Step into a world of comfort food bliss with this versatile potato and meat stew, a heartwarming dish that's both easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. From your choice of meat to simple pantry ingredients, this recipe is a one-pot wonder that will leave you craving more.
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What is this potato and meat stew?
This potato and meat stew is a hearty, comforting dish featuring a versatile choice of meat—be it pork loin, beef chuck, or chicken. Cooked in a base of sunflower oil and seasoned with diced white onions, the recipe uses simple pantry staples like tomato paste, salt, and pepper for added flavor.
The stew is given a body with cubed potatoes and is enriched with either chicken, beef, or vegetable stock. As a finishing touch, it's garnished with fresh parsley or dill, and baked to perfection. This dish is not only easy to prepare but also absolutely delicious, making it a go-to comfort food for any occasion.
This potato and meat stew comes from a 1941 Romanian cookbook. It is a dish so close to my heart that it's practically woven into my family fabric. Often prepared by my mom, it's a comfort food classic that never fails to bring a sense of home to the table.
What sets this recipe apart is its simplicity and accessibility. It uses staple ingredients that you'll likely already have in your pantry, making it a go-to for times when you need to whip up something hearty without a grocery store trip.
You know, I've often said that if the going gets tough and I need to feed my family, all I'd really need are some potatoes, onions, and tomato sauce. Any meat is essentially a bonus but not a necessity.
This dish shares similarities with a well-made beef stew, but just like many of my other recipes, this one is remarkably easy and entirely achievable, whether you're cooking on a budget or just craving something absolutely delicious and hearty.
Want to go the vegetarian route? Feel free to omit the meat. I've had it that way countless times, and let me tell you, it's still absolutely delicious. Plus, it's easy to adapt to a gluten-free version if that suits your dietary needs.
If you like this recipe, you might also like this big collection of 44 Easy Stew Recipes, plenty of opportunities to get in the kitchen and cook. And if you own an Instant Pot, try some of these recipes from 17 Instant Pot Stew Recipes collection.
Ingredients:
Meat: When it comes to this dish, you can use anything available. I used chicken, but pork, beef, rabbit, or game meat are all acceptable. As a rule for this dish, you will need meat without the bone.
It cooks faster, which helps you bring dinner to the table quickly. Use pork chunks, beef chunks, chicken thighs or breasts, etc.
Potatoes: You want potatoes that hold their shape well during cooking but also have the ability to soak up the flavors of the broth and meat. I recommend Yukon gold, red potatoes, Russet potatoes, or even baby potatoes.
Parsley or dill: Herbs are important in this dish because they keep it bright and flavorful. Choose what you like. Sometimes, I use fresh, and sometimes, I use dried herbs, and they both serve the purpose.
(For the entire list of ingredients, please go to the bottom of this article to grab a printable recipe card.)
How to make this stew:
The recipe starts by preparing the ingredients.
Heat up a Dutch oven or a large pot and add the oil. Add the chunks of meat to the pot and brown them on all sides.
While the meat is browning, dice the onion and add it to the pot. Cook them together until the onions get translucent and yellowish.
Make sure to stir in the pot once in a while so the onions don't burn.
Throw some salt in the pot and add some warm water, about half a cup, or to almost cover the meat. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes or until the meat is almost tender.
While the meat is cooking, prepare the potatoes. These need to be cleaned, peeled, and cut into about 1-inch cubes.
Add them to the pot together with a cup of warm water and allow them to cook until they are tender.
Add the tomato paste and more salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently, so the potatoes don't break.
When ready, place it in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle some fresh parsley or chopped dill on top and serve in bowls.
The Romanian cooks think that a stew finished in the oven is much better than the one made only on the stove, so please give it a try and let me know what you think.
Don't cook it too much, you need the stew to have some sauce.
What to serve with this dish
I had this easy potato with meat stew so many times, made by my mother, and both my grandmothers, and every time, bread was served with it. Polenta is a good option as well.
The bread was used for dipping into the sauce, which was absolutely delicious. A good bread in my opinion for this dish is no knead bread.
How to store this dish
This easy potato and meat stew can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave or directly on the stove for a few minutes.
📖 Recipe
Easy One-Pot Potato and Meat Stew
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil like sunflower oil
- 1 pound meat decide what you are going to use- could be pork loin, OR beef chuck, OR chicken breast/or thighs
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 1 ¼ cups water or chicken/beef or vegetable stock
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or dill or 1 teaspoon dried parsley or dill
Instructions
- As a rule for this dish, you will need meat without the bone. Use pork loin, beef chuck, chicken thighs or breast etc.
- Heat up a Dutch oven or a pot and add some oil. Add the chunks of meat to the pot and brown them on all sides on medium heat.
- While the meat is browning, dice the onion and add it to the pot. Cook them together until the onions get translucent, stirring in the pot once in a while so the onions don't burn.
- Salt and pepper the meat and onions and add some warm water, about ¼ cup, or to almost cover the meat. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the meat is almost tender.
- While the meat is cooking, prepare the potatoes. These need to be cleaned, peeled and cut in about 1 inch cubes.
- Add them to the pot together with a cup of warm water and allow them to cook until they are tender.
- Add the tomato paste and more salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently, so the potatoes don’t break.
- When ready, place it in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle some fresh parsley or chopped dill on top and serve.
- Don’t cook it too much, you need the stew to have some sauce.
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