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.
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).
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.
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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 Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
sarah jackson says
Its in the slow cooker right now ! cant wait till its done !
Nick says
How was it?
jennifer says
Cannot wait to try it … Love simple , hearty and satisfying meals . I’m drooling just thinking about it !
Jenny K says
I used to make something similar, but it’s been a long time. Ground beef is between $6-$7 a pound! We’re too poor for poor man’s stew! LOL
wayne says
What part of the country do you live in? Hamburger in Texas is $4.99 a pound!
Sarah Olson says
I live in Oregon. It has been pretty spendy recently here too.
Sandy O says
Looks like a great base recipe but I’d want to add some frozen and/or canned veggies, such as kernel corn, lima beans, peas, mushrooms, etc. That way, it would be a complete one-pot meal. I’d also add one can of crushed tomatoes, or even Rotel tomatoes for the extra kick.
Debra says
The possibilities are probably endless once you have a base. It doesnt look like hou can go wrong tweaking to your own tastes.
Tine says
That sounds great, but then it wouldnt’ be a poor man’s stew. Only the rich can afford such diversity. 😉
Beanie says
It is a very yummy meal. My boyfriends family has been making it for years. All tough they call it cowboy stew, and they use ketchup instead.
bre says
Ketchup instead of tomato paste? If so how much?
DearCreatives (@DearCreatives) says
Looks great can’t wait to try. Pinned for later.
Deb says
I love, love, love the pix you show with your recipes! I like to see EXACTLY which ingredients people use! Thx for a GREAT recipe! I MUST get you cookbook! 🙂
Sarah Olson says
Paste. Thank you! I will fix that when I get home!
Sarah
Jen says
The recipes states it’s 5 servings. How much is a serving (i.e, 1 cup, 3/4 cup)?
Sarah Olson says
I don’t have that info, sorry! I just approximate how many people I think the recipe will feed, I don’t have the time to measure out recipes right before serving dinner.
James says
Just made this tonight with a few improvisions. Delicious. We even added twice as much water to make it stretch. Gonna try some veggies or beans in it the next time around. Yum
Mari says
This was just ok for me. If I were to make it again, I’d use a pound of potatoes and make up the difference with more carrots. I used very small red potatoes (about 2 inches diameter) and I quartered them. I set the cooker on high and it took 7 hours for the potatoes to get done. I don’t think I will make this again, sorry.
Jennifer says
just want to be clear, are all the ingredients cooked before you put it n or just the ground beef??
Sarah Olson says
Just the ground beef gets cooked first. 🙂