Ground Beef and Vegetable Stew Crock Pot

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Poor Man's Stew is a budget friendly meal made with ground beef that costs less than $2 per serving! It's absolutely delicious, plus it's very simple to make. This recipe is Whole30 and Paleo compatible, and you can make it in the Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, OR Dutch Oven!

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What is Poor Man's Stew?

If you've never heard of Poor Man's Stew, you're not alone. This is the most popular question I get about this recipe! Here's the answer:

Poor Man's Stew is just a folksy name for a stew made with ground beef or hamburger meat instead of more expensive cuts of beef, like chuck roast or round.

And that's what makes it INCREDIBLY budget friendly. Because using ground beef in recipes costs a fraction of what you'd spend on other cuts. And since all the other ingredients are also inexpensive, you can make this recipe for just a few dollars.

This recipe is also known as hamburger stew or ground beef stew, so don't let the name confuse you! I just call it this because delicious, healthy recipes don't need to break the bank, and well, I just kind of like it!

I try to create healthy recipes with budget in mind, like simple marinated chicken breasts, lentils and ham soup, to help make clean eating more manageable for real families.

Poor Man's Stew is an all-around great meal to make for a chilly winter night, when you're running low on groceries, or for when you want to make your grocery budget stretch a little further.

It's ultra cozy and comforting, full of hearty vegetables, beefy flavor, and a rich, tomato-ey broth. Best of all, it feeds a crowd!

So since it stretches your ingredients AND your budget, it's a total win-win in my book.

I like to make this Poor Man's Stew my slow cooker, but you can make it in a dutch oven (like my Dutch Oven Chicken!) or in your Instant Pot, too- and the directions for all three methods are included in my recipe below, by the way!).

Ingredients

You know I always give you a run down of the ingredients you need to make a recipe. When I bought all my groceries at Walmart, it cost less than $8.00 TOTAL.

• Ground Beef. I recommend 80-85% ground beef for stews. It's not so lean that it'll dry out, and not so fatty that it makes the soup greasy.
• Onion. White onions are less expensive than vidalia or red onions.
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Potatoes. Try to buy Yukon or Red Potatoes, since they hold up well in soups and stews. Idaho or Russet Potatoes would also work, but they're better for baking and wouldn't be my first choice for a stew.
• Italian Seasoned Diced Canned Tomatoes: Buying pre-seasoned diced tomatoes allows you to skip buying your own, separate seasonings, making the ingredients recipe cost even less.
• Water or broth. To keep costs down, use water, but if you had beef broth on hand, go ahead and use it for more flavor.

Optional Ingredients:

• Frozen Peas. I sometimes add a bag of frozen peas to add a little sweetness to the rich dish. As of 1/21, peas are Whole30 compatible, and they usually only cost about $1 per bag!

Now if you wanted to, you could of course use higher end ingredients that would increase the price a bit, like if you bought organic vegetables and grass fed beef. But you definitely don't need to do that!

And guess what? You aren't any less Whole30 for cooking on a budget. You are 100% Whole30, and this stew will be completely delicious!

Step by Step Instructions

1. First, brown the beef. If using a slow cooker, brown the beef in a skillet, then transfer the cooked meat to the slow cooker. If using an Instant Pot, turn it to Sauté mode and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart and turning with a spatula as it cooks. If you're using a Dutch Oven, turn the heat on the burner to medium and cook the beef, using a spatula to break it apart as it cooks.
2. Do the prep work. Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.
3. Cook the dish. Add all the recipe ingredients to your Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, or Dutch Oven, cover, and just wait for the dish to cook. When the vegetables are tender and the flavors are just right, it's ready. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

And that's it! Honestly, does a healthy, hearty, balanced Whole30 dinner get any easier than this? I don't think so.

Make it Ahead

To prep in advance: To make Poor Man's Stew ahead of time, cook the beef, prep the vegetables, and set it all in the refrigerator up to a day in advance.

The cut potatoes will brown a bit, so optionally, you can store the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator, then drain and add it to the slow cooker prior to cooking.

To freeze: Alternately, cook the beef and prep the vegetables, and add all the recipe ingredients to a freezer safe zip top bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Defrost the bag on a plate in the refrigerator overnight, then follow directions to cook the dish.

Storing Leftovers

Transfer the leftover cooled stew to an airtight container or zip top bag, and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To freeze leftovers: Transfer cooled leftovers to a freezer zip top bag, squeeze all the air out of the bag that you can, then set it flat in the freezer overnight. Transfer it to any place in the freezer and store for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before heating it up to eat it.

Slow Cooker Poor Man's Stew

A budget friendly meal that costs less than $2 per serving! This recipe is Whole30 and Paleo compatible, and you can make it in the Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, OR Dutch Oven!

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Servings 4

Calories 474 kcal

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Cost $1.85/serving

• ▢

• ▢ 1 lb. ground beef
• ▢ 15 ounces Italian seasoned diced tomatoes or substitute unseasoned diced tomatoes plus 1/4 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon basil, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme.
• ▢ 3.5 cups water or beef broth
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 3-4 carrots
• ▢ 4-5 potatoes Choose yukon or red potatoes if possible.
• ▢ 10 ounces frozen peas optional

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the beef to the skillet, using a spatula to turn the meat and break it apart as it cooks. Transfer the cooked meat to the slow cooker.

• Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.

• Add all the recipe ingredients (except peas, if using) to your slow cooker and use a large spoon to mix everything together. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours.

  If using frozen peas, add them in the last 30-45 minutes so that they cook through but aren't mushy.

  Test to make sure the vegetables are cooked through and tender, then season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Instructions

• Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart and turning with a spatula as it cooks.

• Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.

• Add all the recipe ingredients (except peas, if using) to your Instant Pot. Cover and turn to High Pressure for 15 minutes. Allow for a Natural Pressure Release (do nothing and allow the pressure to naturally dissipate) for at least 10 minutes, then turn the steam release valve. Carefully open the Instant Pot.

• If using frozen peas, stir them into the stew now. Set the Instant Pot back to Saute mode and cook together, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Stovetop (Dutch Oven) Instructions

• Place your dutch oven on the stovestop and turn the heat on the burner to medium. Add the ground beef. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, using a spatula to turn the meat and break the pieces apart as it cooks.

• Dice the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Mince the garlic.

• Add all the recipe ingredients (except peas, if using) to your dutch oven. Stir together. Bring to boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, opening and stirring occasionally.

• If using frozen peas, stir them into the stew the last 10-15 minutes.

• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Calories: 474 kcal | Carbohydrates: 52 g | Protein: 28 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 77 mg | Sodium: 261 mg | Potassium: 1735 mg | Fiber: 8 g | Sugar: 10 g | Vitamin A: 7877 IU | Vitamin C: 57 mg | Calcium: 103 mg | Iron: 6 mg

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Source: https://cookathomemom.com/poor-mans-stew/

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