Instant Pot Cowboy Stew With Ranch Style Beans Recipe
If you take a quick glance at the list of ingredients that goes into this Instant Pot cowboy stew with ranch style beans, you may find yourself wondering, "Isn't that really more of a chili than a stew?" It's certainly an understandable thought, but recipe developer and private practice registered dietician Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness can explain. "Stews are typically cooked longer to more fully develop their flavor," she says. And on closer inspection of some of the photos of Carli's recipe, you'll also note a broth here, something that's not found in your typical chili. Ah, but now you're probably wondering something else about this recipe. If stews are cooked for longer than chilis or soups, then how come this one requires just 20 minutes of cooking time?
"You can achieve this [slow cooked] flavor in a short time due to the pressure cooker," says Carli. Yes, your trusty Instant Pot lets you create a hearty, satisfying stew that will taste like it simmered away for an afternoon, despite only needing a few minutes of sautéing and a quarter of an hour with the lid closed and the contents cooked under pressure. If you'd prefer to wait all day to enjoy your cowboy stew for dinner, then by all means go the old fashioned route. For the rest of us, let's get to cooking ASAP!
Gather your ingredients to prepare Instant Pot cowboy stew with ranch style beans
This hearty stew calls for olive oil, diced yellow onion, ground beef, salt, pepper, kielbasa sausage, canned fire roasted tomatoes (with their liquid), a can of tomato soup, water, canned ranch style beans, canned green chiles, and chili powder, in addition to shredded cheese and hot sauce for serving. This recipe delivers plenty of heat, but you can always dial that down if you're not a major fan of spice.
Cook the onion, and then cook the meat
Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté setting, and then add the olive oil and the diced onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, which will take between three to five minutes. Next add the ground beef, being sure to break up any larger bits with the back of a wooden spoon or with a silicone spatula.
Next, add the salt and pepper, and stir to mix them in well. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Meanwhile, slice the kielbasa, and then add the sausage to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
Add the rest of the ingredients, and then pressure cook the stew for 15 minutes
Add the tomatoes, the tomato soup, the water, the ranch style beans, the green chiles, and the chili powder to the Instant Pot, and stir to combine everything. As for a quick safety step, Carli says, "Make sure that the beef is cooked before putting on the lid and pressure cooking," as any still raw meat may not cook enough during the short pressure cooking period.
That being said, go ahead and close the lid, and turn the valve to sealing. Now, turn on the Pressure Cook setting for 15 minutes, and let the Instant Pot do its thing as you wait patiently for it to be done.
Cowboy stew serving ideas
Once the 15 minutes of pressure cooking are up, your cooking work is done — and let's be honest, it was really done when that phase began. That's the beauty of Instant Pot meals — they do all the hard work for you.
Now, simply serve this tasty cowboy stew, and enjoy. "Serve it with shredded cheese and hot sauce, if desired," Carli suggests, adding, "This is delicious served with corn casserole."
And if you have any extra Instant Pot cowboy stew with ranch style beans left over when dinner (or lunch) is wrapped up, Carli says, "[You can] store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days [and this meal] reheats great in the microwave."
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (14-ounce) kielbasa sausage
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can tomato soup
- 1 cup water
- 1 (15-ounce) can ranch style beans
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- shredded cheese, for serving
- hot sauce, for serving
- Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté setting, then add the olive oil and diced onion.
- Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring often. Then, add the ground beef, and break up larger bits with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Add the salt and pepper, and cook until the beef is no longer pink.
- Slice the kielbasa sausage, and add it to the Instant Pot, stirring to combine.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes, tomato soup, water, ranch style beans, green chiles, and chili powder, and stir to combine.
- Close lid, and turn the valve to sealing, then turn on the Pressure Cook setting for 15 minutes.
- When cooking is done, serve with shredded cheese and hot sauce, if desired.
| Calories per Serving | 535 |
| Total Fat | 34.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 1.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 100.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 27.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 7.4 g |
| Sodium | 1,133.3 mg |
| Protein | 30.3 g |
