Easy and healthy Chili Colorado inspired stew recipe

Easy Chili Colorado Inspired Beef Stew Recipe

Our easy take on a rich, delicious, tender beef stew recipe with complex Mexican-inspired flavors... with a surprise ingredient!

Makes 4-6 servings.

Chili Colorado is a rich braised beef stew that is popular in Mexico (although it's sometimes made with pork).

The complex, deep flavor comes from roasted chilies, garlic, onions and aromatics that cook for hours.

The good news is you can swap in all of that work for a bottle of Mesa de Vida's Latin inspired starter sauce and save yourself all of the work!

There is a surprise ingredient in this dish - a bit of dark chocolate. It adds just a bit of extra depth of flavor that takes this richly flavored, yet healthy, stew over the top.

In this recipe we've added extra onion and bell pepper to bulk up the stew even more, and add an extra serving of vegetables. You can leave those out, if you wish.

Serve your easy Chili Colorado stew wrapped in tortillas as a taco, on top of rice and/or beans for a burrito bowl, with bread, or just as a stew.

You can make this Chili Colorado recipe in your slow cooker so it's ready when you get home from work, or braise it in the oven for about an hour for even more concentrated flavor.

Enjoy!

Watch us make this on Instagram.

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 lb beef stew meat (or 1-1/2 lb beef chuck roast cut into 1" cubes). Option: swap in diced pork tenderloin or sirloin roast
  • 1 bottle Mesa de Vida Latin Inspired Cooking Sauce
  • 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup broth (optional, leave out for a thicker stew, add for a brothier stew)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 square (about 1 oz) dark chocolate
  • Optional: flour for dredging (regular wheat flour or rice flour)

Directions

  1. Optional: Coat your beef with a light dusting of flour and sear in a skillet until golden brown.
  2. Slow cooker directions: Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  3. Oven braise directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add all of the ingredients to an oven-proof braising pan or stock pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven for approximately 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.
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