Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew
448 CommentsUpdated Apr 18, 2026
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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.
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 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.
- {The full Recipe is in the recipe card below the photos}
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.
Featured Comment
“Thank you so much for the recipe, really enjoyed it! We are on a budget and it’s so nice finding a tasty recipe thats something different to my usual.”
– EM
Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew Recipe
How to Video
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!
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.
More Crockpot Stew Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon are classic, slow-simmered dishes perfect for a cozy, filling dinner.
Witches Brew Stew and Slow Cooker Chicken Stew are fun, family-friendly options that come together easily in the crockpot.
Beefy Bacon Man Stew and Guinness Beef Stew both bring bold, savory flavors with their own unique twists.
Split Pea Stew rounds things out with a thick, hearty texture that’s comforting and packed with veggies. My Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Dumplings is great for a Sunday dinner.
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!!
Should say place in sieve and rinse under hot water… 🙂
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. 🙂
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.
My slow cooker is 4 quarts. Is there any way to reduce this recipe to make it fit?
I think it may fit, but may be tight,. I would add a few less potatoes if it didn’t fit.
Thanks! I’ll try that.
What can I substitute tomato paste with? I don’t have any on hand? I have beef stock? Ketup? Is there a good substitute?
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
Its in the slow cooker right now ! cant wait till its done !
How was it?
Cannot wait to try it … Love simple , hearty and satisfying meals . I’m drooling just thinking about it !
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
What part of the country do you live in? Hamburger in Texas is $4.99 a pound!
I live in Oregon. It has been pretty spendy recently here too.
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.
The possibilities are probably endless once you have a base. It doesnt look like hou can go wrong tweaking to your own tastes.
That sounds great, but then it wouldnt’ be a poor man’s stew. Only the rich can afford such diversity. 😉
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.
Ketchup instead of tomato paste? If so how much?