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. :)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
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!).
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.
I was in a rush, sautéed ground turkey (what I had on hand) in the instant pot and added the rest. 12 minutes, natural release, thickened it with a bit of veloutine. No other changes. This was a dream!!!
How do you manage to create a winner EVERY. TIME?!?!? #dinnermagic
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) Served with rosemary sourdough bread. I LOVED the stewed tomatoes, I wasn’t quite sure about them, but I knew I could trust you since I have made many of your recipes😋 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 “add ins” as well as about freezing/storing and so many helpful and useful bits of information! Thanks Again 😊
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.
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.
Thank you! :)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
I don’t own a slow cooker. What would be different if I were to cook on the stove instead?
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
Do you think I could sub sweet potatoes? I forgot to buy regular at the store.
It will definitely change the flavor some, it’s hard to say how well it will go without actually trying it.
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).
P.S we all thought it was great.