Cowboy Stew Recipe

An easy hearty stew with bacon, ground beef, smoked sausage, onions, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, corn, and potatoes in a perfectly seasoned broth with chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.

Course main meal soup

Cuisine Texas Style

Keyword how to make cowboy stew, Texas cowboy stew, what is cowboy stew

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 667kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

6 slices bacon chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb package Kielbasa sausage sliced or any smoked sausage
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 large carrots peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 10 ounce cans Rotel tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn drained
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced see notes
3/4 cup frozen peas
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro optional

Instructions

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a Dutch Oven or large pot until crispy.
Add the ground beef and brown it breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. When it is about halfway browned add the sliced smoked sausage, onions, and carrots. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the ground beef is browned and the onions are soft.
Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Add the Rotel tomatoes, pinto beans, corn, beef broth, and potatoes.
Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Add the frozen peas and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. If desired sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Notes

Kielbasa sausage is great with this recipe but any smoked sausage works just as well. I often use a chicken smoked sausage with this recipe.
In a hurry? Replace the veggies with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
Yukon golds are my go-to potatoes for this recipe since they are slightly waxy and they hold up a little better than Russet potatoes in soups and stews. As an added bonus their skins are so thin that you don't have to peel them.
If Rotel tomatoes are not available to you simply use canned diced tomatoes and a small can of diced green chilies. There is a lot of wiggle room in this recipe.
Frozen peas are already blanched so they take just a couple of minutes to cook.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop on low or in the microwave at reduced to try to avoid overcooking the potatoes.
To freeze all or a portion of this soup it is best not to add the potatoes until reheating. If this is the case then simply pull the amount of soup that you are going to freeze before adding the potatoes. When you go to reheat the soup simply bring it to a boil then quickly reduce it to a simmer. Add the potatoes and cook until desired tenderness. This will keep the potatoes from becoming mushy.

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