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Simple Crock Pot Hamburger Stew

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This simple Crock Pot Hamburger Stew is a cinch to throw together on a busy weekday! Browned hamburger, potatoes, carrots, peas, and onions come together for this soup version of the classic “Hobo Dinner.”

$13.72 per recipe / $1.72 per serving

Bowl of hamburger stew with potatoes and carrots on table with plate of scones nearby.

Have you ever had a “Hobo Dinner?”

We would eat them on family camping trips growing up.

It’s a foil dinner with a hamburger patty, potatoes, carrots, onions, and some ketchup on top.

This Crock Pot hamburger stew is essentially the soup version of said Hobo Dinner.

It’s hearty and delicious and perfect for a busy fall night when you need an easy dinner solution.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Bowls of ingredients on white table including frozen peas, baby carrots, and raw hamburger meat.

BROWN 1 pound of ground beef in a frying pan until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Cooked ground beef in black frying pan on white table.

WHILE the ground beef is cooking, chop 1 medium onion into small pieces and peel and slice 4 small potatoes into half circles.

Chopped onion and potato slices on wood cutting board all on white table.

LAYER potatoes, 1 pound of baby carrots, and chopped onion in Crock Pot seasoning each layer with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pieces of raw baby carrots, potatoes, and onion in white Crock Pot insert.

POUR 10.5 ounces of canned tomato soup, 2 cups of beef broth, and 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce over the vegetables in the Crock Pot.

Raw vegetables in Crock Pot insert covered in tomato soup and beef broth.

ADD ground beef on top of the vegetables and stir everything to combine.

Cooked ground beef and raw vegetables in Crock Pot insert.

COVER and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

ONCE the vegetables are soft, remove the lid and add 12 ounces of frozen peas. Stir to combine, turn the Crock Pot to warm and allow the peas to defrost, about 5-10 minutes.

Pile of frozen peas on top of cooked hamburger stew in white Crock Pot insert.

Serve immediately.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Crock Pot insert with cooked hamburger stew, plate of scones, and wooden spoon on table.

The cook time for this recipe will be a little different based on what type of slow cooker you’re using. Mine is a 7 quart Crock Pot that cooks very fast, so this recipe is usually done in 3-4 hours on low. The cook times listed in this recipe are a suggestion, so you may need to adjust depending on how your slow cooker cooks.

I usually substitute ground turkey for ground beef in my dinners, so you can do that in this stew recipe to save some calories and fat.

If you don’t like baby carrots or don’t have any on hand, you can slice 2-3 medium carrots into one-inch pieces. Alternatively, you can cut your baby carrots in half if you’d like to have smaller pieces.

If you’re short on time (or forget to start this stew early enough in the day to cook it on low) you can cook this on high for 3-4 hours. The taste is better if you cook it on low, but sometimes you don’t have 7-9 hours!

If after cooking you’d like to add more liquid, you can add up to a cup of beef broth or water.

Even after draining the ground beef, you may still have some grease in the stew after cooking. You can use a grease mop or even a paper towel to remove some of the grease before serving. Just be careful if you’re using a paper towel not to burn yourself on the hot broth.

You can try these substitutes for beef broth if you don’t have any on hand.

More Like This

Close up of hamburger stew in Crock Pot with wooden spoon.

Looking for more soup recipes? Try these!

Recipe Costs

This recipe costs $13.72 to make which is $1.72 a serving! If you can find the ground beef on sale, you’ll pay even less.

  • Ground beef – $4.98 (get organic grass fed ground beef in bulk at Sam’s Club or Costco to save!)
  • Onion – $0.60
  • Potatoes – $2.52
  • Baby carrots – $1.99
  • Salt and pepper – $0.05
  • Tomato soup – $1.39
  • Beef broth – $0.79
  • Worcestershire sauce – $0.15
  • Frozen peas – $1.25

FAQs

Ground beef stew in white bowl on table with spoon, towel, and plate of scones nearby.
Can you put raw hamburger in the crock pot?

You can put raw hamburger in a Crock Pot, BUT this may cause your dish to be overly greasy and it may not get cooked throughly.

I prefer browning ground beef and draining it for most dishes. You can also get some nice caramelization from browning first, which enhances the flavor!

How do you drain grease from ground beef?


Put your browned ground beef into a colander and drain it into a cold dish or pan. The cold dish will make the grease quickly firm up. You can, then, scrape the grease into a can or anything else you plan to throw in the trash.

If you drain your beef into your sink, make sure to run hot water for several minutes after (and be prepared for possible plumbing issues down the road)!

How long is hamburger stew good for?


This hamburger stew will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Once the stew has cooled, but it into an airtight container. To reheat, put a single serving in a microwave safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl and heat on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Give the stew a stir and enjoy.

I hope your family loves this delicious Crock Pot hamburger stew! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!

 

And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!

Bowl of hamburger stew with potatoes and carrots on table with plate of scones nearby.

Simple Crock Pot Hamburger Stew

The Ashcroft Family Table
This simple Crock Pot Hamburger Stew features browned hamburger, potatoes, carrots, peas, and onions and is a cinch to throw together!
4.19 from 11 votes
$13.72 per recipe / $1.72 per serving
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 285 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3-4 small potatoes
  • 1 pound baby carrots, chopped if desired
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 10.5 ounces canned tomato soup
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 12 ounces frozen peas, partially thawed

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground beef in a frying pan until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
  • While the ground beef is cooking, chop onion into small pieces and peel and slice potatoes into half circles.
  • Layer potatoes, chopped onion, and baby carrots in Crock Pot, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper.
  • Pour tomato soup, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce over the vegetables in the Crock Pot.
  • Add ground beef on top of the vegetables and stir everything to combine.
  • Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Once the vegetables are soft, remove the lid and add frozen peas. Stir to combine, turn the Crock Pot to warm and allow the peas to defrost.
  • Serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 526mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 12008IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg
Keyword crock pot hamburger stew, hamburger stew crock pot recipe, hamburger stew recipe, slow cooker hamburger stew, stew with hamburger meat
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4.19 from 11 votes (11 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Blondie

Sunday 28th of August 2022

What soup could you substitute for tomato? Really just hate tomato soup.

Jessica Ashcroft

Sunday 28th of August 2022

I’ve never not used tomato, but if you don’t like the taste, I would think you could substitute tomato saice or just some stewed tomatoes!