This quick and easy, family-friendly Hamburger Stew is made in about forty minutes on the stovetop. It is full of nature’s wholesome flavor and goodness, making it a hearty, satisfying meal that the whole family can enjoy.
Warm and hearty, this hamburger stew is a perfect one-pot meal for a cozy night in. With simple ingredients and easy directions, this recipe is a must-try for any home cook. This stew is delicious year-round, but I love to serve it during those chilly winter months. It is a hearty meal, but serve it with cheddar biscuits, sweet potato cornbread, or sweet maple dinner rolls for a company-worthy meal.
Why I Love It
- This fun and easy recipe comes together quickly, making it doable for a weeknight meal.
- Hamburger Stew is made with wholesome ingredients, making it a hearty meal you can feel good about feeding your family.
- The ingredients for this recipe are easily found at any grocery store, and you may already have many of them on hand.
- Ground beef is still one of the most economically friendly meats you can cook.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef: I use beef with a bit of fat, like 85/15. Fat gives the beef flavor.
- Onion: Preferably a sweet yellow onion, like a yellow or Vidalia onion
- Carrots: You can substitute parsnips
- Potatoes: Preferably Yukon Gold, Russet Potatoes break down too much
- Canned tomatoes: Fire-roasted or diced
- Beef broth: Low sodium is best ,so you can control the amount of sodium
- Peas: Frozen sweet peas. Do not use canned as they will get mushy.
Preparation Tips for Hamburger Stew
- Use ground beef or chili-ground beef with a bit of fat. Drain any excess grease after cooking the onions. The fat gives it flavor.
- Peel your carrots for aesthetic purposes. The small amount of effort is worth the bright, beautiful orange color.
- If desired, substitute diced tomatoes for the fire-roasted tomatoes.
- I prefer Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe. But red potatoes or Russet potatoes work well, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Swap ground beef for other ground meat like ground chicken, turkey, or pork.
First, cool the dish to room temperature. Freeze in a Ziploc freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop on low or microwave at reduced power.
Complete everything on the stovetop through step 2. Transfer the contents to a crock pot. Whisk together the beef broth and tomato paste in a bowl or large measuring cup. Stir it into the pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Add the peas and cook on low for 1-2 hours or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
More Stew Recipes
Hamburger Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon crushed rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 Yukon Gold potatoes cut into small cubes
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1¼ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅔ cup frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat, brown the ground beef. When it is about halfway through the browning process, add the onion and cook until the onion is soft and the ground beef is browned, approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Reduce heat to low. Add garlic, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes, carrots, and fire-roasted tomatoes.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the beef broth and tomato paste. Stir it into the pot. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- Add the peas and simmer covered until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Bryan
I know a lot of people who shun any type of main dish like this that’s made with hamburger. They think it’s too basic of a meat and insist on steak. But I happen to like stews made with hamburger and this one was delicious too!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Bryan! I am so glad that you liked it.
Claudia
I absolutely love this recipe. It has all the classic stew flavors I love, but I don’t have to do a bunch of browning and flipping of individual pieces of beef.
Paul Grotrian
Very good recipe i had the same problem as other with the potatoes taking a long time to get tender my potatoes look to be the same size as in the pictures, i upped the heat a bit on the simmer i did add a bit more broth and a dash of hot sauce
Jim
Very good base recipe and thank you for sharing! I tweaked it a bit by adding about a tablespoon of herbs de Provence in addition to everything you listed, as well as a tablespoon each of A-1 and worcestershire sauce. and came out great!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips, Jim. I am glad that you liked the recipe!
Gary Elliot
I just made this recently and it was great. I made it on a stove as I don’t have a crockpot. I added more beef stock to make it more souplike. The only drawback was that the carrots never got tender even after simmering for a long time. I’m not much of a cook so maybe I didn’t do something quite right.
Beth Pierce
Glad that you liked it. Maybe the pieces of carrots were too large. Try chopping them a little smaller next time. If the carrot is too thick cut it in half lengthwise and then chop it.
Susan
We recently had a steer butchered and I have been on the hunt for ground beef recipes. My husband doesn’t care for the usual Mac, tomato and ground beef type dishes so I tried this one. Pretty darn good so now I have one more thing to add to the ground beef file.👍🏽
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Susan! So glad that you and your husband like the hamburger stew recipe!
Marsha
This recipe is excellent! I made it exactly as written except I pureed the fire roasted tomatoes because my husband does not like chunks of tomato in anything. I served it over freshly made biscuits.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Marsha! So glad that you liked it!
Al
This was super easy and used ingredients I already had – except for the fire roasted tomatoes. Instead I used a can of diced tomatoes then ended up tossing a beef bouillon cube in because it was lacking flavour. I bet the fire roasted tomatoes make it that much better. The family enjoyed this.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Al! Glad that you enjoyed it.
Elle
My family loves this recipe! My toddler had three bowls and he can be a pretty picky eater. Thank you!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Elle! So glad that your family liked it!
William L. Fox
It wouldn’t be stew with out chopped celery.