Instant Pot Provencal Beef Stew (Beef Daube Provencal): Beef stew with the flavors of Provence, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking. Tender beef, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and herbes de Provence take me back to the south of France.
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Thank you Peter Mayle
Coming home with the dogs as dusk fell, I always stopped to look from the top of the valley at the long zigzag of smoke ribbons drifting up from the farms that are scattered along the Bonnieux road. It was a sight that made me think of warm kitchens and well-seasoned stews, and it never failed to make me ravenous.
Peter Mayle, A Year In Provence
This recipe is in memory of Peter Mayle, who passed away earlier this year at age 78. I’ve read every book he wrote, and a few of them are comfort reads, books I go back to again and again while I daydream about traveling the world.
DadCooksDinner would not exist without Mr. Mayle. Ten years ago, for my 40th birthday, I spent a week in a cooking class in Roussillon, inspired by his A Year in Provence. Six months after that, I started writing this blog. Thank you, Mr. Mayle. Thank you.
What should I make in his memory? A well-seasoned stew from Provence, of course. Olive oil, lots of garlic, red wine, dried herbes de Provence, and a garnish of fresh thyme give it the flavors of Southern France. I cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, which cook under pressure in 15 minutes. That lets me add carrots without cooking them to mush. I use a natural pressure release to gently finish the cooking, and keep the aroma trapped in the cooker with the stew.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds beef bottom round roast (or chuck roast), cut into 1- to 1¼-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (or dried thyme)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth (or homemade beef broth, or water)
- 1 pound baby carrots (or 3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths)
- 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 teaspoons if using homemade broth or water)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (optional)
Cornstarch slurry (optional)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
How to make Instant Pot Provencal Beef Stew
Sear the beef in three batches
Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot using sauté mode until the oil shimmers and just starts to smoke. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC.) While the pot heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add ⅓ of the beef and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don't crowd the pot, or the beef will steam, not brown). Remove the browned beef to a bowl, add the second batch of the beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining beef - in the pot, sear until browned on one side, then into the bowl with the rest of the beef.
Saute the aromatics
Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pot, and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften and the tomato paste darkens, about 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Pour the red wine into the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the beef and any juices in the bowl, then pour in the beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to ensure nothing is sticking. Stir in the carrots, then spread the diced tomatoes on top.
Pressure cook the stew for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release
Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook—custom mode in an Instant Pot.) When the cooking time finishes, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you are in a hurry, you can quick-release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)
Season, thicken, and serve
Unlock the pressure cooker lid. Whisk the water and cornstarch into a slurry, and then stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew. Stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt (2 teaspoons if using homemade broth) and ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Serve, sprinkling each bowl with a pinch of the minced fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Substitutions
- Other cuts of beef: I like this recipe with either bottom round or chuck roast. Boneless short ribs, flat iron steak, and top round are good substitutes. They all cook in about the same time, so don't change the cooking time.
- No alcohol: If you cannot use alcohol in your cooking, replace the red wine with more beef broth (or water).
- No herbes de Provence: Herbes de Provence is a spice blend with a mix of common spices used in Provence, including rosemary, fennel, thyme, savory, and lavender (among others). You can find herbes de Provence in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. If you don't have it, substitute dried thyme, or dried Italian seasonings.
- Beef Broth Substitutes: Chicken broth is the obvious substitute, since homemade Instant Pot chicken broth is cheap and easy to make. Or, as I say in the instructions, just use water.
Equipment
6-quart pressure cooker (or larger). I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.
Flat-edged wooden spoon
Frequently Asked Questions
Thin sauce is the downside of pressure cooking. The sealed cooker traps steam to build up pressure, but that steam would evaporate in a regular pot, thickening the sauce. The optional cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce, giving it the mouthfeel of a regular stew. If you are OK with a thinner sauce, skip it.
This recipe is often called beef daube provencal. A daube is a French stew braised in wine. On the stovetop I would use a lot more wine instead of the broth. In a pressure cooker I prefer a little wine for flavor, but not as much as a classic provencal beef stew would use.
Finally, let's discuss the essential step in making a stew: browning the meat. I get asked: "Can I skip the browning?" You can skip it, but the stew will suffer. The layer of caramelized brown bits left in the pot ("fond" in French) dissolves into the stew's liquid, adding depth and body. That said, I only brown the beef on one side, not on all sides, as many recipes recommend. It takes too long, and I do not have the patience. Browning on one side gives me the best balance of flavor and speed.
What to serve with Provencal beef stew
I like to serve this stew with a starchy side dish to soak up the sauce. Wide egg noodles are good, as are Instant Pot Fingerling Potatoes, but Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are my favorite. I also love to serve this stew with asparagus, a loaf of crusty French bread, and a bottle of red wine.
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Instant Pot Provencal Beef Stew Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 quarts of stew 1x
Description
Instant Pot Provencal Beef Stew (Beef en Daube Provencal). Beef stew with the flavors of Southern France, in about an hour from the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds beef bottom round roast (or chuck roast), cut into 1- to 1¼-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (or dried thyme)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth (or homemade beef broth, or water)
- 1 pound baby carrots (or 3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths)
- 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 teaspoons if using homemade broth or water)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (optional)
Cornstarch slurry (optional)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarc
Instructions
- Sear the beef in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot using sauté mode until the oil shimmers and just starts to smoke. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC.) While the pot heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add ⅓ of the beef and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don't crowd the pot, or the beef will steam, not brown). Remove the browned beef to a bowl, add the second batch of the beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining beef - in the pot, sear until browned on one side, then into the bowl with the rest of the beef.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pot, and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften and the tomato paste darkens, about 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Pour the red wine into the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the beef and any juices in the bowl, then pour in the beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to ensure nothing is sticking. Stir in the carrots, then spread the diced tomatoes on top.
- Pressure cook the stew for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook—custom mode in an Instant Pot.) When the cooking time finishes, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you are in a hurry, you can quick-release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)
- Season, thicken, and serve: Unlock the pressure cooker lid. Whisk the water and cornstarch into a slurry, and then stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew. Stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt (2 teaspoons if using homemade broth) and ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Serve, sprinkling each bowl with a pinch of the minced fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Notes
- Thin sauce is the downside to pressure cooking. The sealed cooker traps steam to build up pressure - but that steam would evaporate in a regular pot, thickening the sauce. The optional cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce, giving it the mouthfeel of a regular stew. If you are OK with a thinner sauce, skip it.
- What does “ a well-seasoned stew” mean? Don’t ignore the seasoning step at the end, and taste as you go when adding the salt. Salt brings out the other flavors in the stew. Not enough salt and the flavor is flat. Enough salt and it suddenly tastes sweeter and rounder. If it tastes "salty" then there is too much salt. With canned beef broth, I add a half-teaspoon to a teaspoon of fine sea salt. With homemade beef broth (or water), I add more - at least two teaspoons. (Canned broth has a lot of sodium.)
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Flat edged wooden spoon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: French
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Evvy says
We love this stew as written and it's also a great base for improvising. I'm curious about the lack of potatoes. Does that have to do with regional cooking? I add them sometimes. They work in the pressure cook (softer) or boiled and added after the cook (harder).
Mike Vrobel says
Correct, no potatoes because they're typically not in a Provencal stew. (If you want stew with potatoes, check out my Basic Beef Stew or Irish Beef Stew:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-basic-beef-stew/
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-irish-beef-stew/
Mike Vrobel says
One of my favorite beef stews