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.
Yvy says
I’m so interested in making this with sweet potatoes – either all sweet or half russet and half sweet potatoes. Thoughts, anyone?
kaylee says
I was hoping to do the same thing, anyone try it? Did you try it out? 🙂
Sandy Quinn says
I’ve done that and it’s great.
Lindsay says
Mine is in the crockpot now. I made a few changes. Added beef broth instead of water, a package of beef stew seasoning, a can of seasoned diced tomatoes
Sarah Olson says
Great ideas! I’m sure it will taste amazing!
Sarah says
I added mushrooms and doubled the seasoning and water.
Beth Green Lackey says
I make this myself but with other veggies, mainly because I was tired of the regular stew but wanted a hot meal for my children.
I call it my Italian stew! The only difference is that I add shell pasta close to when the potatoes and carrots are done.
kristi says
So good! I doubled everything, but I will have leftovers for a while! I don’t usually do leftover, but definitely will with this!
Shannon says
I’m making this right now. I only had the ground beef and seasonings so I had to buy the potatoes, carrots and paste. It came up to $6.91. The potatoes were the most expensive thing. I too had to add more water. And on the seasoning I added extra because there wasn’t much flavor. But in a few hours we’ll see how it turns out, can’t wait!
Maria says
If I cook on high how long do you think it will take?
Sarah Olson says
My guess would be 5 hours. 🙂
Darlene says
Made this for dinner tonight and served it with homemade bread…FABULOUS!! I subbed ketchup for the tomato paste and beef broth for the water. So happy there are leftovers. I didn’t have time to put this in the crockpot so I just browned the beef, added everything else, brought to a boil and simmered for 45 minutes….easy peazy!
Anna says
Don’t forget any kind of ground beef can be de-fatted especially in a super flavor packed recipe. After you brown, place in and rinse with hot water. The fat is gone! Works great! I learned this trick from a RD friend of mine… Same with turkey, as long as you add good flavor, no one knows!!
Anna says
Should say place in sieve and rinse under hot water… 🙂
Sarah Olson says
I do this all the time. We got a butchered cow once, and the ground beef was over 30% fat. I always cooked and rinsed it, if I didn’t there would be a inch of grease after the meal cooled. 🙂
Patti says
I plan to make this some next week. I love to use my slow cookers & love the recipes here! I saw the comments about the cost of ground beef and it is expensive in the store. I buy my 93% lean hormone free natural ground beef from Zaycon. I think it is around $3.77 lb now. They cut out the middle man & deliver by truck. I know this sounds strange, but they are very popular & have been shown on several news shows. It is the best tasting ground beef that I have had in a long time. The bad news is that you have to order a case of 40 lbs. I heard about this on a money saving coupon site that I belong to. A lot of the people just split the order with family & friends. I have a freezer & food saver. I cook about 10 lbs & make 1 lb frozen packages that are ready to add to spaghetti, lasagna, or recipes like this that call for cooked meat. I freeze the rest in assorted ways. Some into patties for burgers, 3lb packages for meatloaf, 2lb & 1lb packs. Their boneless, skinless, chicken breast are also amazing & stay very moist when cooked in the slow cooker.
Maureen says
My slow cooker is 4 quarts. Is there any way to reduce this recipe to make it fit?
Sarah Olson says
I think it may fit, but may be tight,. I would add a few less potatoes if it didn’t fit.
Maureen says
Thanks! I’ll try that.
Cecilia says
What can I substitute tomato paste with? I don’t have any on hand? I have beef stock? Ketup? Is there a good substitute?
Yvonne says
Ive been making this for years, its yummy and my kids loved it, its a variation of Scottish Stovies basically it has more meat in it than stovies, which has more potatoes