Dad's Favourite Quick Beef Stew

This is a microwave-era pantry stew, the kind of dinner that came out of 1980s microwave cookbooks aimed at busy parents. Every shortcut is here: canned carrots, canned tiny potatoes, canned green peas, cubed pre-cooked beef, and prepared beef gravy. None of it is fancy, but it’s hot, hearty, and on the table faster than ordering pizza.

The one fresh ingredient that makes a real difference is the diced onion, microwaved first in oil until tender. That brief sauté brings out the onion’s natural sweetness and gives the otherwise-canned stew an actual home-cooked flavor base. Without it, the dish tastes flat and out-of-the-can; with it, you get something that passes for slow-simmered stew.

Add the canned peas only at the end. Bright green peas overcooked turn olive-drab and lose their pop. The 2 to 3 minute final warm-through is plenty.

Pro Tips

• Drain the canned vegetables thoroughly before adding to prevent watering down the gravy.
• Pre-cooked roast beef from the deli, leftover roast, or canned roast beef all work for the meat component.
• Stir occasionally during microwave heating; microwaves heat unevenly and stew has a tendency to scorch on the edges.
• Taste and re-season at the end. Canned ingredients vary wildly in salt content.

Variations

• Use frozen mixed vegetables in place of canned for brighter color and better texture.
• Add 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce for extra savory depth.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of red wine before microwaving for a more grown-up stew flavor.