Instant Pot Southwestern Beef Stew (Video)

You’ll love Instant Pot Southwestern Beef Stew and this low-carb stew can also be made in the slow cooker if you prefer that method! This recipe has tomatoes, olives, and chiles and a touch of lime, and we used a little cauliflower rice to thicken the stew. 

PIN Southwestern Beef Stew to try it later!

When it’s cold outside and you just want something that’s warm and comforting this Instant Pot Southwestern Beef Stew is going to be so delicious for an easy dinner! And this stew is loaded with Southwestern flavors, but it’s still only slightly spicy so this is a recipe the whole family can enjoy. 

This Southwestern Beef Stew was a slow cooker recipe on my site for years, and recently I worked with Kara to create an Instant Pot version of this popular stew. We were worried there would be too much liquid in the finished stew, so we cooked a little cauliflower rice with the stew to thicken it, and that worked so perfectly! You can’t taste the cauliflower but it adds a nice texture, and we ate the stew with some chopped avocado and a squeeze of extra lime added at the table. We absolutely loved the updated version of this stew, and I savored it again when I took a bowl out of the freezer and heated it up for a quick dinner. And now you can make it in the Instant Pot or the Slow Cooker, whichever you prefer. 

Those authentically Mexican salt and paper shakers in the photo are from Gorky Pottery in Guanajuato, Mexico and I had fun visiting their factory and seeing how the Mexican pottery is made when I traveled to Mexico recently. Watch for more fun Gorky Pottery pieces to show up in food photos, mostly salad bowls. And if you ever make it to Guanajuato, I highly recommend a tour of the factory!

Use Low-Carb and Keto Stew Recipes to find more recipes like this one, or if you like using the Instant Pot check out My Favorite Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Dinners  for more great recipes.

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?

I use 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my growing collection of Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Recipes! I used my Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for making this recipe in the slow cooker. If you’re a slow cooker fan you might want to check out Low-Carb and Keto Slow Cooker Recipes with Beef to find more recipes like this one.

How to Make Instant Pot Southwestern Beef Stew:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information; complete recipe also includes slow cooker instructions if you prefer that method.)

1. Cut beef into bite-sized cubes. Heat a little olive oil in a big frying pan and brown the beef well, seasoning with salt and fresh ground black pepper. 
2. While beef browns chop up onion and Poblano chile, and measure out minced garlic.
3. Heat 2 tsp. oil in the Instant Pot and set to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT. Add the chopped onion and poblano and cook 3 minutes. Then add garlic and cook one minute more.
4. Drain olives and cut in half and measure out cauliflower rice. 
5. When beef is well-browned, add to the Instant Pot on top of the onion mixture, and add the olives and cauliflower rice.
6. Put beef broth, salsa, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, and crushed tomatoes into the pan where you cooked the beef. Simmer about 5 minutes, scraping off any browned bits. Then add that to the Instant Pot. 
7. Set Instant Pot on MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 25 minutes. When cooking time ends, let it natural release for at least 10 minutes; then release the rest of the pressure.
8. Stir in lime juice, and taste to see if you want more salt.
9. Serve with chopped avocado and fresh limes to add at the table if desired. This is good with Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) for those who want a little more heat.

More Beef in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot:

• Beef Recipes Index Page
• Spicy Shredded Beef Street Tacos
• Slow Cooker Hungarian Pot Roast
• Green Chile Shredded Beef Cabbage Bowl 
• Instant Pot Taco Meat

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Print

Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Southwestern Beef Stew

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

You'll love this Instant Pot (or Slow Cooker) Southwestern Beef Stew with tomatoes, olives, and chiles and a touch of lime!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. bite-sized beef cubes, preferably chuck roast (see notes)
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 1 medium Poblano chile pepper, chopped small (see notes)
• 1 T crushed or minced garlic
• 2 cans black olives, drained well and cut in half lengthwise
• 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice
• 1 14 oz. can beef broth
• 1 cup salsa (see notes)
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
• 1 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 T lime juice (see notes)
• chopped avocado, Green Tobasco Sauce, and fresh lime slices to add at the table, optional

Instructions

1. Cut beef into bite-sized cubes. Heat a little olive oil in a big frying pan and brown the beef cubes well, seasoning with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper.
2. While beef browns chop up a medium onion, a medium poblano chile, and measure out minced garlic.
3. Heat 2 tsp. oil in the Instant Pot and set to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT. Add the chopped onion and poblano and cook 3 minutes. Then add garlic and cook one minute more.
4. Drain olives and cut in half and measure out cauliflower rice.
5. When beef is well-browned, add it to the Instant Pot with the onion mixture, and add the olives and cauliflower rice.
6. Put beef broth, salsa, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, and crushed tomatoes into the pan you cooked the beef in. Simmer that mixture together about 5 minutes, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom. Then add that mixture to the Instant Pot.
7. Set Instant Pot on MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 25 minutes. When cooking time ends, let it natural release for at least 10 minutes; then release the rest of the pressure.
8. Stir in lime juice, and taste to see if you want more salt.
9. Serve with chopped avocado and fresh limes to add at the table if desired. This is good with Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) for those who want a little more heat.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Put the 14 oz. of beef broth into a small saucepan on the stove and simmer to reduce to 3/4 cup.
2. Chop up onions, poblano chile, and prepare garlic. Heat 2 tsp. oil in the frying pan and saute onions and poblanos about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, then add those ingredients to the slow cooker.
3. Follow instructions above for preparing and browning beef and add it to the slow cooker.
4. After you brown the beef add the reduced amount of beef stock (3/4 cup) to the frying pan with the salsa, spices, and crushed tomatoes and simmer as above. Add that mixture to the slow cooker with the drained and sliced olives and cauliflower rice.
5. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (or a little longer won't hurt.) You could probably cook on high for 3-4 hours but I prefer low heat for beef in the slow cooker if you have time.
6. Stir in the lime juice and serve as above.

Notes

I started with a 3 pound beef chuck roast, which was just over two pounds after I trimmed away all the fatty parts.

Poblano chiles are sometimes called Pasilla Chiles in U.S. grocery stores. Be sure to choose a salsa without added sugar. I use Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link) which has only 16 carbs in one cup. I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.

Optional avocado, extra lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce are not included in nutritional information.

Recipe originally created for the slow cooker by Kalyn and adapted for the Instant Pot with help from Kara.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 468Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 628mgCarbohydrates: 9.6gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 36g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe would be a good choice for low-carb diets and for all phases of the South Beach Diet or any other type of low-glycemic eating plan.  

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pressure Cooker Recipes for more ideas like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. Click for Slow Cooker / Pressure Cooker Recipes on my other site!

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