Pumpkin Stew with Meat
Rich, aromatic, filling, and impressive! Pumpkin stew with meat and potatoes is so bright and colorful that you can serve it for a celebration. And it’s very easy - try it!
Updated : 23 February, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
500 grams
Beef
400 grams
Pumpkin
400 milliliters
Water
300 grams
Potato
1
Carrot
1
Tomato
2
Garlic
3 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
2 tablespoon
Tomato paste
1 tablespoon
Dry spices
to taste
Ground black pepper
to taste
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make pumpkin stew? Prepare the necessary ingredients. Use boneless beef (lean meat); veal also works. Use any pumpkin variety, but choose one that isn’t too soft - otherwise the cubes will break down quickly and you’ll end up with pumpkin purée with meat pieces instead of a stew. You can add the onion whole and discard it later, or dice it finely.
Step 2
Rinse the beef, pat dry, and cut into medium pieces.
Step 3
Wash the tomato and slice it into half-moons. Choose tomatoes that are juicy but firm. Soft tomatoes won’t hold their shape and will turn into a shapeless mass during slicing and cooking, spoiling the look of the dish.
Step 4
Peel the pumpkin and cut it into small cubes.
Step 5
Peel the carrot and slice into half-moons. If the carrot is thick, you can cut the slices into quarters.
Step 6
Peel the potatoes and cut into medium pieces. Choose potatoes that hold their shape and don’t fall apart during long simmering. Potatoes with yellowish flesh usually contain less starch and stay firmer than white-fleshed ones.
Step 7
Peel the garlic and finely chop it, or press it through a garlic press.
Step 8
Mix tomato paste into water. Add shashlik seasoning, salt, and pepper, and stir until smooth. You can replace the water and tomato paste with ready-made tomato juice, but don’t salt it right away - taste it first and then add salt if needed. Choose spices to your taste: I used curry, ground paprika, dried paprika flakes, dried rosemary and thyme, salt, and pepper.
Step 9
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the beef and sear over high heat until golden brown. If you’re using diced onion, add it to the meat and fry together, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Step 10
Add the prepared vegetables to the meat and sauté everything together, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
Step 11
Add the whole onion if you didn’t add it earlier in chopped form. Pour in the tomato paste mixture with spices. Add the chopped garlic.
Step 12
Stir well, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes over low heat with a gentle simmer. Serve the stew in bowls and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Enjoy!
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