This recipe came from the same website as the vegetable soup I blogged about before,  Slimming Eats.  Like I’ve mentioned a few times, I have a list of recipes that I want to try from this site and, since I had some delicious-looking beef pieces from the butchers.  This recipe screamed at me!

Braised Beef

Ingredients (around 1 syn per serving)

800g of braising steak (all visible fat removed)
1 large red onion (sliced) – I used 2 small white onions
2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped finely
2 large carrots (sliced)
2 tbsps of tomato paste (I used passata)
2.5 cups of beef stock (I used two stock pots)
Couple of sprigs of fresh thyme (or dried if you don’t have fresh) I also used some fresh parsley
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to season
Fry Light or Pam spray
1 tbsp cornstarch (I had to use flour) 3.5syns

I also added a few handfuls of mangetout.

Method

Spray a large pot with Fry Light or Pam spray, place over a medium high heat, brown the beef and then set aside.

Reduce the heat slightly and add onion, garlic and carrot and cook for approx 5 mins until softened (you may need to add a little water to the pan if it starts to stick)

Add the stock, and splash of balsamic vinegar. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water into a paste and add this into the stock.

Return the meat to the casserole dish and add the thyme and tomato paste

Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for approx 1.5-2 hours until meat is tender and sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with your choice of vegetables and potatoes – I had mine with roast potatoes and asparagus, can’t wait to try more recipes from Slimming Eats!!