Y’all. I am SO ready for sweater weather and cozy slow cooker stews! To kick the season off, I made this super simple Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew (also known as Poor Man’s Stew) this week. It’s nothing fancy, it’s just simple, good, comforting food! I love the simplicity of this dish and the flexibility. This ground beef stew is the perfect thing to have simmering away on the weekend as you do your chores or relax and enjoy watching the changing of the seasons. :)
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What’s in Hamburger Stew?
Hamburger stew is very similar to traditional beef stew, but it’s made with ground beef instead of stew meat. Using ground beef is a little bit less expensive than using stew meat, and I like how you get a little bit of beef in every bite!
In addition to the beef we have a medley of fresh vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes, peas), beef broth, herbs and spices, plus a little Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce to zhuzh it up a bit. It’s incredibly simple, but creates that beautifully subtle slow stewed flavor.
Why Brown The Hamburger First?
For this Hamburger Stew recipe, I browned the ground beef in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. I did this for two reasons. The first reason was to render off some of the fat. I used 15% fat ground beef and there was quite a bit that needed to be drained away (I actually tested this recipe once without draining the fat and it just ended up far too oily). The second reason is that you get a nice browning (maillard reaction) on the beef in the dry environment of a skillet that you do not get in the wet environment of a slow cooker. So you’ll get just a little bit more flavor with this extra step!
Can I Use Different Vegetables?
Yes! Stews are very flexible. If you don’t like one of the vegetables listed, go ahead and skip it. Just keep in mind that the potatoes do help thicken the stew, so if you skip the potatoes you’ll have more of a soup texture. Other great vegetables to use in beef stew include:
- mushrooms
- pearl onions
- parsnips
- turnips
- rutabagas
- sweet potatoes
- winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin)
What Are Stewed Tomatoes?
This recipe calls for stewed tomatoes, which are a variety of canned tomatoes that are popular in the U.S. (example: Hunts stewed tomatoes). These tomatoes are cooked with seasonings and a little bit of sugar to give them the slightest sweetness. Stewed tomatoes add a little extra special unique flavor to the broth of this stew. While you can use diced tomatoes if stewed tomatoes are not available, this substitution will slightly change the flavor of the stew.
How Long Is Hamburger Stew Good?
After cooking this recipe for hamburger stew, I suggest dividing it into single portions (so that it cools faster) and refrigerating it right away. It will stay good in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or it can be transferred to the freezer for longer storage (about 3 months). This stew is a great item to have stashed in your freezer for busy nights! It can be reheated quickly in the microwave, or slowly over medium-low heat in a pot on the stove.
Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes ($1.20)
- 1/2 lb. carrots (about 4 carrots) ($0.45)
- 1 yellow onion (0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- ½ tsp dried rosemary ($0.05)
- ½ tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 lb. ground beef ($5.69)
- 1 15oz. can stewed tomatoes ($1.00)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.26)
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.06)
- 1 cup frozen peas ($0.60)
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Peel and slice the carrots. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and pepper to a slow cooker (5 quarts or larger).
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet, then drain off the excess fat. Add the browned and drained beef to the slow cooker along with the can of stewed tomatoes (with juices). Finally, add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce to the slow cooker.
- Give the contents of the slow cooker a brief stir to make sure everything is evenly combined (the broth may not fully cover the other ingredients). Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours, or low for eight hours.
- After cooking on high for four hours or low for eight hours, remove the lid and stir the stew. Use the back of a spoon to slightly mash some of the potatoes, which will help thicken the stew.
- Add the frozen peas (no need to thaw) and stir to combine into the stew. Taste the stew and add extra salt if needed (I did not add any, this will depend on the salt content of your beef broth). Serve hot with bread for dipping!
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Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Nutrition
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How to Make Hamburger Stew – Step by Step Photos
Peel and dice 2 lbs. of potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Peel and slice ½ lb. carrots (about 4 carrots). Dice one onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic to a slow cooker (5-quart or larger) along with ½ tsp dried rosemary, ½ tsp dried tyme, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper.
Brown one pound of ground beef and drain off the excess fat. Add the browned ground beef to the slow cooker along with one 15oz. can of stewed tomatoes (with the juices).
Add 2 cups beef broth, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce to the slow cooker.
Give the contents of the slow cooker a brief stir to combine. The broth will not fully cover the meat and vegetables, but that’s okay. The vegetables will release more moisture and increase the broth as they cook. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
After cooking on high for four hours or low for eight hours, it will look like this. Give it a good stir and smash some of the potatoes against the side of the slow cooker. The smashed potatoes will help thicken the broth into a nice hearty stew.
Stir one cup of frozen peas into the slow cooker (they’ll thaw and heat within a minute or so).
Give the hamburger stew a final taste and adjust the salt to your liking. I didn’t need to add any because the broth I use (Better than Bouillon) has a decent amount, but if your broth has less sodium you may find that a pinch of salt at the end helps the flavors pop!
Serve the hamburger stew immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat (but I don’t know how you’ll resist having a bowl after smelling that cooking all day!).
Turned out pretty good. substituted celery for peas, and added can of cannelloni beans for extra protein. Family loved it.
I liked the recipe, but I will skip tomatoes in future.
I have a question for Beth and the team. Is it possible to add likes and dislikes for comments? I find some useful advice there, but it’s a matter of luck because the comments are in chronological order. If they could be sorted by usefulness, it would be more convenient.
That’s not a feature we’d be able to implement right now, but definitely something we could look at for the future!
Made as written, and set my slow cooker to Low for 8 hours, until about at the halfway mark, when I got suddenly inspired and decided to stir in some leftover sliced baby Bella mushrooms I had in my fridge and a tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Let it cook for another 4 hours on Low. Will serve it with saltine crackers and some grated Parmesan on top. Can’t wait!!
Sorta did my own take on this recipe!
It should be noted that if you don’t have beef stock, just add 2 cups of water and throw in a beef cube. Worst case scenario, Beef ramen packets- it’ll still be fine!
But I wanted a more hearty tomato flavor, for that I added just under 1/4th cup of marinara. 1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning, 2 Tbsp of cumin, 1 Tbsp of oregano, 1 Tsp of Balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley. It tasted SO fresh and hearty! Would highly Recommend others try these alterations with the base recipe! Especially in either Fall or summer time when you want something Warm that tastes more refreshing!
This was delicious and comforting. I was able to easily made it vegan by using Impossible Ground Beef, Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base, and vegan Worcestershire sauce. I did have to adjust the seasoning a little at the end — I’m guessing it just lost a little something something in converting it to vegan — but the Trader Joe’s Umami seasoning is great for this purpose.
Do you think you could add barley? Would it need more liquid then?
I think that would be fine! You will likely need more liquid, I would just keep it close by and add more as you need it.
Wonderful taste.
I made this for my family and it was a huge hit. I doubled the recipe and used italian seasoning instead. It was delicious. I will be making this again!
I can’t use tomato eneything because my kids are all allergic to tomato do you have a recommendation on what to substitute for the tomato that will still work
I would just omit them and add another cup or so of beef broth. Mushrooms would be a great addition to bulk it back up if the kiddos like those!
This was delicious! It was a little heavy on the tomato for me personally so I added a pinch of sugar to cut some of the acid. I did also add more seasoning and Italian seasoning too. Separated it in two, one half to freeze and one half I added elbow macaroni with a little extra broth. So good!
How do frozen peas cook in under a minute?
Frozen peas are already cooked! They just need to defrost which happens almost immediately after coming in contact with warmth since they’re so small.
The recipe has overwhelming tomato flavor.