skillet over high heat and add all the mushrooms. Shaking the pan from time to time to prevent the mushrooms from sticking, dry sauté them until they being to release their water. Keep cooking until the mushrooms begin to brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

    cook mushrooms in pan for beef stew
    Elise Bauer
  2. Brown the beef:

    Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and lower the heat to medium-high. Brown the beef cubes in batches, turning to brown at least two sides of the meat. Remove from skillet, add to the bowl with the mushrooms and sprinkle salt over them.

    brown beef in pan for stew
    Elise Bauer
  3. Cook the carrots, onions, and garlic:

    Add the carrots and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add the onions and cook another 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook another minute.

    cook onions and carrots for quick beef stew
    Elise Bauer
  4. Add wine, bring to a boil and return the cooked beef and mushrooms to the pan:

    Continue cooking 3 more minutes.

    quick beef stew in pan
    Elise Bauer
  5. Stir in the beans and tomatoes:

    Cook 5 minutes more. Add salt to taste. Serve, garnished with chopped parsley.

    quick beef stew add beans
    Elise Bauer
Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans
Elise Bauer