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This hamburger stew recipe is thick, hearty, and easy to make! It’s a delicious family meal that uses inexpensive everyday ingredients.
You may also like my Hamburger Soup, Ground Beef Alfredo Bake, or this American Goulash recipe.
Why you’ll love it
Ground beef stew is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s stew”, but this dish is full of rich flavors! Sometimes it’s nice to spend some extra time making a Classic Beef Stew, but when you’re looking for a comforting stew that’s ready fast, this is your recipe!
Your whole family will devour this budget-friendly stew, and you can feel good knowing you’re serving up a complete one pot meal with real ingredients like beef, vegetables, and hearty potatoes. It’s ready in under an hour, and a lot of the cooking time is hands off.
What you’ll need
- Celery, onion, garlic, and olive oil – sauté these aromatics to make a wonderfully flavorful base
- Beef – I use lean ground beef. It’s a good compromise between saving a few calories but keeping flavor and moisture, and you typically don’t have to worry about draining extra fat after it’s been browned.
- Flour – don’t skip the flour as it’s a thickener
- Tomato paste – an easy way to add more savory flavor
- Beef broth – way tastier than simply using water
- Worcestershire sauce – it gives this stew more depth of flavor; it’s not overpowering!
- Italian seasoning – a blend of dried herbs that comes in a single jar
- Potatoes, carrots, and peas – hearty and filling vegetables to round out this stew
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Any soup pot will work, but I love my Staub Dutch oven.
- I quickly crush the garlic using my garlic press. I do this for most recipes that call for minced garlic!
- Chop up the veggies with a quality chef’s knife.
How to make hamburger stew
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the onion and celery in a soup pot until softened, then add in the garlic. Stir in the ground beef and cook until browned.
Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often (this cooks the floury taste out). Stir in the tomato paste.
Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, potatoes, and carrots. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Stir in the peas and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Substitutions and variations
- Feel free to throw in any extra veggies you happen to have on hand! This is a very forgiving stew, and you can clean out your fridge of any extra vegetables. Root vegetables would work especially well.
- I used Italian seasoning to give the stew some extra flavor, but you could use a different kind of dried herb blend or even something like steak seasoning if you prefer.
- Like a little heat? Add in some crushed red pepper flakes.
What to serve with hamburger stew
- It’s a complete meal in itself, but I’ll never say no to a slice of crusty bread to make it even heartier. Or go all out with a slice of Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- You could also pair it with a side salad. Try mixed greens and this Homemade Ranch Dressing. You’ll never buy the bottled stuff again!
Leftovers and storage
- This stew is even better the next day after the flavors have a chance to meld more. Reheat on a low heat, and if you find the leftovers are a little dry, simply add a splash of beef broth when reheating to make more sauce.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container, and this stew also freezes well.
If you made this ground beef stew recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made it.
Hamburger Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 sticks celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth + more if needed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 4 medium carrots peeled & sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, onion, and celery to a soup pot and sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the beef to the pot and cook, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, until it's browned (about 8 minutes).
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes (stirring often).
- Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, potatoes, and carrots. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and cook, covered (with the lid slightly open), stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the flavors have had some time to build. Add more broth if the stew starts to get too thick, and if you want it thicker, cook it for longer with the lid off.
- Stir in the frozen peas and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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really reminds me of soupy spaghetti. I think there is too much tomato sauce, I would’ve maybe only put a tablespoon or so. or canned tomatoes, like fire roasted. otherwise it is good.
So so good. Making it for the second week in a row! Like meatloaf in a stew 🤤
Thanks, Anna!! 😀
Simple and delicious and the perfect comfort food for a chilly autumn day. It’s a definite “make again,” the true sign of a good recipe at our house!
Yay!! Thank you!!
was really yummy. I added chilli pepper flakes for an extra kick. great recipe. thanks.
You’re very welcome, Harley!!
Very tasty and easy to make. Next time I’ll look for low sodium beef broth as it was marginally too salty for my taste. Otherwise, it was perfect!
Thanks, Al!
It was great but after 35 minutes the carrots were still crunchy. I’d like to make this recipe again but next time I would saute the carrots at the same time as the onions and celery (classic mirepoix), so that they are ALL tender. I also added rosemary, thyme, and some smoked paprika to make it a bit more flavorful. I’ll def make it again, with those changes!
Yup you could definitely try that! Glad you enjoyed it overall.