Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew

$9.88 recipe / $1.65 serving
by Beth Moncel
4.48 from 42 votes
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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. :)

Overhead view of a bowl of slow cooker hamburger stew with bread on the side

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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 in a ladle over the slow cooker

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Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew

4.48 from 42 votes
This super easy Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew is simple, comforting food at its best. And the leftovers are even better the next day!
Author: Beth Moncel
Overhead view of a bowl full of slow cooker hamburger stew with bread and a spoon on the side
Servings 6 1.5 cups each
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 4 hours 15 minutes
Total 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 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)
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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

Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 348.27kcalCarbohydrates: 41.42gProtein: 20.15gFat: 11.83gSodium: 751.72mgFiber: 5.07g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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Front view of Hamburger Stew in the slow cooker

How to Make Hamburger Stew – Step by Step Photos

Vegetables herbs and spices in the slow cooker

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.

Browned ground beef and stewed tomatoes added to slow cooker

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).

Beef broth Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce added to slow cooker

Add 2 cups beef broth, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce to the slow cooker.

Slow cooker ready to be turned on

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.

Cooked hamburger stew in the slow cooker

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.

Frozen peas being added to the slow cooker

Stir one cup of frozen peas into the slow cooker (they’ll thaw and heat within a minute or so). 

Finished slow cooker hamburger stew in the slow cooker

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!

Slow Cooker Hamburger stew in a bowl with a spoon lifting a bite

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!).

Try These Other Stew Recipes:

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  1. Turned out pretty good. substituted celery for peas, and added can of cannelloni beans for extra protein. Family loved it.

  2. 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.

    1. That’s not a feature we’d be able to implement right now, but definitely something we could look at for the future!

  3. 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!!

  4. 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!

  5. 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 โ€” I’m guessing it just lost a little something something in converting it to vegan โ€” but the Trader Joe’s Umami seasoning is great for this purpose.

    1. 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.

  6. 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!

  7. 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

    1. 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!

  8. 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!

      1. 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.

  9. I’m just starting with a slow cooker and figured I cant mess up too much with all the good directions. Will re post on how it turns out. Thanks

  10. What size crockpot did you use? I think my crockpot is a 4 quart and I had to dump everything into my instant pot because everything was getting too crowded. Luckily I had a slow cooker function on my instant pot so it turned out great.

    1. Hmm, that’s strange. Ours is a five quart but it was only about โ…” full, so four should still be plenty of room. I’ll adjust the recommendation just in case.

  11. I think the amount of potatoes is a bit high. They didn’t get cooked in 10 hours in my crock pot. I also doubled the spices as it was a bit bland the first time I made it.

    1. That makes me a bit concerned that your slow cooker isn’t functioning properly. After 10 hours in a slow cooker the potatoes should be beyond the point of falling apart.

  12. Love this recipe! Has anyone tried assembling the night before including the ground beef step? I love prepping my crock pots after kids go to bed so I can just pull them from the fridge and plug in the next day. The stove top cooking part makes it hard with this one.

  13. This didnโ€™t turn out for me in the instant pot. Rookie mistake, I trusted the commenter that said she did it at 9 minutes on high in the IPโ€ฆthen did 3 moreโ€ฆthen did 30 more and the potatoes were STILL not tender enough to my liking. Real bummer. I wonโ€™t rate the recipe poorly though as itโ€™s not the recipeโ€™s fault!

  14. I cook this in my instant pot! Saute beef and onions, add herbs, garlic and salt, add Worcestershire and tomato paste, then broth (I use vegetable better than bullion) and the veggies. I think I cook it for like 9 mins on high, I don’t remember. It makes a TON of food. I like to use gold potatoes and kind of smuch them up at the end so it gets a real thick consistency. I use a full pound of ground beef and add extra potatoes and carrots though.

    1. I’m sure it could, but we haven’t tested it so we don’t have any guidance. The best I can do is ask you to follow your favorite instant pot stew recipe. XOXO Monti

  15. I really like the looks of this stew and the flexibility of its ingredients. Because of the current price of ground meat and that I am only cooking for two, I will have to cut the ground beef down to one-quarter of a pound. However, I can cut the recipe in half, but flesh it out with other ingredients. We are senior citizens on a fixed income, ย and have found that we eat far less than we did in our younger years.

    I like the price information that you put next to each ingredient. It helps me a great deal with my grocery list. Even though I am cutting back on my groceries, I feel that I am maximizing our resources and that we eating very healthy. Thank you for your posts.

  16. I cooked this all day (1/2 on low, then up to high), and the potatoes still didn’t cook through. I cut them small enough. I also didn’t enjoy the stewed tomatoes.

  17. My family loved this! ย It was easy to make (hello slow cooker!), used a lot of our leftover grocery items, and had great flavor as is. ย Thanks for sharing this! ย This is a keeper for us :)

  18. perfect soup after shoveling 10inches of snow. Thanks for making recipe that use pantry and freeze items!

  19. Was a bit bland for my tastes, think I would prefer it without rosemary and maybe with tomato paste as others suggested.

  20. I used low sodium beef broth, so the taste at 4 hours on high was pretty underwhelming. I added some salt and a cup of ketchup to give it a little bit flavor. It’s better now albeit sweet. The carrots are still crunchy, going to give it a couple more hours then add the frozen peas.

  21. This recipe is delicious! Great flavor, easy (although there is lots of chopping), made the kitchen smell yummy all day. I added lightly sauteed mushrooms at the same time that I threw in the peas. Served with shredded parmesan. I went back for seconds! Will absolutely add this to the regular winter rotation. Thank you!

  22. I really enojyed this recipe because it’s quick, easy and inexpensive. I’ve made it twice so far. The second time I added a couple heaping tablespoons of tomato paste, which really helps with the flavor. I added a bit more salt and less rosemary. I cooked this in the instant pot – sauteed the ground beef and onions for a few minutes and then cooked on high pressure for 8 minutes following by a quick release. It came out perfectly!

  23. I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was great! It has such a familiar flavor profile – reminds me of my mom’s Hamburger Pie, which has been a favorite since I was a kid – but I actually think I like this stew *even more* because it’s failproof. Too many things can go wrong with the pie version. Your Hamburger Stew is all the reward of one of my favorite meals for a fraction of the work., once you throw it in the crockpot you’re basically done. This will definitely be a repeat for the coming winter season.

    My only modification was to add 2 stalks of chopped celery because I was a little short on potatoes.

    Thank you for your consistently high quality content and delicious meal ideas. There are thousands of recipe sites out there, but yours is one of the few I use constantly. When I see a recipe from your site I know I can depend on great tasting, often simple recipes that aren’t too fussy in ingredients or direction, and always on budget. It’s perfection, truly. I’ve been following on Facebook and Instagram for years, but never left a comment here on the blog which is long overdue.

    Thank you for what you do!

  24. How long Shd I cook it if Iโ€™m using then instantpot instead of the slow cooker?

    1. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this in an instant pot, so I can’t offer a recommendation.

    2. I’ve made this a few times in my Instant Pot. Russet potatoes in big chunks come out perfect with 8min on high. Then I usually let it naturally vent for about 10min on the warm setting. If you use a softer potato like red or Yukon Gold they’ll be a bit mushy at 8min (I learned from experience) so I’d maybe try 7min.

      Also once I vented it, I added some fresh brocolli on the top and put the lid back on just on the keep warm setting so they steamed and were perfectly green and crunchy in a couple of minutes. This has actually become one of my favourite Instant Pot meals and it want even written that way :)

  25. This sound delicious! My family and I do not eat meat anymore but I’ll bet I could make this with Impossible Burger. I plan to try that this week!

  26. This was just okay. Extra salt and pepper helped, as did a generous grating of parmesan cheese to add a bit more flavor. It was easy and it did smell great while it cooked, but the end result was underwhelming. I think I’ve been spoiled by so many other recipes on here that pack a ton of flavor. This was not one of them.ย 

    1. I found that as well. I added more Worcestershire more pepper and a couple of tbsp of vinegar from my jar of pickled peppers, but I think balsamic would be nice too. I might do that with the batch I have in my slow cooker right now. And possibly a tbsp of sugar. And I love the Parmesan idea!! Might be a good place to use a parm rind if you have one in your fridge. (pop it in and then remove after cooking)

  27. Trying your stew for tomorrow’s Chiefs game
    Can I add broccoli and mushrooms also?

    1. Mushrooms would do great! I feel like broccoli might get overcooked. Maybe add it more toward the end.

  28. This is another one of those recipes I’d like to make in my instant pot. Will that work? Thank you!

    1. This would probably work well in an Instant Pot. Most soups tend to do well in the IP. :)

  29. Thanks for this..
    Hamburger was on sale and the crock pot was perfect for warmer weather..
    Love this recipe. So convenient. Great instructions,. Cheap to make.
    Has a great taste with beef in every bile..
    Only change I made was adding chopped celery with the other chopped vegs..
    Followed your recipe for the rest.
    Very good. Will do it again.

  30. We made this as is and it was delicious, Soy Sauce and all! The with the leftovers we added 1 cup of brown gravy to thicken it up and it was even better. It tasted like a classic Beef Stew. Next time we’ll incorporate the gravy into the recipe close to when we first serve it. Enjoy!

  31. Made this today following the recipes exactly. Absolutely delicious! Everyone under my roof (age range 6-73) approved. Will definitely make again!

  32. This tasted just like normal beef stew which was nice. I used a meat substitute, and it worked perfectly. My only issue was that after 8 hours on low, the veggies were still hard. I ended it with 30 minutes pressure cooking on low, and that finished right off. Come to think of it, if you have a pressure cooker you can just do that in the first place- I don’t think there are any flavors that you really need to develop by cooking it for hours.

    1. Yes! I donโ€™t eat beef so I made this tonight with ground turkey and chicken broth. I also modified the spices a little because Iโ€™m not a huge fan of thyme (and rosemary itself just seemed strange). In addition to the worstershire and soy sauce in the recipe I added a traditional hamburger seasoning with salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne, garlic and onion powders, and a teaspoon of brown sugar. My family loved it!

    2. Yes I don’t eat beef but I use beef broth. Gave it up for lent one time and now it makes me sick if I eat it. Tastes just fine with Ground Turkey. Have not tried vegetable or chicken broth

  33. I know the comments here are mixed but I really liked it. ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ I used regular diced tomatoes and added celery because I needed to use it up. Just make sure you add enough salt if itโ€™s tasting โ€œblandโ€.ย 

  34. I’ve made many recipes from this site that are excellent- chicken taco bowls, chicken tikka masala, taco soup, and sesame chicken, to name a few. But this one just didn’t cut it. Somehow it was bland while also being overpowered by the rosemary and thyme. The broth was decent with the bread I made to go with, but I won’t be making this again.

  35. I have Made this recipe for many years the only difference that I use instead of total ground beef I use half ground beef 1/2 deer meat and I use dear broth but I make it in a 22 qt roaster oven because I can it. Thank you.

  36. I was in a rush, sautรฉed ground turkey (what I had on hand) ย in the instant pot and added the rest. ย 12 minutes, natural release, thickened it ย with a bit of veloutine. ย No other changes. ย This was a dream!!!
    How do you manage to create ย a winner EVERY. TIME?!?!? #dinnermagic

  37. This is SO good!! I added fresh mushrooms and some frozen corn kernels, everything else the same. ( mushrooms in beginning and corn with the peas at the end) ย Served with rosemary sourdough bread. I LOVED the stewed tomatoes, I wasnโ€™t quite sure about them, but I knew I could trust you since I have made many of your recipes๐Ÿ˜‹ ย I will be making this one often! Thank You Beth for ANOTHER great recipe! I also appreciate all the info you give on why you pick certain ingredients and how you give us many choices on substitutes and โ€œadd insโ€ as well as about freezing/storing and so many helpful and useful bits of information! ย Thanks Again ๐Ÿ˜Š

  38. There are very few BudgetBytes recipes I don’t like, but this is one of them. There was just something really strange with the flavor that I could barely make myself eat. Maybe the combo of soy sauce and worcestershire? I know both are good with beef, but maybe not together? Or maybe it was the stewed tomatoes? I dunno.

  39. Can I just say something? The comments on this website are always sweet and helpful – and that’s not something you can take for granted. I’m so grateful for this website and for yummy stew.

  40. I wasn’t excited about the peas so I put in mushrooms instead. I used a 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes instead of the stewed tomatoes per the suggestion of many in the comments. The stew turned out great just needed a little salt and side of butter bread.

    1. Did you just add them at the end or let them slow cook? I have some leftover mushrooms I might toss in but afraid they’d be mush.

  41. This was really good! I also added some celery because I love it, and a small handful (maybe 1/2 cup) of barley at the beginning of cooking, which bulked it up a bit. It was a perfect autumn recipe with some bread. Great way to get in a lot of veggies.

  42. I made this vegan by replacing the beef with Beyond meat and subbing the beef broth for mushroom broth. I also used a vegan worcestershire sauce and it turned out fantastic. It was so quick to put together, we will definitely be making this again. I love how simple your recipes are to recreate and that they can easily be made vegan with just a few tweaks. Such a comforting and hearty dish.

  43. I loved this stew! It was so hearty and had a lot of flavor. I didn’t add any salt to the slow cooker, but I did finish my bowl with a pinch of spicy seasoned salt. The servings were generous and I got to share with a few people :)

  44. I donโ€™t own a slow cooker. What would be different if I were to cook on the stove instead?

    1. I would just brown the beef in the bottom of the pot, add the rest of the ingredients, then simmer until the potatoes are very tender, and mash as directed in the slow cooker version. :) It should be very quick and easy.

  45. I made this for dinner tonight and it was really good! Instead of peas I used baby limas that I added in the last hour or so and I also ended up adding some salt. I think next time I will use diced tomatoes (fire roasted maybe) instead of the stewed tomatoes because it was a little sweet for me. I also cooked the onion with ground beef before adding to the slow cooker.

  46. I made this for dinner, a few nights ago, and it turned out wonderfully. I used half the recommended volume of russet potatoes, and then added an equal volume of large-diced sweet potatoes that I had on hand and needed to use. I also added a couple (drained) small cans of sliced button mushrooms, and I went with frozen mixed veggies (carrots, corn, peas and green beans), which I added midway through the cooking process (so they wouldn’t be overcooked). I like my stews a bit on the thicker side, so I dissolved a large teaspoon of cornstarch in a quarter-cup of cold water and stirred it in about 30 minutes before the end of of the cooking time. Delicious and Highly Recommended! Thanx, Beth!

  47. I made this last night for dinner. It was very good! The recipe will be going into our rotation. The only thing I did different was to use diced tomatoes instead of stewed because I don’t care for stewed tomatoes in soup (I don’t know why). Thanks for a great recipe!

  48. This was so perfect for today! I made it on the stove and it cooked up really nicely. It is a fairly quick meal, we will definitely be making it again!

  49. Do you think I could sub sweet potatoes? I forgot to buy regular at the store.

    1. It will definitely change the flavor some, it’s hard to say how well it will go without actually trying it.

      1. I ended up doing the following: 1 sub stewed tomatoes for diced (its what I could buy). Used 1 sweet potato and the rest regular potatoes.

        Forgot to put it into the slow cooker in time…so I threw it in the instant pot for 15min with natural release and decreased the broth to 1 cup. (I wanted to make sure it would be thick enough…I probably would do 1.5 cups next time).

  50. One of my kids doesn’t like ground beef, so I subbed spicy Italian sausage. I put the stewed tomatoes in the blender for a few seconds, because my husband doesn’t like the texture of tomatoes.

    AND, I didn’t plan ahead, so I made it in the Instant Pot — browned the sausage, onions and garlic, then added everything else and cooked on high pressure for 10 minutes, quick pressure release.

    It was delicious! The whole family approved. :-)

    1. Probably, but I wouldn’t be able to suggest a cooking time and temperature without testing it. You might try Googling “slow cooker to Dutch oven conversion” to see if there is a general recommendation that you can use as a starting point.

  51. My husband is allergic to rosemary & thyme, but I’d love to try this recipe! Is there any alternate herbs you could suggest? Thank you.

    1. Maybe do an oregano/basil mix? It will taste a little more on the Italian side, but I bet it will still be good.

  52. Looks fabulous! I’m ready to make the transition to soup and stews after a summer of barbecuing. Can’t wait to try it!

  53. “Hamburger stew” has been a staple since I was a child in the early 50s. It only takes half an hour on the stove top if you cut potatoes and carrots small enough to cook in 15-20 minutes, but should develop more flavor in a slow cooker. My mom made it for a quick meal when she had forgotten to thaw any meat for supper–we lived on a farm with a year’s worth of beef in the freezer–and stood me on a stool at the stove to turn the brick of hamburger as soon as one side browned and adding the diced onion as soon as there was enough fat in the pan. As she had the butcher grind burger meat at about 92-95% lean, there wasn’t enough fat to drain. Had there been such a thing as a crock pot at the time, she would have dumped that brick in whole and worried about breaking it up later. She always included celery, but wasn’t a garlic fan. The stewed tomatoes were her own home canned ones, and along with potatoes and carrots, this was a catch all for leftover veggies, raw or cooked, that were in the fridge at the time.

    My husband always enjoys this, and likes baby limas instead of peas, but green beans, corn, or canned garbanzos often end up in the pot. Surprisingly, I haven’t used herbs other than bay leaf (always) in my various versions, but plan to give them a try–along with the Worcestershire and soy. For tomatoes, I kick this up with a can of Ro-Tel, and if a weary tomato is on the counter, it goes in, too. Like you, I prefer russet potatoes because they break down in cooking and thicken the stew. Great leftovers as flavor is even better next day–a good reason to slow cook from the beginning.

    1. I love this, thank you so much for sharing, Janet! You always have great stories and valuable info to share. :)

  54. I would like to throw this in the slow cooker before going to work. Do you think the meat could be cooked the night before (and veggies also chopped and ready to go in the fridge) in order to save time spent prepping in the morning?

      1. Great! I prepped everything last night and threw it together this morning. I’ll have dinner waiting when I get home!

  55. I made this yesterday. I used my instant pot for 15 minutes high pressure. I browned the meat (ground turkey) on the stove quickly, before putting everything in the pot. I added a half pound of sliced mushrooms as they were past their prime in the fridge. The Better than Buillion Beef flavor made the turkey taste like beef. It was a hit.
    I served it with your freezer garlic bread recipe.

  56. Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! I added more Worcestershire because I always add more anytime I use it lol!

    1. Could the ingredients all sit together ready to go ahead of time (like a day or so) to bring up to a cottage where cooking space is limited? Or would you suggest fully cooking it and then reheating it?

  57. This stew is screaming for one of my freshly roasted hot hatch chilies! Canโ€™t wait!!

    1. I haven’t tried it, but someone else just commented that they did 15 minutes on high pressure and it turned out well.

  58. To prep for this meal can I freeze the vegetables, potatoes and herbs together in a bag? Can I then thaw the contents overnight in fridge and then combine with the meat the next day?

    1. I haven’t tried that method, but I would think that as long as they are fully thawed before they go into the slow cooker it should be fine. Also, some people find that they don’t like the texture of potatoes after being frozen and reheated, but I’ve never noticed any issues with texture myself.

    1. Well, it will change the flavor quite a bit, and whether or not the flavor is “good” would probably just be a matter of personal taste. :)

  59. Could you make this in an instant pot instead? How long would you recommend for the cook time?

    1. That would probably work, but I would need to test it out before offering recommended times. You might be able to Google “slow cooker to Instant Pot conversions” to see if there is a standard time or setting for converting recipes.

    2. I was curious about this too. Can’t wait to try the recipe in general. I still have my regular crockpot. Let me know if it turns out.

    3. I followed the recipe, and then I selected the Meat/Stew option. It turned out pretty well. If I did it again, I would maybe use ย a little less liquid, and add a little more Worcester sauce.