Okay, so I’ve been craving some serious comfort food lately, and nothing screams “comfort” like beef tips. But not just any beef tips, I wanted something rich, savory, and a little bit fancy. That’s where Beef Tips Marsala comes in. I finally got around to making it, and let me tell you, it was totally worth it!
Getting Started
First things first, I gathered my ingredients. This isn’t a super complicated dish, but having everything prepped makes the whole process smoother. I grabbed:
- About 1.5 pounds of beef stew meat – I just got the pre-cut stuff to save some time.
- Some all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper for dredging.
- Olive oil – gotta have that for browning the meat.
- A couple of shallots, because they’re fancier than onions, right?
- A bunch of cremini mushrooms, sliced. I love how earthy they taste.
- Garlic, because, duh.
- Marsala wine – the star of the show! I used about a cup.
- Beef broth – I went with low-sodium so I could control the saltiness.
- A little bit of butter, because butter makes everything better.
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish.
The Cooking Process
First up, I put the flour, a good pinch of salt, and some pepper into a shallow dish and mixed the cut beef. I dredged the beef tips in the flour mixture, making sure they were nicely coated. The coating gives a good browning effect.
Then, I heated some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it was hot, I added the beef tips and browned them on all sides. I didn’t overcrowd the pan, so I did this in two batches. This step is key for building flavor!
Once the beef was browned, I took it out of the skillet and set it aside. Then, I added the chopped shallots to the skillet and cooked them until they were softened. Then, I tossed in the sliced mushrooms and cooked them until they were nicely browned and had released their moisture.
Next, it was time for the garlic. I minced a couple of cloves and added them to the skillet, cooking them for just about a minute until they were fragrant. Don’t want to burn the garlic!
Now for the good stuff! I poured in the Marsala wine and let it simmer for a few minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Those bits are flavor bombs! Then, I added the beef broth and brought it to a simmer.
I returned the beef tips to the skillet, making sure they were nestled in the sauce. I reduced the heat to low, covered the skillet, and let it all simmer for about an hour and a half, until the beef was super tender. If after an hour and a half it is not tender enough, let it simmer for another half an hour.
Right at the end, I stirred in a pat of butter for extra richness and a glossy * lastly, I sprinkled in the fresh parsley.
The Result!
Oh. My. Goodness. The beef tips were incredibly tender, and the sauce was just amazing – rich, savory, with a hint of sweetness from the Marsala. I served it over some mashed potatoes, and it was the perfect comfort food meal. I even had some with buttered noodles. Seriously, so good! This is definitely going into my regular recipe rotation.
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