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Side view of poor man's stew in crockpot with wooden spoon in it.
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4.45 from 63 votes

Slow Cooker Poor Man's Stew Recipe

Poor Man’s Stew is a hearty and budget-friendly meal made with ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and rich tomato sauce. This comforting crockpot stew is simple yet full of flavor, perfect for easy family dinners.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time7 hours
Total Time7 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5
Author: Sarah Olson

Equipment

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)
US Customary - Metric

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!

Video

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.
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.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 756mg | Potassium: 1369mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6650IU | Vitamin C: 27.1mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 8mg

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