Steak and Kidney Stew

I learned early in my teens that this dish - and haggis, another favourite - were great ways to deal with my low iron issues. Tasty ways to deal with it, at that!

Recently, I got my hands on some fantastic lamb kidneys, and decided to keto-up my steak and kidney pie recipe.

As a first step, it’s not longer a pie - it’s a stew. The filling is so good on its own, there’s no real need for a crust, IMHO.

Then, I had to deal with the vegetables (no potatoes, add extra mushrooms!), and thickener. In this case, I modeled it similarly to my Keto Beef Stew.

As with that beef stew, I used xanthan gum and gelatin- combined in a mixture of other dry ingredients, to prevent clumping - rather than a flour or cornstarch slurry. Quick, easy, and makes a fantastically rich gravy.

My technique is a bit different from standard “steak and kidney” dishes, but that extra step - and extra pan - results in tender, buttery kidney. No one likes tough, overcooked kidney, am I right?

Nutrition Facts

This steak and kidney stew is a powerhouse of nutrition!

1 serving contains a whopping 51 grams of protein and 7 mg of iron!

For those watching their carbs, it’s 6 grams of net carbs per serving, with one of those coming from fiber - so 5 grams net carbs per serving.

Lots of good stuff going on in this recipe - see the end of the recipe card for full nutrition information.Anyway, one of these days, I’m going to play around with the cooking method.

I’ll probably add some Crock pot / slow cooker instructions, or maybe bake a smaller batch up as a steak and kidney casserole. I’m thinking a savoury scone topping would be nice...

For now, I find just cooking it up on the stove top is the best way to make this steak and kidney stew.

Easy, straightforward, low effort, basic equipment - what’s not to love?

Ingredients

This recipe uses mostly really simple ingredients, most of which can be found in most larger grocery stores.

A few notes for you:

The Beef

As with most of my beef stews, I generally use beef chuck roast as my cut of beef in this recipe, grass-fed beef if I’m feeling bougie.

With this cooking method, the tender beef chuck works so beautifully, and brings a great flavour to it.

That said, because we’re cooking it low and slow, you can use pretty much any cut of beef steak you like for your beef stew meat.

The cooking method is really forgiving, and will render even the cheapest cuts of meat “melt in your mouth”.

Lamb Kidney

I use lamb kidney, as it’s easily available to me, and is more tender and has a nicer flavour than beef kidney, IMHO.

That said, you can use beef or ox kidney if you prefer - see the variations section a bit further down in this post, for info on how to use it.

The Veggies

I love a ton of vegetable chunks in my stew, so I built this keto steak and kidnet stew with that in mind. I use:

Crimini mushrooms - You can use button if you prefer.
Large carrot
Celery stalks
Onion
Fresh garlic

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Beef broth - You can use retail beef bone broth, beef stock, or homemade bone broth if you want
Milk
Red wine vinegar
Tomato paste
Vegetable oil
Unflavored Beef Gelatin Powder
Xanthan Gum
Bay Leaf
Dried Parsley
Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper
Fresh parsley for garnish

... I just really don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

Variations

I love this recipe the way it is, but there are a couple main variations I’ll do, based on what I have and dietary needs at the time.

Using Beef Kidney

Beef kidney - or ox kidney - can cook longer than lamb kidneys can - they’re not as delicate.

You can cook them in the same way as I do with the lamb, or you can brown and add them shortly after the vegetables are added to the pot.

One thing to note: If you are making this as a cow kidney recipe, do NOT skimp on the rinsing or soaking them!

Gluten Free but NOT Keto

For a non-ketom gluten free steak and kidney stew, reserve 1 cup of the broth.

Once the vegetables have cooked, whisk the herbs and ½ cup of corn starch (skip the xanthan gum) into the cold broth, until no clumps remain.

Add this slurry to the stew, simmer until thickened.

Not Enough Beef Broth?

Sometimes I get partway into cooking and realize that I don’t have enough beef broth on hand. We tend to keep a lot of chicken broth, but don’t use much beef!

So, if I’m running low, for ever cup of stock I’m short by, I’ll use 1 cup of chicken stock + 1 beef bouillon cube, or 1 cup of water and 2 bouillon cubes.

The beef stock cube also adds salt and other additives, so be sure to read the label of the bouillon, and only use as much as you need!

How to Make Steak and Kidney Stew

The full recipe follows, in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here is the pictorial walk through:

Prepare the Kidneys

If your lamb kidneys still have the membrane on them - kind of a skin coating - slice through it and peel it off.

Note: This is generally not applicable for store bought kidneys, but something you’ll have to deal with if you’re butchering them yourself.

Rinse kidneys off with cold water.

Using a sharp knife, trim any visible fat / connective tissue from the outside of each kidney. Slice each kidney in half; and trim away all of the white bits from the inside.

Discard white bits, cut the kidney meat into small pieces.

Drain, set in a bowl, cover with milk. Cover with plastic wrap, set it in the fridge while you start the stew:

Prepare and Cook the Beef

Trim roast of excess fat, cut into 1" cubes. Allow to come up to room temperature.

Pat beef cubes dry with a paper towel, season well with salt and pepper.

Add a good dash of oil - about 1 tablespoon - into a large, heavy bottomed pot or large pan. Heat over high heat.

Working in small batches - and allowing space between each piece - brown the beef in the heated oil.

As beef is well browned on each side, remove from the pan and continue with remaining beef pieces, using extra oil if necessary.

Using a slotted spoon, remove all remaining beef from the pan, place steak in a large bowl. Set aside.

Make the Stew

Add a splash of the beef broth to the pan, scraping and stirring the beef drippings from the bottom of the pan - this is called deglazing.

Once the beef is all scraped off the bottom of the pan and incorporated, add red wine vinegar and tomato paste, stir well to combine. Add remaining beef broth, bay leaves, and the beef.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer meat mixture over low heat for 1 ½ hours, or until meat is very tender.

Bring it to a boil again. Once the mixture re-boils, turn heat back down to low and simmer for another 30 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender.

Add a little vegetable oil to a nonstick frying pan, and brown the kidneys over medium high heat - this should only take a couple of minutes.

When browned all over, remove from heat, set aside.

Be sure to stir well - you want the xanthan gum well distributed over the other ingredients, to prevent clumping.

Allow stew to simmer for a 5 minutes, to thicken the stew and cook the kidneys through.

Remove the bay leaves. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To freeze, transfer chilled leftover stew into freezer bags, and push out all excess air. It’ll keep in a freeze for 5-6 months or so.

More Keto Soups & Stews

Looking for some more keto recipes for low carb soup and stew? I've got you...

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Beef Stew
Chicken and Cabbage Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Clam Chowder
Creamy Taco Soup
Doro Wat
Easy Ramen
Fennel Chicken Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Loaded Pierogi Soup

But wait, there's more! Keep an eye on my Keto Soups and Stews section for new recipes!

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