This simple recipe for Paleo-friendly Smoky Root Vegetable Chili Stew takes just a few minutes to prep, cooks low and slow in the oven for hours, and delivers delicious, rich, healthy comfort food goodness.
Why is this a chili stew, and not a chili? Because the vegetables and meat are left in bigger chunks! This simply means less work for you, and a heartier, more rustic bowl of delicious stew. If you’d prefer this to be more of a chili consistency simply chop the vegetables smaller, and cut the meat smaller too, or simply use ground meat.
I love making stews and slow-roasted recipes. As they cook the entire house fills with the cozy aroma, letting you know that something really great awaits you. In addition you can use more affordable cuts of meat that taste incredible, but just need a bit more time to develop into the luscious, tender, mouthwatering morsels they evolve into.
This recipe happens to be Paleo-friendly, and bean-free. But, if you like legumes, by all means add a can or two of drained, rinsed beans to your liking.
Think of this recipe as a guideline. If you don’t have turnips or rutabaga, substitute sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or any other hearty vegetables that you have on hand. One of the vegetables I urge you to try in this is radishes. If you haven’t tried cooked radishes before you’re in for a treat. They’re not just for garnish! (I also love to toss quartered radishes into my Sheet Pan Fajitas.)
Just as you can switch out the vegetables, feel free to use different meat as well. I used a bone-in pork shoulder roast 1) because it is super affordable, so I can buy a really high quality heritage pork, 2) I toss the bones in with the stew as it is cooking to add more flavor. You can use beef, pork, or even bone-in chicken if you like. Want to make this a vegan/vegetarian stew? Skip the meat and bump up the veggies, add beans, and/or serve over quinoa or rice.
So much of the flavor, and all of the convenience, comes from our Smoky Latin inspired healthy cooking sauce. Loads of aromatic vegetables, whole ground spices, a bit of lime juice, already prepped, perfectly seasoned, and ready for you to just pour in, stir, and look like a kitchen rock star.
More good news about this awesome recipe, that is likely to become a regular in your house, (Stew Saturday?) is that you can make this recipe in the slow cooker as well. Just toss everything together into the slow cooker and let it cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Wait, and there is still more good news: This recipe makes a TON of stew, depending on the level of hunger, 8-10servings. This is always a good thing in my house because this means that lunches are covered for several days with the leftovers. Stews and chili always seem to taste even better the next day, right?
Smoky Root Vegetable Chili Stew
Makes 8-10 servings
2 tsp healthy oil/fat of your choice
3 lb pork shoulder roast, or roast of your choice, cut into approximately 2″ cubes.
1 jar Mesa de Vida Smoky Latin inspired healthy cooking sauce
2-4 tb chipotle paste, such as Olo, or 2-4 minced chipotle peppers to taste
About 8 cups of vegetables – carrots, turnips, rutabaga, radish, parsnips, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, etc, cut into approximately 2″ cubes. Toss in any other vegetables you like, I often add diced zucchini and mushrooms.
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
Optional : 3-4 extra cloves of chopped fresh garlic (our cooking sauce has lots of garlic, but we like it garlicky, so for a recipe this large I like to add extra)
Optional: Salt to taste (our cooking sauce is low in sodium so YOU get to control the level of salt
Toppings to taste: fresh cilantro, sliced fresh radishes, avocado
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, when hot add oil, swirl to coat. Add the cubed meat, and any trimmed bones, to the pan (in batches if you’re using a small pan) and brown on all sides. When browned transfer to a large baking dish or casserole.
Add the remaining ingredients (except for the toppings) and stir well to combine. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for about 3 hours, until the meat is succulent and tender.
Serve topped with toppings of your choice and enjoy!
Like this recipe? Try another low, slow oven or slow cooker favorite, like our North African tagine!
Don’t let your packaged processed seasonings/lack of time/lack of skills in the kitchen ruin your healthy eating efforts. Stock up on our healthy cooking sauces so you can cook more healthy, more delicious, more exciting meals at home more often!
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