Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew
416 Comments Nov 14, 2022
Updated Jun 14, 2024
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Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew is made from scratch with ground beef to save money. A very hearty meal with minimal effort or money. This budget friendly ground beef stew can’t be beaten.
We love easy stew recipes like this one, Shipwreck Stew or A-1 Beef Stew, for an easy, hearty dinner.
Table of Contents
When I first published this recipe in 2015, I made this entire Poor Man’s Stew for $6.24. Nowadays, the price of groceries is much higher than that. But you can still make an economical meal using fresh vegetables and ground beef.
I put ground beef, russet potatoes, carrots, onions, a garlic clove, tomato paste, water, and seasonings in my slow cooker and simmered it all day to make this Hearty Poor Man’s Stew. A great Sunday dinner recipe or for when you are even camping!
The inspiration for this hamburger stew 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) hand-fed Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) a hearty stew trying to get him sober, so they could find and save Westley (Carey Elwes). You may also like my Slow Cooker Camp Stew Recipe!
What makes this meal budget friendly ?
- Fresh vegetables – I bought just what I needed for this recipe though you can buy bulk bags of gold potatoes (or russet potatoes), carrots, onion, and garlic, and your price will go down per serving.
- Look for ground beef in a roll (called a chub); it’s almost always cheaper than beef in trays. If you have leftover slow cooker ground beef, be sure to use that!
- Dried spices are always cheaper than fresh and last for years; for other recipes, I use onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- I use water instead of beef broth in this recipe to cut the cost, though beef broth can be used if desired.
- For the tomato flavor, a cheap can of tomato paste is used.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Brown ground beef in a skillet on the stove-top; drain fat. Add the meat to the crock pot and the potatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic.
Step Two -Whisk together the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl.
Step Three – Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.
Step Four – 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!
Variations
- More Vegetables – Add sweet potatoes, frozen peas, and canned green beans.
- Tomato Soup – Instead of adding tomato paste, use a condensed tomato soup for more flavor.
- Flavor enhancers – Add Worcestershire sauce or hot sauce for a kick of flavor. You can also add a pack of taco seasoning instead of the recipe seasonings.
- Toppings – To serve this crockpot poor mans stew, you may want to add some toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, or crushed saltine crackers.
- Bread – Don’t go out and buy special bread for this meal. It’s terrific with buttered sandwich bread as a side.
Recipe FAQs
You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground sausage (basically any ground meat). Or you can use what traditional beef stew call for, which is beef stew meat.
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge, which will last a few months in the freezer.
More stew recipes you’ll want to try!
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Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
- 1 ½ lbs russet or gold potatoes, peeled and diced large
- 3 carrots, sliced thick
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, (or 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 Italian seasoning. Pour this mixture over everything in the slow cooker. Stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Serve with buttered sandwich bread or rolls and Enjoy!
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground sausage (basically any ground meat). Or you can use what traditional beef stew call for, which is beef stew meat.
- If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge, which will last a few months in the freezer.
- More Vegetables – Add sweet potatoes, frozen peas, and canned green beans.
- Tomato Soup – Instead of adding tomato paste, use a condensed tomato soup for more flavor.
- Flavor enhancers – Add Worcestershire sauce or hot sauce for a kick of flavor. You can also add a pack of taco seasoning instead of the recipe seasonings.
- Toppings – To serve this crockpot poor mans stew, you may want to add some toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, or crushed saltine crackers.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
So yummy. I made it for the second day in a row. Thank you!
Made this for years, we call it hobo stew. I use tomatoe soup and a can of water, and a tsp of brown sugar. I favorite of my sons. Could always stretch with more taters and carrots.
If I want thicken the stew a bit, can I add a bit of flour or will this ruin the flavor & consistency? and if adding flour, should I add a bit more water?
I’ve never had luck adding flour directly to a slow cooker recipe. It will make it clumpy. I’ve seen people mix it with milk then add, or make a roux then stir it in. It’s hard to say without trying.
For this I might try adding a block of cream cheese, or some fully loaded instant mashed potato flakes to thicken it.
I would add either of these at the end stir them in
Try some instant mashed potatoes (I like the Loaded Mashed Potatoes flavor. The plain potato flakes will thicken the stew without altering the flavor
try thickening with instant mashed potatoes flakes
My grandmother always put tapioca in her stew to thicken it. I have adopted her recipe into my rotation and it works like a charm. 1 tablespoon for a recipe of this size.
Add corn starch slurry
add corn starch and tbsp of water. stir, then add to mixture. will thicken and not ruin flavor. holds the fat and thicken.
We didn’t care for it at all. Added extra seasonings, didn’t help. We were hungry so we ate it. Will not make again.
Can u also cook it on top of stove every time I try to make meal in a slow cooker it don’t seem to come out right
Love it! Big hit with my family.
I can’t eat tomatoes. Do you think this would work with cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup? Thanks!
Yes, it should work fine.
It sounds good but pricing from 2015 is bogus especially with the Covid. Got the date from your receipt.
This post is from years ago. Yes, beef prices are higher now of course.
Give her a break! It’s no big deal that the receipt was older. We all get the picture….this is an inexpensive dish to make.
Thank you Peggy for speaking up for her! Some people, I swear! I agree with you. Love her recipes and can’t wait to try more.
You can use a can of diced tomatoes instead of the tomato paste. You can also add in leftover veggies, like corn or peas, toward the end of cooking. Old celery or zucchini chopped up can also help. And you can serve it over a piece of bread with a slice of cheese on top and call it pizza soup!
HI.Great recipes However I’m a 82 year old widower. Live alone.
Dont have a crock or instant pot. Can I just use a big ole fashioned pot on the stove? If so – how long do I cook it. THANK YOU.
I think that would work fine, may need to add extra water, and cut the potatoes smaller. You’ll have to watch it, I’m guessing around 30 minutes.
Hello again Sarah.
Will try that.
Thank you
I make it in a pot just as Dominick says. Really good! I have made this so many times. Thank you!