Well, there are a lot of people out in this world who don’t have time to spend cooking. So they opt for shortcuts and use canned foods as an easy option because you can just open them up whenever the need arises! One such example is a beef stew which has become very popular around the globe due to its flavorful taste as well as healthy nutrients- all at your fingertips with only 10 minutes’ worth of prep work required before eating away.
Best Canned Beef Stews to Buy Online
1) Hormel COMPLEATS Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
The Hormel Compleats Roast Beef and Mashed Potato is featured in our list because of the utmost convenience and taste if offers. The meals come in pre-prepared boxes that can be microwaved and be ready to eat in only a minute which is ideal for people who come home tired after a long day at work and don’t have the time to cook something for dinner.
As opposed to restaurant food that is extremely expensive and unhealthy, the Hormel Beef with Potatoes and Gravy is nutritious and free from any artificial ingredients that make it a perfect replacement for your homemade meal. Each serving comes in a separate disposable pack that can be microwaved and be eaten from directly. You don’t need to have any setup before and after eating the meal. Simply throw away the pack after eating and you are good to go.
Finally, the Hormel Compleats come with a huge shelf-life that does not require any refrigeration or freezing so you can enjoy a perfect meal wherever you are. The inexpensive meal is perfect for any occasion and has no artificial ingredients so you can eat it without any issues.
2) Dinty Moore Beef Stew, 9-Ounce Packages
The Dinty Moore Beef Stew is one of the most popular choices across the country due to its incredible taste and convenience. This is the second product by Hormel that is getting featured on our list because of how it checks all boxes when it comes to comfort food. Costing only 20 cents per ounce, you can never go wrong with the Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Especially when you are looking for a quick, nutritious, and healthy meal, this beef stew will come handy as it comes with all the necessary proteins, carbs, and all the other requirements of a proper meal.
Another unique character of this beef stew is it comes with no artificial flavors or harmful preservatives. People often feel concerned about the ingredients of canned and preserved food due to the addition of artificial flavorings. Dinty Moore, however, has been America’s choice for many years and proudly ensures that every customer gets a nutritious and proper meal at the best cost. Finally, this Beef Stew is a must-have for your pantry because of the convenience, versatility, and the nutrition it gives.
3) Armour Star Roast Beef with Gravy
The Armour Star Roast Beef with Gravy is an ideal MRE for any pantry because of its awesome taste and unparalleled taste. The premium quality beef Armour uses for this product is ideal and remains unmatched by the other competitors. The Roast Beef with Gravy is great for emergency lunches and can act as a great side for rice and crackers. You can eat this with anything you want and it will taste great.
All the elements of the Armour Star Beef Can are completely cooked and ready to eat. The only thing you need to do is to either heat it for your taste buds. If you prefer to eat it as it is, you can do that too because the beef is ready to eat.
The governments often recommend you to be ready for emergencies with an updated survival kit. An important part of any survival kit is food that is ready to eat and has a long shelf life so you can keep it stored. The Armour Star Beef is a perfect candidate for your survival food because it tastes awesome and comes with all the necessary nutrition you need from a meal.
4) Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Beef Soup With Country Vegetables, 18.8 Ounce Can
How Is Beef Stew Made?
This ready-to-serve stew is a mixture of solid food cooked on slow heat in a liquid that is packed in tin cans with the gravy. The main ingredient for the stew is tougher meat; beef. Though fresh carrots and potatoes are the other basic ingredients that makeup beef stew, some brands also use a blend of mushrooms, beans, onions, tomatoes, pea, and pepper. Liquid for stew-cooking is either water or soup stock, it is simmered on low heat that allows flavors of all ingredients to mix up. To thicken the stew, flour, arrowroot, or cornstarch may be added.
Brands like Dinty Moore use electronic scales to ensure the same amount of beef is added to each can and ingredients simmer together inside the can while cooking begins after can sealing. This saves all the flavors and freshness. This results in a delicious beef stew that is tender, moist, and juicy.
Differences Between Canned Soup & Stew
Though canned meat soups and beef stew look very similar and you may not be able to distinguish sometimes, but the beef stew is a bit thicker than soup with less amount of liquid in it. Beef stews require more cooking time at low temperatures. Soup is usually served in a bowl due to its liquid consistency whereas beef stew from the can is directly transferred to the serving plate with thick brown gravy, beef pieces, and vegetable chunks.
Nutritional value
Canned beef stew is not just a ready-to-eat item that makes meal preparation easy; it is packed with many important nutrients that include minerals and vitamins. This stew is an excellent vitamin A source and while a good source of iron, protein, potassium, and sodium.
100 grams of Campbell’s beef stew serving provides you about 250 calories while a big bowl of Dinty Moore beef stew offers 200 calories comprising of 20% protein, 26% carbohydrates, and 54% total fat. To burn off these calories, it would require 15 minutes of swimming, 20 minutes of jogging, and 25 minutes of cycling.
Shelf life and storage
Canned beef stew tends to have a long shelf-life but make sure to always check the expiry date on the can before you make a purchase. Moreover, ensure that the can is not dented, damaged or slightly crushed when you pick from grocery store shelve. A properly sealed lid is an important thing to consider as it keeps the inside content fresh and flavorful.
Storing canned beef stew properly in a cool dry area where there’s no moisture, sunlight, or high temperature, an unopened can have a shelf-life of 3 to 5 years. Avoid exposing beef stew cans to direct sunlight or freezing them as these temperature changes decrease shelf-life. However, it is best advised to use canned beef stew within 1 year of manufacturing date for best flavor, taste, texture, smell, and even color. After you open a can, store the remaining beef stew in a refrigerator with covered lid and try to use within a week for a fresh taste. Discard if there are signs of spoilage, rotten smell, or change in appearance or texture.
Top Beef Stew Brands to Consider
There are many options to buy from at your local grocery store. we explore those options below. The main online canned beef stew brands to consider are Hormel, Dinty Moore, and Armour.
Complete meal
A can of beef stew offers a complete ready-to-eat meal for 1-3 persons. To make beef stew tastier, you can add it to noodles, pasta, or rice. It also serves as a side dish for diner rolls, green beans, salads, and other legumes. Plus, you can quickly and easily make delicious meals like Boeuf Bourguignon, Pot pie, Beef goulash, and beef vegetable soup with canned beef stew.
Dinty Moore Beef stew
One of the top brands that offer canned beef stew to the market all across the world is Dinty Moore. The tin can comes 3 different sizes with 15, 20, and 38 ounces. Dinty Moore is the top trusted and oldest brand to make canned beef stew for about 80 years. Their recipe is simple with 3 basic ingredients i.e. freshly cut carrots, potatoes, and real beef chunks immersed in rich brown gravy. The beef stew meal is offered at a reasonable price so all hardworking busy people can enjoy a complete healthy meal to satisfy hunger. All you have to do is open the can, slightly heat in the microwave, and serve. This healthy dish offers 10g of protein per serving and is great over biscuits, noodles, rice, and hot pies.
Also, it among the best seller packaged stews in the market. Dinty Moore’s unique canned beef stew is free from preservatives, gluten, and additives.
Puritan Beef Stew
Puritan beef stew is Canada’s very popular canned beef stew product that offers a great combination of flavors and seasonings with the best beef taste. The preparation is simple, empty tin content in a bowl and heat in microwave or stove, and your delicious lunch or dinner meal will be ready to eat. Puritan’s beef stew has top sirloin beef, fresh carrot chunks, potatoes, peas, and canola oil for gravy.
It’s tender, tasty, and beefy!
Great Value Beef Stew
Great Value is among Walmart’s private brands. Its beef stew that comes in 20 oz tin container is the best-selling product. This nutritious healthy meal can be enjoyed at any time of the day and offers 190 calories per serving. A single serving of Great Value beef stew provides 9g protein, 20% vitamin A, 1g dietary fiber, and no trans fat. All you need to do is just heat for 3 minutes and serve on a plate. The stew contains tasty beef chunks, potatoes, carrots, water, and tomato paste. Beef stew can is available to single or in a pack of 4 or 8 cans.