Hearty Beef Stew with Beans and Veg

Hearty Beef Stew with Beans and Veg

Serves 4, ready in 1 hour 40 minutes

·       Low calorie cooking spray

·       500g extra-lean stewing steak, all visible fat removed, cut into chunks

·       1 large onion, finely chopped

·       2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

·       2 large parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

·       3 large garlic cloves, crushed

·       2 tsp dried thyme

·       500ml beef stock

·       1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

·       400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed

·       4 large potatoes

·       1 swede

·       Salt and ground black pepper

·       Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.

Spray a large heavy-based casserole dish with low calorie cooking spray.

Heat gently then brown the beef in batches, setting each batch aside on a plate once it has browned. Add the onion, carrots, parsnips and garlic to the casserole and cook for 5-6 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle over the thyme and pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce.

Bring to the boil, cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Stir in the butter beans, then cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and swede and cut into chunks. Cook in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pan over a low heat to remove excess moisture. Remove from the heat and crush with a fork.

Season to taste and serve with the chunky beef casserole, scattering parsley over the top.