Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
This is the stew I make once the weather turns, letting a tougher cut of beef simmer for over an hour until it falls apart. Butternut squash adds a natural sweetness that a lot of beef stews skip entirely.
Browning the beef before it goes into the pot builds a base of flavor that the long simmer only deepens further. Butternut squash breaks down slightly as it cooks, thickening the stew almost as much as the potatoes do.
This one takes longer than most of my other meal preps, but it's mostly hands-off time once everything is in the pot. Like most stews, it tastes even better on day two once the flavors have had more time to meld.
The recipe card has the full ingredient list and simmer time for the entire ten-portion batch. Let the stew cool before portioning it into containers, then refrigerate what you'll eat within four days and freeze the rest. This beef and squash stew is one of my favorite cold-weather meal preps.
Nutrition note: This is general food information, not individualized medical or nutrition advice.
Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
YIELD
10 portions
ESTIMATED NUTRITION
540 calories • 36g protein • 38g carbs • 26g fat per portion
What I really like about this recipe is how much the butternut squash sweetens what would otherwise be a straightforward beef stew.
Ingredients
• 3 3/4 lb beef stew meat, cubed
• 7 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 5 cups diced carrots
• 5 cups diced potatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 1/2 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 tsp thyme and rosemary
Directions
1. Toss beef with flour and sear in olive oil until browned on all sides.
2. Add carrots, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, herbs, and enough water to cover; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer 1 to 1.5 hours, until the beef is tender.
4. Let the food cool briefly, then divide it evenly among 10 airtight meal-prep containers.
Meal-prep notes: Refrigerate promptly and use refrigerated portions within 3–4 days; freeze any portions you will not eat in that window. Reheat hot meals until steaming and 165°F internally. Nutrition is estimated per portion.
