Carne Guisada for the Instant Pot

Carne guisada, a flavorful Mexican beef stew, is quick and easy when made in the Instant Pot. Try it over rice or served with tortillas.

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What is carne guisada

Carne means meat, but it is often used to refer to specifically to beef, and guisada means stew. Carne guisada is a traditional Mexican-style beef stew flavored with garlic, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

Is carne guisada gluten-free?

This recipe uses flour to thicken the gravy, but you could substitute a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch with the room temperature reserved juices instead (do not heat the liquid when using cornstarch) to make it gluten-free. Serve with corn tortillas or rice instead of flour tortillas.

Time needed

It takes about an hour and a half to make carne guisada in the Instant Pot, including the chopping, sautéing, time to pressure, cook time, and pressure release time.

Ingredients

For the stew:

• water
• beef stew meat or beef roast cut into cubes
• salt and pepper
• tomatoes with green chilies or plain diced tomatoes
• chopped onion
• diced green bell pepper
• minced garlic
• flour
• cumin
• oregano
• chili powder

Garnishes:

• fresh cilantro
• grated cheese
• pico de gallo
• sour cream

How to make carne guisada

These instructions are for making Carne Guisada in the Instant Pot; you can find the instructions for the slow cooker here.

Drain juice from tomatoes with green chilies into a 2 cup measuring cup. While it is draining, put ¾ cup water in Instant Pot and add meat. This is when you are supposed to add salt and pepper, but I forgot. Luckily, this is a very forgiving recipe so it doesn't matter - you can season it after it cooks just as easily.

Place tomatoes with green chilies over meat, and add garlic, onion, and green pepper.

Cook on manual pressure (high if you have the option; my IP only has one button for manual pressure cooking) for 25 minutes. NPR for 15 minutes, then release pressure and open lid.

Add chili powder, oregano, and cumin to cooked beef and stir. Feel free to spice it up—this is the way my family likes it, but adjust the seasonings to your preference.

Add enough water to the reserved juice from tomatoes with green chilies to make 1-½ cups liquid. Heat liquid in microwave or on stovetop. Add flour to liquid and mix well.

Add flour mixture to cooked meat and stir to blend well.

Cook on sauté mode for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to thicken the sauce. Turn off Instant Pot to stop the hard boil, and let sit for 10 minutes. Turn back on to slow cooker mode to keep warm while serving.

Garnish with cilantro, cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream, and serve with tortillas for dipping.

More delicious soups and stews:

📖 Recipe

Carne Guisada for the Instant Pot

4.41 from 75 votes

Carne guisada, a flavorful Mexican beef stew, is quick and easy when made in the Instant Pot. Try it over rice or served with tortillas.

AuthorAuthor: Mary Ann

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Latin American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 217

Ingredients

  

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• ¾ cup water
• 3-4 lbs beef stew meat
• salt and pepper to taste
• 20 ounces canned diced tomatoes with green chilies or plain diced tomatoes, reserve juices
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoon flour
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Garnishes:

• fresh cilantro
• grated cheese
• pico de gallo
• sour cream

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Put water in Instant Pot and add meat. Salt and pepper as desired.
• Drain juice from tomatoes with green chilies into a 2 cup measuring cup and place tomatoes with green chilies over meat. Add garlic, onion, and green pepper.
• Cook on manual pressure (high if you have the option) for 25 minutes. NPR for 15 minutes, then release pressure and open lid. Add spices and stir.
• Add enough water to the reserved juice from tomatoes with green chilies to make 1-½ cups liquid. Heat liquid in microwave or on stovetop.
• Add flour to liquid and mix well. Add flour mixture to cooked meat and stir to blend well. Cook on sauté mode for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to thicken the sauce.
• Turn off Instant Pot to stop the hard boil, and let sit for 10 minutes. Turn back on to slow cooker mode to keep warm while serving.
• Garnish with cilantro, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, and serve with tortillas for dipping.

Notes

1. If you prefer mild vs. spicy food, substitute the canned tomatoes for the tomatoes with green chilies.
2. Leftovers from Carne Guisada can be used to make beef enchiladas, Tex-Mex Beef Casserole, or burritos.
3. These instructions are for making Carne Guisada in the Instant Pot; you can find the instructions for the slow cooker here.
4. Nutrition data does not include garnishes.
5. This recipe uses flour to thicken the gravy, but you could substitute a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch with the room temperature reserved juices instead (do not heat the liquid when using cornstarch) to make it gluten-free. Serve with corn tortillas or rice instead of flour tortillas.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 217 calCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 31 gFat: 6 gSodium: 437 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 2 g