Low Carb Italian Beef Stew (Spezzatino di Manzo) is a convenient cook-ahead, all-in-one meal for cool evenings. This classic, dairy-free Italian stew contains 11g net carbs per serving, vegetables included.
The beef becomes tender and almost melts in your mouth, complemented by an explosion of warm, balanced flavours. This straightforward yet satisfying dish feeds the whole family and often tastes even better reheated. I recommend making the full batch in the recipe so you have leftovers for another meal, even if you are cooking for one or two.
It also freezes very well, so extra portions make excellent freezer meals for busy days or when you don’t feel like cooking.
How to Make Low Carb Italian Beef Stew (Spezzatino di Manzo)
This recipe is largely one-pot cooking: sear the beef, add the rest of the ingredients, then let everything simmer until tender. The hands-on prep time is short, and most of the cooking is unattended as the flavours develop slowly on the stove.
Preparing the swede and pumpkin takes about 10–15 minutes. Once they’re peeled and cubed you can relax and let the aroma fill your kitchen while the stew cooks.
Choose good quality beef. Grass-fed, pasture-raised meat is ideal for texture, flavour and nutrition, but if that isn’t available, select the best lean beef you can find. For this recipe, lean cuts work best—excess fat can make the dish oily and detract from the texture.
Visible chunks of fat in the meat will produce an overly greasy stew, so trim where necessary.
Pumpkin, swede and garden peas contribute carbohydrates but also provide vitamins, fibre and flavour — they are essential to the character of this stew. At 11g net carbs per serving, the dish fits well within a low-carb or ketogenic lifestyle while remaining hearty and nutritious.
Enjoy!
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- 1 kg stewing beef, cut into chunks
- 30 g beef tallow
- 20 g extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, minced or chopped
- 100 g chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
- 20 g tomato paste concentrate
- 2 beef stock cubes (use a quality organic option if possible)
- 1 tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (or 2 cinnamon sticks)
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp Italian mixed dried herbs or Herbes de Provence (or 1 tbsp fresh)
- 500 g swede (net weight after peeling)
- 500 g pumpkin (net weight after peeling and coring)
- 200 g frozen garden peas (or fresh)
- Remove the peas from the freezer and let them defrost in a bowl.
- In a wide saucepan over high heat, melt the tallow with the olive oil. Add the beef chunks and sear on all sides until browned.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the swede, pumpkin and peas. Stir and add enough water to just cover the beef.
- Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, peel and cut the swede and pumpkin into small cubes.
- After 1 hour, add the swede cubes, stir, then simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin and peas, stir, cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Stir periodically and check that nothing is sticking to the bottom; add a little water if the liquid reduces too much.
- If, after 2 hours, there is too much liquid, you can: A) continue simmering uncovered until the stew reaches the desired thickness; B) remove some liquid; or C) add a light sprinkle of tapioca starch to thicken (use sparingly, as it adds carbs).
- Serve the stew on its own or with 1–2 slices of your preferred low-carb bread.