Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew is made from scratch with ground beef to save money. A very hearty meal with very little effort or money.
We love easy stew recipes like this one, Shipwreck Stew or A-1 Beef Stew for an easy hearty dinner.
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 Classical Beef Stew - Slow Cooker A.1. Beef Stew
- Witches Brew 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
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Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
- 1 1/2 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
- 1/4 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!
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I have a large family, so I want to double this. Will this work on a high setting? If so, how long?
I would do 4-5 hours on high, you may need to add a little more liquid.
I making in cr.pot. now wait and taste can’t wait thanks for a simple but hardy recepie God bless yo where you need it most
If I wanted to cook this in an instapot, how long should I cook it if I want it to cook on high?
On the slow cooker setting? I’m unsure. I’ve heard the slow cooker setting cooks very low on the instant pot. You will need anywhere from 4-6 hours on high.
Really good and very easy to make!
Even my picky teen liked it. Will definitely make it again . I topped it off with some peas to give it another flavour and some colour. Also next time I going to add some fresh baby bella mushrooms to the pot.
What meat can you use besides ground beef? And should it be cooked before adding it to the slow cooker?
You can do any type of ground meat, such as ground turkey. You can do cubed stew meat, that doesn’t need to be browned.
What if you only have minced garlic in a jar is that ok? How much should I put in?
One teaspoon is a garlic clove, for any recipe.
I’ve prepared this dish several times
It’s a perfect dish for cold, winter evenings
Did this in an Instapot on slow cook mode and it turned out great, brings back memories of what Mom used to make 🙂
I will try this soon.
I love this poor man’s. I use a 8 litre slow cooker so I double up on the veggies and use kangaroo instead of mince, plenty kanga
in OZ in the store or in the bush. I have a local butcher who dresses it for me, love It.
The kids call it fridge clean out stew.
Cheers bob
Can I do this on the stove?
yes, though you’ll have to add more water.
Are the vegetables supposed to be completely covered by the liquid while it cooks?
Some will be popping out of the liquid, that’s fine. Keep the lid on the entire time.
How long should i set the crockpot if i use cooked potatoes and cooked onions instead of raw?
Probably just 2.5 hours.
LOL I noticed the prices of items to make this stew made in 2015. Now in 2021 the cost is double or more on all the food needed. I still like the ingredients and make this stew a lot, I also make it into a soup and add cabbage corn and peas. I make a pan of cornbread with the stew, its yummy.
Nobody says anything about adding corn can I add some?
Yes, corn would be great in this.