My cowboy stew recipe is one part beef stew, one part chili, five parts DELICIOUS! Three types of meat and wholesome veggies will have everyone in your family begging for more of this stew recipe!
Love hearty stew recipes? You’ll flip for this! With the tender meat of an Instant Pot beef stew and the veggies and beans of a Brunswick stew, cowboy stew takes the best parts of your favorite recipes and simmers them to perfection.
The only thing it doesn’t have is a nod to chicken stew…but hey, let’s throw in some shredded poultry! Why not? Cowboy stew welcomes every ingredient!
Bring your appetite and let’s get cooking!
What I Love About This Recipe
This ain’t your mama’s stew recipe! Loaded with three types of meat and tons of veggies, this stew is the lip-smacking dinner your family’s been waiting for.
- Tender, juicy meat
- One-pot wonder
- Easy cleanup!
- Crowd-pleasing flavor
How To Make Cowboy Stew Recipe
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Cook bacon until brown and crispy in a large pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
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Add the sausage to pot drippings and brown on both sides, adjusting heat as needed so fond (brown bits on the bottom of the pot) does not burn. Remove to the plate with bacon; set aside.
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Add beef, onion, and garlic to the pot and brown until the beef is no longer pink. Sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, and chili powder over beef. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
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Add diced tomatoes, baked beans, green chilies, sweet corn, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and water. Bring to a boil then immediately reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
***See Full Instructions Below.
Cowboy Stew Recipe Notes
My cowboy stew recipe is an amazingly wholesome and easy to prepare a meal that you’ll feel great about feeding your family! Cooking everything in one pot helps contain the mess and build incredible layers of flavor.
- Kielbasa – This recipe uses three types of meat for a fully dimensional flavor sensation! If you’re thinking about skipping one, don’t — I promise, it’s worth it. For instance, the kielbasa brings a delicious smokiness that the bacon and beef don’t have. You just can’t have cowboy stew without all these treats!
- Tomatoes – I use canned tomatoes for this recipe to save on time in the prep stage as well as the cooking stage. And using petite diced tomatoes helps them break down even faster! If you can’t find petite, using crushed is a good alternative.
- Beans – I love the flavor and sweetness that comes with using canned baked beans in this stew! My favorite is good ol’ Bush’s Original, but you can use any brand at your store.
- Corn – Playing up the sweetness, even more, I use sweet corn in this recipe too. Sweet corn is NOT just corn canned with sugar — it’s a specific type of corn. So make sure you’re reading labels and not just getting plain corn with added sugar. Yuck!
Crockpot Instructions
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Cook bacon until brown and crispy in a large pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
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Add the sausage to pot drippings and brown on both sides, adjusting heat as needed so fond (brown bits on the bottom of the pot) does not burn. Remove to the plate with bacon; set aside.
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Add beef, onion, and garlic to the pot and brown until the beef is no longer pink. Sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, and chili powder over beef. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add all meats to a large crockpot.
- Add diced tomatoes, baked beans, green chilies, sweet corn, potatoes, and water to crockpot.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Store your cowboy stew leftovers in an airtight container, and they’ll last in your fridge for up to four days. If saving space is a priority, you can put your cooled cowboy stew in a gallon-sized Ziploc.
- It does tend to thicken a little as it sits in the fridge so you may need to thin it out with a little water when you reheat it.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes and no. This cowboy stew recipe is fantastic for meal prep and it always helps to have a ready-made meal in the freezer. But the potatoes can be quite finicky in freezing temps, so you may want to leave those out — you can always add canned potatoes to this when it’s time to serve!
- If you do freeze it sans potatoes, you can let it sit in your freezer for up to three months. To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight. Then add your potatoes and reheat!
- Make Ahead Tips: This one-pot wonder comes together pretty quickly thanks to those canned goodies! The various meats can’t be cooked ahead because you need them to build the flavor for your stew, but you can always chop the onions, garlic, potatoes, and kielbasa ahead of time.
- The onions and garlic can be stored together, and the kielbasa can go in a sealed plastic bag — all of it can sit for up to a week in the fridge.
Serving Recommendations
This cowboy stew recipe goes with pretty much any favorite chili and stew sides! Southern cornbread or Bisquick cornbread if you like it sweet, bisquick biscuits, beer bread, or tender buttery crescent rolls. I also like to add some veggies and crunch via my KFC coleslaw, strawberry spinach salad, carrot salad, or broccoli salad!
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More Hearty Soups And Stew
- Hamburger Stew
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Beef Barley Soup
- Beef Noodle SoupÂ
- Beef Tomato SoupÂ
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Green Chile Stew
Cowboy Stew
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 (12-ounce) package kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, with liquid
- 2 (16-ounce) cans baked beans, with liquid
- 1 (7-ounce) can chopped green chilies, with liquid
- 1 (15-ounce) can sweet corn, with liquid
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook bacon until brown and crispy in a large pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
- Add the sausage to pot drippings and brown on both sides, adjusting heat as needed so fond (brown bits on the bottom of the pot) does not burn. Remove to the plate with bacon; set aside.
- Add beef, onion, and garlic to the pot and brown until the beef is no longer pink. Sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, and chili powder over beef. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add diced tomatoes, baked beans, green chilies, sweet corn, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and water. Bring to a boil then immediately reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with parsley.
- Add additional water if stew is too thick.
Fans Also Made:
Made this in a cold rainy winter day. My 4 year took a bite and yelled Hee Haw! Three thumbs up! Not sore what that means but I think she likes it. Have plenty for the whole week!
I’m so happy she likes it! Hee Haw just maybe the best compliment I’ve ever gotten!!!
This recipe is absolutely amazing and delicious! The whole family LOVED it and I cannot wait to make it again soon. I’m thinking of making it for our X-mas party this year!
So happy you enjoyed, Danielle!
Wow, made this tonight and everyone loved it. I was informed that I would be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe!
So happy it was a hit for you, Randy! I hope you find more recipes on the site that you and your family love!!!
My husband and I love this. I make it for him to take hunting with him, it’s a real stick to your bones meal! Making tonight as he leaves for hunting tomorrow morning 😋 thank you for sharing.
Wow, that’s so awesome, Monica! I’m glad you liked this stew 🙂
Made this last night
Delicious! The only thing I did different was add 2.5 Teaspoons of chili powder. Def. Going to freeze for meal prep. Oh, I made cornbread and we had put the stew on top.
Hi, Michelle! I’m so happy you like this stew! Cornbread is the best for this 🙂
What can be used as a substitute for the baked beans? This recipe is everything my brother and I love to eat but he will not eat beans…
Tracy, you can simply make the recipe and omit the beans. The starch from the beans does help thinking the stew so yours probably will be a little thinner but still delicious!
2 cans of Ranch style beans works well.
Agree Suzanne. Baked beans were too sweet for us. Either Ranch Style (with jalapeños) or black beans would be less sweet. Good recipe, Kathleen, thanks. Is there a calorie count anywhere?
Can you put this in a crockpot?
Hi, Sherry. Yes
1. Cook bacon until brown and crispy in a large pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
2. Add the sausage to pot drippings and brown on both sides, adjusting heat as needed so fond (brown bits on the bottom of the pot) does not burn. Remove to the plate with bacon; set aside.
3. Add beef, onion, and garlic to the pot and brown until the beef is no longer pink. Sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, and chili powder over beef. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add all meats to a large crockpot.
5. Add diced tomatoes, baked beans, green chilies, sweet corn, potatoes, and water to crockpot.
6. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
I really enjoyed it, so did my husband. Very flavorful. I served it over a little white rice and it was perfect.
That’s awesome! Thank you, Aidee 🙂
I don’t like chillies. Is there a substitute that you can suggest please?
Hi! You can use other peppers or leave it out. Hope this helps!
I have been making this for my husband since the recipe first posted. It is definitely a keeper as he loves it. We are in a unique situation in that he lives in a large city where he is a professor at the local university & we also have a home I am restoring which is about an hour away. I spend most of my time working on the home.
I usually make this in an Instapot and it turns out wondefully, but I do chop the potatoes into very small pieces and there are no freezer- related issues. It is one of his favorite dishes which I happen to be making as I write this review. I personally, am not a meat eater so it is perfect to freeze in individual portions so my husband can pull a bag out of the freezer during the week and have a hot dinner. I also do meal prep for my 90 year-old next door neighbor and she absolutely loves the Cowboy Stew. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Wow, Bettina, you rock! I’m happy you, your husband and your neighbor love this stew!
I appreciate your feedback 🙂
I forgot the potatoes and we didn’t miss them at all. I also had grabbed a can of cheddar soup and opened it before I realized, so I added it. Turned out great!
Yaaay! Thank you, Linda 🙂
Can’t with to make this!
This has been one of my house full of men’s favorites since I found it last summer. Tonight, I made a healthier version with ground Turkey, chicken andouille, and Turkey bacon and no one even noticed! We all love it. I make a giant stockpot full (double recipe) and it’s gone in 2 days. My husband is notorious for eating it for breakfast. It’s the best!
Janita, you absolutely made my day! I love that your whole family loves this! I think your healthy tweaks are really great!
I’m sorry if I missed this somewhere but have you frozen it before?
Yes and no. This cowboy stew recipe is fantastic for meal prep and it always helps to have a ready-made meal in the freezer. But the potatoes can be quite finicky in freezing temps, so you may want to leave those out — you can always add canned potatoes to this when it’s time to serve!
Added a can of kidney beans
Sounds great, Ernie.
Do you not drain the ground beef?
Hi Ashley, I don’t drain the beef because I like the added flavor the fat adds. Feel free to drain the beef if you want a lower fat version!!!
Fantastic! Home with the kids this weekend and our son pulled this together … SUPER! I asked for the recipe and found it in my email when I got home (^_^) My d-in-law sent it. She’s a keeper. Our son? I may have to hire him – makes for a great chef!
So good! We are a hunting family and we usually end up having a lot of venison polish sausage. It gets old just eating the sausage, so I was looking for recipes to use it up in. That’s when I came across this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Thank you, Jana! I’m so happy it was a hit! 🙂
The venison polish sausage is awesome in jambalaya!