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.
Kathy says
Made this the other night and this recipe needs alot more seasoning.. Very bland.
Joseph H says
Making this now and can’t wait to try it! Adding corn, peas, and any other veggies I have laying around. Can never have to many veggies, and helps stretch it. Definitely an inexpensive meal which is great for us! Ground beef here is $2.99-4.29! I used to think it was high, but now I see we are lucky to have cheaper beef here! Thanks for sharing the recipe and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Sarah Olson says
I can’t wait to hear how it turned out! Corn and peas sound great!
Christine says
I would like to make this but replace the beef with chicken breast ( then shred it before serving), and use chick stock instead of water and add corn. Do you think it will be okay? No one likes what I make anyway so I have nothing to loose…lol.
Sarah Olson says
That sounds good, I think it will be fine. As long as you will like it that’s all that matters, right! 🙂
Teresa says
When I was a single mom and after Jeff and I first got married I made this all the time
Kathy says
Ground turkey works fabulous in place of beef in pretty much anything plus its cheaper than ground beef. You can get a tube of name brand ground turkey at Walmart for around $2.25.
Shevon says
Can this be frozen ahead of time like other crock pot freezer meals?
Sarah Olson says
Hi Shevon. I’ve heard potatoes don’t do well freezing. So I wouldn’t do it myself. 🙂
Erin A says
I have made this, as is, and its a hearty, tasty, and inexpensive meal (even when ground beef is nearly $6/lb!). Ive also made a few changes, and id like to share those:
1) i have omitted the carrots to fit my family’s taste (i dont know whats wrong with thwm! Lol) and added other veggies, such as corn or peas or green beans.Tastes great and i use the frozen bags. This recipe is also great to just toss in any leftover vegetables into (even broccoli or squash!) It ends up being like a vegetable beef stew. Sometimes need to add the non root vegetables in towards the end (last half) of cooking time, also more liquid may be needed.
2. Vegetable, Beef, or chicken broth/stock are great substitutions for the water.
3. One time i accidentally bought the Italian seasoned tomato paste. It was so good, and i didnt need to add the oregano, that now i purposefully buy the seasoned paste. Saves me a few seconds in the kitchen.
4. I cut the veg up in much smaller pieces since i have a toddler. This makes it cook faster. Also, ive cooked this on the stove top. Since i diced all the veg, nice and small, i was able to cook the beef add the veg and everything was cooked within an hour. I let it simmer (to really get the flavors incorporated) for another half hour and it was just a great as the slow cooker version. So if you decided to make this last minute, it takes about 2 hours from cooking the beef to eating it, if you do it on the stove top.
5. Ground turkey or chicken work well. Also, i dont always add the amount of meat this calls for…i usually add a lot less…and its still just as hearty and filling.
Overall this is a great and versatile recipe that you can customize to your family’s taste and diet preferences…and so budget friendly!
Caisie Russell says
If I don’t have 6 hours to cook this can I set it on high and do it for maybe 4 hours??
Sarah Olson says
I think that would work fine! Just don’t open the lid, so the veggies will get tender.
Judy says
Made Poor Man Stew today . l used have sweet potatoes and hafe russet potatoes . It was very good! Will make again.
Sarah Olson says
Thank you for dropping by to tell us the results. I’m going to try that next time.
Sonya says
Made this and it was wonderful. ….making it again tonight, but do you think I could put it on high. …and if so. …for how long?
Sarah Olson says
I’m glad you liked it! I would think 4-5 hours would work good on high. 🙂
Ashley says
This looked\sounded so good and hearty! I have it in the crockpot now. I did add more seasoning and water. I was tempted into putting some corn in there, but decided not to. Can’t wait for it to be done 🙂
Sarah Olson says
Sounds great Ashley! If you change your mind about the corn, it can always be stirred in at the end, I often do that.
DeeDee Cherie says
Hi, I dont own a crock pot, is there a way to cook stove top? I love stew esp for the cold winter months and would love to try this one. Thanks
Sarah Olson says
I think you could cook this on the stove top, just cook until the veggies are tender stir often. 🙂