March 20, 2023
Review RecipePoor Man’s Stew
This poor man’s stew recipe has the best flavor and comes out of your slow cooker hearty enough to satisfy even the biggest appetite.
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If you’re looking for easy and affordable comfort food, look no further than poor man’s stew. This dish has a delicious flavor that results from simmering the beef, veggies, and seasonings in the slow cooker, making it the perfect choice for a cozy night.
Poor Man’s Stew Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 1 pound ground beef (I used 80/20% blend)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups russet potatoes, large diced
- 2 cups carrots, large diced
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion (also known as a Vidalia onion), large diced
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onions
- 1 packet (from a 1.8-ounce box) of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, optional garnish
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
POTATOES: I will sometimes make this stew using a bag of petite golden potatoes that are already pre-washed, making it an even quicker meal. If the potatoes are too big, I will cut them in half.
CARROTS: I often buy a small bag of mini carrots (often called snack carrots or baby carrots) as a fuss-free option. If you do use these quick alternatives (for the potatoes and carrots), you will need to check your stew for doneness at the 3-hour mark and go from there.
TOMATOES: If you do not have a can of diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onions, you can substitute a can of standard petite diced tomatoes and add a tablespoon of minced garlic to the recipe. I love using cans of diced tomatoes with the extra garlic, onions, or pepper because you get a great boost of flavor without having to buy extra ingredients.
BROTH: I like using low-sodium broths in my slow-cooker recipes because the flavors really intensify as they cook, and you want to control the salt you add to your recipe. You can always use a standard beef broth, but I would suggest tasting it and only adding additional salt to your recipe if needed. You will also need to remember that the packet of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix has salt added to it as well.
GROUND MEAT: Any ground meat that you have on hand would be delicious in this hearty stew. Try making it with ground turkey, pork, or chicken as an alternative.
How to Make This Poor Man’s Stew Recipe
STEP ONE: In a medium skillet on medium-high heat, brown ground beef for 3 to 5 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain the excess grease and add the cooked ground beef to the insert of your slow cooker.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Ground beef can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer. This would save even more time in putting together this recipe.
STEP TWO: Add the tomato paste to the slow cooker and stir it into the warm ground beef. This helps to ensure that the tomato paste does not stay in a lump while slow cooking.
STEP THREE: Add the diced russet potatoes, diced carrots, and diced sweet yellow onions.
STEP FOUR: In a medium bowl, stir together the low-sodium beef broth, diced tomatoes, contents from the packet of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix, dried parsley flakes, salt, and black pepper.
STEP FIVE: Pour the sauce over the top of all the vegetables and ground beef in the slow cooker. Give the stew ingredients a gentle stir, cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
PRO TIP:
You can also cook the stew on LOW heat in the slow cooker for 6 to 7 hours.
STEP SIX: Remove the lid to the slow cooker for the last 30 minutes of cook time to allow some of the liquids to evaporate and slightly thicken the stew.
STEP SEVEN: You can garnish each serving with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.
PRO TIP:
If you’re not ready to eat, you can leave the crockpot on warm for a little longer if needed.
How To Serve
Serve this delicious stew on a cold winter night when you are looking for a hearty meal. Add dinner rolls or crusty bread on the side to mop up all the rich sauce. The whole family will be back for seconds once they get a taste of this appetizing stew.
Our crockpot beef stew and Hungarian goulash are two more easy stew recipes that will warm you up on a chilly day.
MORE STEW RECIPES
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: You can store leftovers of this hearty stew in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
IN THE FREEZER: Once the stew has cooled completely, you can place it into an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow the stew to thaw completely in the refrigerator before adding it to a saucepan to rewarm on medium-low heat.
This ground beef stew crockpot recipe may be made using inexpensive ingredients, but it can still boast a lot of flavor. Fill up your slow cooker and leave it to do the hard work of cooking a meal the whole family will enjoy.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I freeze leftovers from this delicious recipe?
This recipe freezes well and can be stored for up to two months.
Can I use different vegetables in this recipe?
This hamburger stew is fairly customizable. If there are other veggies you’d like to add to the mix, it will make this stew even tastier.
Can I use ground pork instead of ground beef?
If you would like to use a different ground meat in this slow cooker poor man’s stew, it would be just as delicious.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Crockpot Baked Ziti
- Crockpot Chocolate Caramel Cake
- Hungarian Goulash
- Slow Cooker Beef Tips
- Slow Cooker Beef and Potatoes
- Beef Kabobs
- Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Poor Man’s Stew
This poor man’s stew recipe has the best flavor and comes out of your slow cooker hearty enough to satisfy even the biggest appetite.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, I used 80/20% blend
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups russet potatoes, large diced
- 2 cups carrots, large diced
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion, also known as a Vidalia onion, large diced
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onions
- 1.8 ounces lipton beefy onion soup mix
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
- In a medium skillet on medium-high heat, brown the ground beef for 3 to 5 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain the excess grease and add the cooked ground beef to the insert of your slow cooker.
- Add tomato paste to the slow cooker and stir it into the warm ground beef. This helps to ensure that the tomato paste does not stay in a lump while slow cooking.
- Add the diced russet potatoes, diced carrots, and diced sweet yellow onions.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the low-sodium beef broth, diced tomatoes, contents from the packet of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix, dried parsley flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the top of all the vegetables and ground beef in the slow cooker. Give the stew ingredients a gentle stir, cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Remove the lid to the slow cooker for the last 30 minutes to allow some of the liquids to evaporate and slightly thicken the stew.
- You can garnish each serving with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
- Ground beef can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer. This would save even more time in putting together this recipe.
- You can also cook the stew on LOW heat in the slow cooker for 6 to 7 hours.
- If you’re not ready to eat, you can leave the crockpot on warm for a little longer if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1807mg | Potassium: 1900mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 11080IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 6mg
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