Hamburger Stew
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Hamburger stew is a budget friendly meal and it’s absolutely delicious, plus it’s very simple to make. You’ll love how flavorful and budget-friendly this hearty soup recipe is!
Why This Recipe Will Be a Favorite
This budget friendly hamburger stew is one of my favorite easy winter meals to beat the cold weather. Because using ground beef in recipes is fraction of what you’d spend on other cuts of beef, this meal is super affordable. In fact, it’s common name is “poor man’s stew”!
Poor Man’s Stew is just a folksy name for a stew made with ground beef or hamburger meat instead of more expensive cuts of beef, like chuck roast or round.
I just call it the hearty and healthy stew to make when you’re on a budget. A meal for the whole family shouldn’t have to break the bank! I try to create healthy recipes with budget in mind, like simple Ground Beef and Broccoli to help make clean eating more manageable for real families.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I love this soup. It’s easy and the ingredients are what I usually have in the pantry/fridge. It’s cheap and filling and it freezes well.
–Robyn
I like to make this hamburger stew in my slow cooker, but it’s just as easy to make in a Dutch oven on the stove top, or in an Instant Pot!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this stew recipe! I’ve made it countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- I recommend using 80-85% ground beef for stews. It’s not so lean that it’ll dry out, and not so fatty that it makes the soup greasy. Lean ground beef is the best option, and always drain off the excess fat before mixing up the rest of the ingredients.
- Chop the potatoes and veggies into similar sizes so that they all finish cooking at the same time. If you have some large chunks and some small, then they’ll all cook at different rates.
- If you add any extra veggies to your stew, be sure to increase the amount of broth so that there is still plenty of liquid.
Ingredients
These simple ingredients are all you need to make the most amazing quick stew. It’s loaded with the most rich flavors and is so easy to make:
- ground beef
- onion
- carrots
- minced garlic
- diced potatoes
- Italian seasoned
- diced canned tomatoes
- water
- chicken broth
Substitutions and Variations
Sometimes I add a bag of frozen peas to add a little sweetness to the rich dish. Feel free to add other mixed vegetables as well!
Try to buy Yukon or Red Potatoes, since they hold up well in soups and stews. Idaho or Russet Potatoes would also work, but they’re better for baking and wouldn’t be my first choice for a stew.
Buying pre-seasoned diced tomatoes allows you to skip buying your own, separate seasonings, making the ingredients recipe cost even less.
You can use vegetable broth, beef broth or chicken broth. Add extra protein by using some bone broth! To make the soup go farther, you can add a few cups of water too.
How to Make Hamburger Stew
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
- Brown the hamburger meat in a skillet over medium-high heat, then transfer it to the crock pot. For an Instant Pot, turn it to sauté mode and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart and turning with a spatula as it cooks. If you’re using a Dutch Oven, turn the heat on the burner to medium and cook the beef, using a spatula to break it apart as it cooks.
- Prep the veggies. Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes and mince the garlic. Combine everything in your dutch oven, Instant Pot, or slow cooker.
- Cook until potatoes and veggies are tender, and the flavors are just right. Season the crock pot hamburger stew to taste with salt and pepper.
And that’s it! Honestly, does a healthy, hearty, balanced weeknight dinner get any easier than this? I don’t think so.
How to Store Leftover Hamburger Stew
Transfer the leftover cooled stew to an airtight container or zip top bag, and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To freeze leftovers, transfer to a freezer zip top bag, squeeze all the air out of the bag that you can, then set it flat in the freezer overnight. Transfer it to any place in the freezer and store for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before heating it up to eat it.
Make it Ahead
To prep in advance: To make this traditional beef stew ahead of time, cook the beef, prep the vegetables, and set it all in the refrigerator up to a day in advance.
The cut potatoes will brown a bit, so alternatively, you can store the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator, then drain and add it to the slow cooker prior to cooking.
To freeze: Alternately, cook the beef and prep the vegetables, and add all the recipe ingredients to a freezer safe zip top bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Defrost the bag on a plate in the refrigerator overnight, then follow directions to cook the dish.
Serving Suggestions
I love to pair this hearty stew with some cheesy garlic bread, but it’s also a complete meal all on its own. So you don’t have to pair it with anything if you don’t want to!
However, it goes beautifully with hearty sides like mashed potatoes too. You can even serve your bowl of stew over rice or noodles, and it’s great with a salad too!
Recipe FAQ
If you like that classic thick stew broth, then add some flour or cornstarch into the stew. This will help thicken it up pretty quickly!
You can really use whatever kind of veggies you want. Carrots, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, green peas, the list could go on! Whatever you have on hand and sounds good to you.
If you make this recipe, please give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know how it went!
Hamburger Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 15 ounces Italian seasoned diced tomatoes or substitute unseasoned diced tomatoes plus 1/4 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon basil, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme.
- 3.5 cups water or beef broth
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 3-4 carrots
- 4-5 potatoes Choose yukon or red potatoes if possible.
- 10 ounces frozen peas optional
Video
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the beef to the skillet, using a spatula to turn the meat and break it apart as it cooks. Transfer the cooked meat to the slow cooker.
- Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.
- Add all the recipe ingredients (except peas, if using) to your slow cooker and use a large spoon to mix everything together.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours.
- If using frozen peas, add them in the last 30-45 minutes so that they cook through but aren't mushy. Test to make sure the vegetables are cooked through and tender, then season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart and turning with a spatula as it cooks.
- Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.
- Add all the recipe ingredients (except peas, if using) to your Instant Pot. Cover and turn to High Pressure for 15 minutes. Allow for a Natural Pressure Release (do nothing and allow the pressure to naturally dissipate) for at least 10 minutes, then turn the steam release valve. Carefully open the Instant Pot.
- If using frozen peas, stir them into the stew now. Set the Instant Pot back to Saute mode and cook together, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Stovetop (Dutch Oven) Instructions
- Place your dutch oven on the stovestop and turn the heat on the burner to medium. Add the ground beef. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, using a spatula to turn the meat and break the pieces apart as it cooks.
- Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.
- Add all the recipe ingredients (except peas, if using) to your dutch oven. Stir together. Bring to boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, opening and stirring occasionally.
- If using frozen peas, stir them into the stew the last 10-15 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
The ingredient list says chicken broth, but the ingredient list on the recipe says beef broth. So, I used chicken broth, then added a little beef flavored bouillon cover all the bases! 😉
Can I use mince garlic instead of garlic cloves ? If so how much do I put in?
Hi Patti! Yes, definitely! Use 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic per clove in a recipe. -Laura
I love this soup. It’s easy and the ingredients are what I usually have in the pantry/fridge. It’s cheap and filling and it freezes well.
Hi Robyn! Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m thrilled you enjoy it! 🙂 -Laura
Brown the onions and the carrots. Salt the ground beef and the veggies as you’re browning them. Add in some tomato paste for a bigger flavor. Triple the amount of garlic. Add in a bay leaf while the stew is cooking.
Hi Michael, thank you for the feedback. I kept the recipe ingredients to a minimum to keep the costs down and make this as budget-friendly as possible, and the instructions as simple as possible. But I agree that the changes you suggest are great ideas if it works for you! 🙂 -Laura
This is so good! It’s not dinner time yet but I keep running over to my instapot taking bites.
Lol, I love that! Enjoy! -Laura
This is a ground beef (stew) recipe. If you don’t thicken it it’s soup. I make this in my Instant Pot. When my stew has finished cooking I have a slurry of corn starch and water ready. I add my slurry and stir. Sometimes the stew is still cooking and I don’t need to set it to saute. But if it doesn’t thicken up enough set it to saute and let it begin simmering, add slurry and unplug. Stir and it only takes a minute to thicken.
Very good recipe.
Great tips! In this recipe, the potatoes thicken it naturally as it cooks. 🙂 -Laura