Pot and stew recipes

A stew is everyday cooking at its best: the ingredients are browned first and then left to simmer gently under a lid. Meat stews simmer for 45–90 minutes depending on the size of the pieces, vegetable stews for 20–30 minutes.

Popular stews include beef or pork stew with root vegetables, pumpkin stew and lentil stew with a tomato base. Brown the meat well in batches before simmering, as meat crowded into a full pot steams instead of taking on colour.

Pumpkin stew turns out best when the pumpkin goes in only towards the end of simmering – otherwise it breaks down into the liquid. The meat can be swapped for beans or lentils, which shortens the simmering time considerably.

A stew often tastes even better the next day, once the flavours have had a night in the fridge to settle. It also freezes well, so it's worth making a double batch and freezing half in ready portions.

In Ruokaboksi's stew recipes, the meat and root vegetables come in the right portion sizes, so a weeknight stew comes together without any extra planning.