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Instant Pot Lentil Beef Stew is a delicious, comforting stew that you can make in about an hour. The flavors are savory and satisfying, and the chunks of beef are very tender. This pressure cooker lentil stew is one of our favorite Instant Pot soups!
Instant Pot Lentil Beef Stew
Making Soups and stews are some of my favorite meals to cook in the Instant Pot. The cook time is much faster, and the flavors get infused into the ingredients.
You can make this pressure cooker lentil soup your own way just by switching up the veggies, etc. (see below for recipe variations). We love it with fresh kale added after cooking.
You may want to try something else, such as baby spinach or frozen peas or corn. Go for it!
What Makes This Lentil Stew Great
• Can be made as a stew, or as a soup by adding more broth.
• Flavor! This is a delicious tasting lentil stew.
• Easy to make.
• Normal ingredients. There is nothing unusual in this recipe, so you don’t have to buy something you will only use once.
• Fast! In a slow cooker this will take hours, while in the Instant Pot it will take less than an hour to cook.
• Filling. This pressure cooker lentil stew feeds several people and is nice and filling.
Which Cut of Beef is Best to Use?
I like to use a chuck roast, cubed. The meat becomes very tender and it has great flavor. Try to find one that is flatter than a typical roast. Shaped more like a steak. That way it will be easier to cube into an optimal size.
You can use sirloin, or other cuts of beef, it’s a personal preference.
Variations of This Lentil Soup Recipe
• Add a couple small potatoes, peeled and cubed.
• Add some diced celery with the onion.
• Some red pepper flakes will add some heat.
• Use beef broth in place of chicken (I prefer the flavor of chicken broth, but this is personal preference).
• Use fresh baby spinach in place of the kale. Or omit, if desired.
• Maybe use frozen peas or corn after pressure cooking.
Instant Pot Beef Tips
Sandy’s Instant Pot Beef Stew
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice
What To Serve With This Lentil Soup (Stew)
Serve it with whatever you like; biscuits, buttered bread, dinner rolls, a green salad, or even rice, which could be mixed in for an even heartier stew.
If you make this tasty Instant Pot soup recipe, please let me know! Just leave a comment below with a star rating.
I’d love to know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Lentil Beef Stew
Equipment
- 6 qt or 8 qt Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 lg Yellow Onion, chopped
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 pounds Chuck Roast, Steak or Stew Meat, cubed
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (not ground)
- 2 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Carrots, chopped
- 1 ½ cups Green Lentils, rinsed
- 4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock (use 5 cups for more soupy consistency)
- 1 bunch Fresh Kale, chopped (or use fresh baby spinach)
Instructions
- Gather and prepare all of the ingredients before you begin cooking.
- Turn on the sauté setting on the pot. When it is hot, add the olive oil, onion, and bay leaves. Cook until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the beef and garlic. Cook for a few minutes. Then add the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, carrots, green lentils, and the chicken stock. Stir well.
- Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 5 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
- When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes (10 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.
- When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid. Carefully stir the stew.
- Stir in the kale. Serve hot. The stew will thicken more as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to Make this Easy Instant Pot Recipe and More
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Followed to a T but realized I used split peas after I dumped them in. Looked at your other recipe for split peas increased to 18 mins with nr of 15 and turned out great! Thanks for all the great recipes
Hello Sandy
I’m a little confused…is this a soup or a stew?
If you make the recipe as described without any variations, you serve the dish with what side dish?
Thank you !
It comes out thick like a stew. Add more broth to give it a soupier consistency. Serve it with whatever you like; Biscuits, buttered bread, dinner rolls, a green salad, or even rice, which could be mixed in for an even heartier stew.
Are you sure you can get the beef in the recipe tender in five minutes? Your beef stew recipe says 35 minutes?
Yes. In this recipe you cook the meat with the onions for a while and that gives it a head start. That beef stew recipe is very good, though I may need to update it. I created that one when the IP was not as popular as it is now!