‘The Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond Promises Her Instant Pot Ancho Beef Stew With Cheesy Grits Will ‘Warm Your Soul’

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond admits she was a late comer to the Instant Pot world.
• Now she loves them so much she has even released her own line of Instant Pots.
• Drummond promises her Instant Pot Ancho Beef Stew with Cheesy Grits will “warm your soul.”

The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has a number of hearty stew recipes that are perfect dinners for cold weather. One of her favorites is Ancho Beef Stew with Cheesy Grits that’s made in an Instant Pot. According to Drummond, this scrumptious spicy stew with grits will “warm your soul.”

‘The Pioneer Woman’ was a latecomer to the Instant Pot world

Drummond says that she prefers old-school cooking techniques, like cooking with a dutch oven and an iron skillet. She says she was resistant to the Instant Pot like she generally is with all new electronic cooking appliances. However, once she received one for her birthday, Drummond discovered how useful the different functions were — especially the pressure cooker.

“I’ve slowly but surely come to LOVE it, and noticed that I wasn’t ever putting it away in the pantry,” Drummond wrote.

Drummond has fallen so in love with her Instant Pot that she teamed up with the company to release her own version in the signature The Pioneer Woman colors.

Ree Drummond promises this stew served on cheesy grits will ‘warm your soul’

To take on Drummond’s Instant Pot Ancho Beef Stew, you’ll need just a few specific ingredients. The recipe calls for beef stew meat (cut into chunks), ancho chile powder, ground cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, onion, garlic clove, tomato paste, diced tomatoes with chiles, carrots, and cilantro.

You’ll also need a cup of instant grits and milk — plus pepper jack cheese for an extra kick — because Drummond says serving her Ancho Beef Stew over grits will “warm your soul.”

The directions for ‘The Pioneer Woman’s’ Ancho Beef Stew are easy to follow

You’ll begin this dish by tossing the beef with the ancho chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Next, get your Instant Pot ready by setting it to sauté on high heat and adding three tablespoons of olive oil.

When the pot is hot, add half of the seasoned beef in a single layer and cook it undisturbed until it’s browned on the bottom. This should take about five minutes. Then, remove the beef and put it on a plate and repeat the process with your remaining beef.

After you’ve removed all of the beef, add another tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onion and let it cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and let it cook for a minute. Stir in the tomato paste to coat the onion and garlic. Then, add the diced tomatoes, carrots, beef, collected juices, and water.

Ree Drummond’s recipe says to make the grits while the stew cooks

Once you’ve stirred all of your stew ingredients together, lock the lid on your Instant Pot and make sure the steam valve is in the sealing position. Set your pot to pressure cook on high for a half hour.

Meanwhile, boil water in a saucepan and add the grits to cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. This should take about 20 minutes. Add the milk and cheese until “melted and creamy.” As Drummond says, “everything tastes good on a bed of grits.”

How to serve ‘The Pioneer Woman’s’ Ancho Beef Stew

When your stew has cooked for 30 minutes, carefully turn the steam valve to the venting position so the steam can release. Finally, unlock and remove the lid while steering clear of the remaining steam.

When everything is done cooking, Drummond says to serve in bowls with the grits on the bottoms and the stew on top. Finish off the dish by sprinkling it with cilantro.

This recipe yields four to six servings and takes a total of an hour and 10 minutes from start to finish.

The Pioneer Woman airs Saturdays on The Food Network.