Monday, January 24, 2022

MONDAY RECIPE POST - EASY BRAISED BEEF WITH MUSHROOMS - serves 6

(My photo doesn't look pretty but the taste was excellent.  You can see Natalya's photos at the second link provided below.)

BEEF Easy Braised Beef with Mushrooms

Serves 6 


This week's recipe is from a food blog called MomsDish hosted by Natalya.  If you are interested in seeing all of Natalya’s tips, her blog link is here.  Or if you prefer to cut and paste:

https://momsdish.com/braised-beef-with-mushrooms

I have added quite a few of her tips below this recipe.  


Easy Braised Beef with Mushrooms Recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Total cooking time from start to finish, approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes.  


3 lbs beef chuck roast

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions

1 pound mushrooms

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste 

1 tsp ground cumin (I used the equal amount of thyme)

3 bay leaves

2 cups beef broth (I added a cup of red wine to this)


Trim the beef of any excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Set aside.

Chop the onions into one-inch chunks and the mushrooms into halves.  Set aside.

Preheat a Dutch Oven (or another oven-safe dish) with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. 

Add the beef and brown each piece on all sides. 

Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.

In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of oil and cook the onions and mushrooms in the beef drippings until they turn a light shade of brown.

Add the beef back into the pan, along with the salt, cumin (or in my case, thyme), and black pepper. 

Add in bay leaves and beef broth. 

Cover with a lid.

Bake in a preheated oven to 375°F. for about 90 minutes, or until beef is tender. 

Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves.

Serve immediately with your favorite side dish and enjoy!


This was delicious!  Thank you Natalya for a very comforting meal on a cold, chilly evening.  It is 21 degrees Fahrenheit right now.

Gregg cooked roasted carrots, along with onions and a surprise as we were also having the mashed potatoes, slivers of sliced potato.  

He put the veggies in a bowl and mixed with the following (no exact measurements as he adds a bit of this and a bit of that, though I asked for approximates) about 2 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil, soy sauce (4 shakes), rice wine vinegar (4 shakes), and a good forkful of chili crisp.  He put all the vegetables onto a sheet pan and cooked on 425 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.  I always enjoy his spontaneous put-togethers, and the ingredients he uses for the sauce are always very tasty.

I had already made the mashed potatoes to the menu, but his sliced potatoes were an experiment and there weren't that many.  I would definitely go for more next time, and not make the mashed potatoes.  The vegetables, along with those thinly sliced potatoes, were excellent.

The next day the potatoes had been eaten, and we added cooked rice.  It was a very nice substitute.

I added 1 cup of red wine to the beef broth.  I picked this up from cooking shows watched over the years.  Also doesn't hurt to enjoy a glass of wine at the meal.  In one of those cooking shows the chef said never use cooking wine as you should treat yourself to a glass with your meal.  

I am not a big fan of cumin and my go-to herb for this type of meals is thyme.  

I will add another half hour onto the cooking time.  Our oven seems to run cooler and takes longer for most recipes we put together.

Added note:  the soup is now all gone.  This is one of those meals that got better each time we ate it.  For tonight's supper, our third meal, there was still a little meat left and a few veggies, but there was more broth. I had a couple of hot dog rolls left, which I halved and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.  Then I toasted them under the broiler in the oven until they were nice and brown.  They were a tasty addition.  This is such a great meal for a chilly day.  


The following are all Natalya's tips from her original recipe.  I added them here as a guide for when we make this again.  


What Kind of Beef is Best for Braising?

The best beef for braising: large cuts like chuck roast or brisket. The low and slow process helps to break down and tenderize even the most massive cuts. Alternatively, you could also use bone-in cuts like Oxtail or Beef Short Ribs.


Storing Leftover Braised Beef:

Braised beef is the perfect candidate for meal prep. Super versatile, it can be used in plenty of different ways throughout the week. 

Whether you have leftovers to eat the next day or two, or want to freeze those leftovers for a rainy day, here are a couple of different ways to store braised beef.

Refrigerator: 

If you think you’ll eat the braised beef within a week, feel free to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The container will keep the meat from soaking up any lingering smells in your fridge, while also allowing it to continue developing its flavor.

Freezer: If you’d like to keep the braised beef on hand for up to 3 months, freeze it in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. But first, let it cool down completely. You can store it in one big bag or portion it out into several smaller bags. To thaw, place a bag in the freezer overnight.


How to cook the braised beef in a Slow Cooker:

In a skillet, brown the beef and veggies as directed. 

Next, transfer them to the bottom of the slow cooker pot.

Add the remaining ingredients: 

Next, simply add in the remainder of the ingredients right on top of the beef and veggies. 

Give the ingredients a good stir.

Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or until the beef is fork tender.


(I will try the slow cooker next time.  I don't have a pressure cooker but added this in case any of you do.)


Pressure Cooker: 

Brown the beef and veggies on the sauté setting, and add in the rest of the ingredients right on top. 

Turn on the Soup Setting and let the pressure cooker do the rest.


That's all I can think of right now.  Thanks for stopping by and...





44 comments:

  1. That looks and sounds delicious Denise, my husband would love it..

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  2. Sadly this wouldn't fly here. I don't eat meat and himself hates mushrooms. I am glad you enjoyed it though.

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    1. Thanks Sue and as I say on occasion, it would be a boring old world if we all liked the same thing :)

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  3. Almost a pot roast. And, it looks so very tasty!!!

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  4. Looks so good and delicious. Mushroon and beef, a great combination.

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  5. your photo is beautiful and always is beautiful. bob would be much happier with a cook like you in the house

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    1. Thanks Sandra, and I think Bob knows you are his world :)))

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  6. Wonderful delicious post! I will put chuck roast on my grocery list!

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  7. Thank you for reminder about how tasty this dish can be!

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  8. I would cook this stew in a slow cooker! Absolutely delicious!

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    1. Thanks Gigi, I'm looking forward to using a slow cooker next time :)

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  9. That sounds wonderful and the veggies in particular sound amazing. Cheers Diane

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    1. Thanks Diane, I'll let Gregg know how much you enjoyed the sound of his veggies :)

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  10. A wonderfully warming and delicious post.
    Thank you.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Happy you liked it Jan, thank you and all the best :)

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  11. It's always wonderful to cook a main meal and then enjoy it for several days with variations. This one was definitely one of those, Denise.

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    1. Hi Dorothy, it's nice to make such a versatile meal. Thank you :)

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  12. Sounds so good. Thanks for the recipe!

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  13. Such a lovely cozy meal for these cold winter days. It's nice to hear what your husband contributed to the meal as well. This is comfort food for sure. Thank you Denise for sharing your experience with this recipe.

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    1. Hi Martha Ellen :) I enjoy his experiments in the kitchen :) and we do enjoy cooking together. So glad you enjoyed the sound of this recipe, it certainly is a comfort meal on a chilly day.

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  14. This looks like a delicious winter dinner! Thanks for sharing it (and also for coming by!)

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    1. You are very welcome Jeanie, glad you enjoyed :) And I will be coming by again soon.

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  15. Looks so delish, Denise!

    Mushroom and beef - my favourite combo! Yumm!

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    1. Thank you Veronica, it is a great combination :)

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  16. The part I was most interested in (because it isn't cold weather here as you know) was Greg's roasted vegetables -- I have really been doing a lot of them, but had never added thin potato slices or even thought of adding the chile crisp as they roast. I think I'll have those for dinner tonight as I have all the ingredients (along with a lighter protein of some sort.) Also I love the 4 shakes measurement ;>).

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    1. I hope you enjoy them Sallie, I love the 4 shakes method too :)

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  17. what an awesome meal and a great post!! i love pot roast in the winter and i use mccormicks roasting bag that comes with seasoning mix. mashed potatoes is a must. i put carrots inside the bag and they are so yummy. i would definitely try this, i love cooking in my dutch oven. i enjoyed all of the tips, it's easy for me to remember that chuck is the best meat, for obvious reasons!!

    maybe i will get one to cook for the end of the week, we are expecting snow!!!

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    1. Hi Debbie :) thank you! Great idea on the roasting bag and thank you for those tips.

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  18. This dish looks delicious, Denise. I love anything with mushrooms. Looks like a healthy meal too. It sounds like you are a good cook.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Happy you think so Sheri :) Yes, it's pretty healthy.

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