Hamburger Stew

This hamburger stew is loaded with beef, veggies, and rich layers of bold flavor. It’s simple, old-fashioned comforting food! It’s the perfect cold-weather recipe to satisfy hearty appetites.

When Jack Frost makes his presence known, nothing warms your soul like a hearty ground beef stew. Thaw that frostbitten nose inhaling the fragrant brew where savory ground beef and scrumptious veggies abound. And that little pile of shredded cheddar on top? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake!

This hamburger stew is no ordinary beef stew. It’s one of those stew recipes that calls to you, begging for a warm fluffy roll to sop up the thick tasty gravy. That soft fervent glow spreading through your body is just a warm cozy byproduct. Bring it on, Jack Frost!

Looking for more deliciousness? Here are more of my family’s favorite stew recipes. You won’t be disappointed!

• Classic Beef Stew
• Chicken Stew
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Shipwreck Stew

Let’s make this stew!

Ingredient Notes

• Ground Beef: I like to use 8o/20 rather than 90/10 ground beef. The higher fat content in the ground beef adds a lot of flavor to the stew and yields a more tender beef. Of course, you can use whichever you prefer. This is delicious even made with ground turkey.
• Onion: I like to use a yellow onion. It adds the best combo of astringency and sweet flavors. White onions are often more pungent, but can also work in this recipe if you like that stronger onion flavor.
• Garlic: I love to take shortcuts any time I can. That said, I have a strong preference for using fresh garlic, not the kind you can get crushed in a jar. I think the jar stuff has a fermented taste and really doesn’t bring the true flavor of garlic to a dish.
• Carrots: Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. A simple trick to add more nutritional value to the stew is to leave the carrots unpeeled. The carrots aren’t quite as pretty but they’re healthier.
• Beef Stock: When I need beef broth or beef stock, I use Swanson’s beef-flavored cooking stock. It’s easy to find and I think it gives you the best flavor. Here’s what Epicurious has to say about the best beef stock commercially available.
• Better Than Bouillon (Beef Flavor): This is the greatest stuff ever. I use it in most soups and stew to fortify the beef flavor in the dish.
• Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best choice here. They’re creamy and delicious and since they’re a starchy variety, they contribute to thickening the delicious gravy in this stew.
• Pearl Onions – The sweetness you get with pearl onions is unmatched! I know, I know! They’re a pain to peel, the good news is the frozen ones come already peeled! YAY! Just make sure to drain them well because they tend to hold a lot of water.

Tips 

• Sauteing Veggies – You’ll want to sauté your veggies in the pan drippings where you cooked your ground beef. Sautéing veggies is important to coax out all those sweeter characteristics. Plus, it adds so much incredible flavor to your stew.
• Fond – When you add your broth and other liquids, take a moment to scrape everything off the bottom of your pot. It’ll also add tons of great flavor and prevent burnt bottom bits from ruining your stew. Just make sure to simmer over low heat. You don’t want too much activity in the pot, or your veggies may get mushy and the beef can get tough.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This will stay fresh and ready to eat for up to4 days in the fridge. Plus, that awesome flavor will continue to develop as it sits, so it makes some awesome ready-made lunches. Just be sure to let it cool completely before putting it in the icebox.
• Can You Freeze This? Absolutely! This recipe makes a great freezer meal. However, I would recommend omitting the potatoes if it’s going in the freezer. They can be notoriously finicky in subfreezing temperatures. It’s easier to just add boiled potatoes right before serving.
  • Generally, soups and stew with meat and vegetables last for 4-6 months in the freezer.
• Make-Ahead Tips: This does require just a little chopping due to garlic, onions, carrots, and potatoes. Luckily, that can all be done ahead of time. Almost everything else comes out of the freezer or a can. Super convenient.
  • You could always go the freezer route with your hamburger stew. Sometimes I like to freeze this in single-serve portions. It’s great to pull out for a quick meal.
• Food Safety: Here’s an article on food safety.

Serving Recommendations

The only thing that needs to possibly be served with this one-pot, meal-in-itself, is something to dunk into the delicious gravy and sop it up! My favorites are super quick and easy Bisquick biscuit, Olive Garden breadsticks, buttery, homemade crescent rolls, or beer bread. You really can’t go wrong with any of them!

Variations + Additions

Hamburger stew without potatoes: This is an easy variation to make if you’d like to reduce the carbs in this recipe. Just substitute with chopped cauliflower. The gravy won’t be quite as thick but it will still have all the layers of flavor.

Cheesy hamburger stew: If you’re craving a cheesy version of this stew, you can make it one of two ways. The first way is to stir in 1-2 cups of your favorite cheese at the end of its 2-hour simmer (end of step#4) and just let it melt before serving. Or the second way is just to top each individual serving with a generous handful of cheese!

What Can I Add To Beef Stew To Make It Taste Better?

As I mentioned above, Better Than Bouillon is the secret ingredient that really helps improve the beefy flavor of this stew. The other thing you can do to make it tastes even better is to make it a day ahead of serving and store it in the fridge. This really concentrates, marries, and mellows the flavors into something much greater than the sum of its parts.

What Liquid Do You Use For Beef Stew?

I use a combination of beef broth, condensed tomato soup, and the juice from the canned stewed tomatoes. This creates the base for a very delicious gravy.

Can I Make This Hamburger Stew In The Slow Cooker?

Yes! Just make the following changes:

1. Follow the directions below through step #3. Add everything from the pot to a large slow cooker.
2. Then continue to follow the instructions below at step #4 but add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker instead of the large pot on the stovetop.
3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low 4-5 hours of High 8 hours.

How To Make Hamburger Stew (aka Poor Man’s Stew)

More Stew Recipes You’ll Love

• Cowboy Stew
• Pork Stew
• Brunswick Stew
• Slow Cooker Beef Stew
• Bigos (Polish Stew)
• Guinness Beef Stew
• Meatball Stew
• Green Chile Stew

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Hamburger Stew

Hamburger stew has plenty of wholesome veggies and rich layers of bold flavor making it the ideal cold-weather recipe to satisfy hearty appetites.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 - 8 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 medium carrots, cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 (10.75 -ounce) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 heaping tablespoon beef flavor Better Than Bouillon
• 2 (14.5-ounces) cans stewed tomatoes, with juices
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups frozen green beans,
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions

Instructions

• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck (2 pounds) into large chunks in the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Transfer cooked beef to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot. If you do not have that amount remaining, add vegetable oil to make up the difference.
• Add the onion (1), garlic (3 cloves), and carrots (4) and saute, over medium heat, until soft, about 5-6 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour (3 tablespoons) over vegetables, stirring constantly, until the flour coats the vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes to toast the flour. Remove skillet from heat.
• Add beef stock (3 cups), stewed tomatoes with their juices (2 (14.5-ounces) cans), tomato soup (1 (10.75 -ounce) can), Better Than Bouillon (1 heaping tablespoon), Worcestershire sauce (2 tablespoons), potatoes (3), Italian seasoning (1 teaspoon), thyme (1/4 teaspoon), bay leaf (1), salt (2 1/4 teaspoons), pepper (1 teaspoon), green beans (1 1/2 cups), pearl onions (1 cup), and browned beef; stir to blend then simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Adjust seasoning. Ladle into individual bowls and serve.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Beef Barley Soup
• 
  Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
• 
  Cheeseburger Soup
• 
  Vegetable Beef Soup

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Notes

1. Sauteing Veggies - You’ll want to sauté your veggies in the pan drippings where you cooked your ground beef. Sautéing veggies is important to coax out all those sweeter characteristics. Plus, it adds so much incredible flavor to your stew.
2. Fond - When you add your broth and other liquids, take a moment to scrape everything off the bottom of your pot. It’ll also add tons of great flavor and prevent burnt bottom bits from ruining your stew. Just make sure to simmer over low heat. You don’t want too much activity in the pot, or your veggies may get mushy and the beef can get tough.

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