Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew is made from scratch with ground beef to save money.
Looking for a budget meal this week? I made this Poor Man’s Stew for $6.24 and it feeds 5 people! I put ground beef, russet potatoes, carrots, onions, a garlic clove (not pictured, I had this on hand), tomato paste, water and seasoning in my slow cooker simmered it all day to make this Hearty Poor Man’s Stew.
The inspiration for this meal came from my favorite old movie The Princess Bride. I made a stew similar to the one seen in the movie where Fezzic (Andre the Giant)
What makes this meal budget friendly ?
- Fresh vegetables – I bought just what I needed for this recipe though you can buy large bags of potatoes and carrots and your price will go down.
- Look for ground beef a roll, it’s almost always cheaper than beef in trays.
- Dried spices are alway cheaper than fresh and last for years for other recipes as well.
- I use water instead of broth in this recipe to cut down on the cost, though broth can be used if desired.
How to make Poor Man’s Stew:
You will need these ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
- 1.5 lbs potatoes, diced large
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove minced (I had this on hand already)
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
Directions:
- Brown the beef in a skillet on the stove-top, drain fat.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker along with the potatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic.
- In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, onion powder, and oregano. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.
How long do I cook poor man’s stew?
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the potatoes are tender.
- Serve in bowls and enjoy!
More stew recipes you’ll want to try!
Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew- Slow Cooker A.1. Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Beefy Bacon Man Stew
- Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Shipwreck Stew
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Stew
- Slow Cooker Farmers Market Beef Stew
Want to make more magic in your crockpot? Stay up to date and subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker – 5 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
- 1.5 lbs potatoes diced large
- 3 carrots sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced (I had this on hand already)
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
Instructions:
- Add the cooked ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
- In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, onion powder and oregano. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Serve with buttered sandwich bread. Enjoy!
Could I use chicken breast instead of beef?
If I was to use minced garlic out of a jar how much would I use?
I usually do a teaspoon for every clove.
I had beef bouillon, whole mushrooms, a bay leaf and red wine on hand so I jazzed it up with that and omitted the water. Lovely, easy, quick recipe.
My family loved this!! I used beef broth instead of water(had it on hand already) and added some cayenne pepper for spice. It was delicious!
Love how quick and easy this is! Crockpot dumps are my favorite
I did made a few tweaks:)
Added a bouillon cube
Diced my potato and carrots (that’s just a personal preference because I like it a little less hearty and little more soupy!)
Added a can of corn
fried up some kielbasa and added it in the last 30 minutes!
Oh yeah, and I also added a small can of diced green chilies!
Could this be converted to an instant pot recipe? Just wondering if I need more liquid then?
So if I have Stew Meat already in my freezer, can I use that instead of the Hamburger meat saving more money?
Yes! Will work fine.
Could I make this the night before, and just leave it in the pot over night to be cooked the next day?
Yes, make sure all the potatoes are covered in sauce. And if your slow cooker insert is ceramic, let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before starting to prevent it from cracking.
This was so easy, quick and delicious! Especially easy for someone like me that doesn’t know much about cooking. I really needed something for the work week, something to warm me up because it’s always so cold in the building, and something healthy to incorporate into my healthy meals rotation.
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! I’ll definitely be making this regularly!
This is such an easy meal to prepare! Brown the hamburger, chop up the veggies and then throw it all in the crock pot. I love crock pot meals! I used beef broth instead of water, just to add a little more flavor. I also added corn and green beans just a couple hours before serving. To add even more flavor I mixed in a stew mix packet. So good my husband and son loved it.
Could I use ground turkey instead of beef?
Yes! I think that is a great substitution.
My crockpot is a little funky as far as time and the high setting tends to be just a little TOO high sometimes and tends to burn so you think shortening the time a little would be ok for instance warm seems to be low so suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!!
So I am planning in trying this tomorrow and I live to flavor everything up really well so just out of curiosity do you think it would hurt to put a chicken or beef flavored bullion cube in and if not which would you suggest? I know many roast recipes do chicken flavor or chicken stock would live your input!!! Thank you so excited to try it!!!!
I think it would be awesome with that added. Wishing I would have written that in the recipe. You could do two and be fine.
The top says prep 15 min, cook time 6 hours, total time 6 hours 15 min, but then the directions in step 3 say to cook for 7 hours. Can you clarify 6 or 7 hours of cook time? Thank you! Excited to try this with my kids!
It’s for 7 hours. Thank you, I will fix it.
It says it serves 5. How much is a serving?
I don’t measure out the recipes, it’s 1/5 of the recipe.
Very hearty n good ! I made it in my instant pot! I browned the meat and then I cooked on high pressure for 12 minutes with a quick release! Also added one cup of boxed chicken broth to replace one cup of water for added flavor!
I just made this. I added 2 chicken broth cubes and Korean five spice. It gave it a kick
Is there a faster way to do it? In the oven?