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Hamburger Stew is hearty and delicious. Affordable ground beef is combined with tender vegetables in a rich and comforting stew.
Hi everyone – it’s Jack again. This Hamburger Stew is a delicious, yet inexpensive way to feed a hungry crowd for dinner – and you might even have leftovers to enjoy the following day.
I constructed this Hamburger Stew recipe in stages to help build flavor as it cooks. But my goal – after some initial browning and sautéing – was to let the oven do most of the work.
How do I make Hamburger Stew?
You’ll want to select a large, oven-safe Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with cover for this Hamburger Stew recipe.
Start by browning two pounds of ground beef, then strain the beef into a bowl – saving the cooking liquid, but skimming off any excess fat.
Next, sauté celery and onions until translucent, then add the cooked ground beef back to the pot. Add tomato paste, dry thyme, chopped fresh garlic, and black pepper to the pot and cook for a few more minutes.
Then, deglaze the pot with balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in flour and cook for two more minutes, then add red wine to deglaze the pot one more time and simmer to reduce.
Pour in the reserved cooking liquid from browning the beef, beef stock, and gravy seasoning sauce and stir to combine – then cover and place the pot in the oven. After one hour of cooking, add carrots, potatoes and green beans to the stew and cook for another hour. Test the vegetables for doneness and cook longer (if needed) until the vegetables are tender.
Season as needed, then serve with some nice crusty Garlic Bread on the side.
Can I make this Hamburger Stew in the slow cooker?
In theory – yes, you can. But a slow cooker won’t allow you to achieve the same depth of flavor as cooking this Hamburger Stew in the oven.
A slow cooker essentially steam cooks food, while braising (even covered) will allow the liquids to reduce and foods to caramelize. Additionally, the texture of foods (especially vegetables) aren’t ever really the same as when you braise them – so because of that, we prefer oven-braising this stew recipe.
You may enjoy these other stew recipes:
- Boy Scout Stew
- Beef Stew with Dumplings
- Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew)
- Scottiglia (Mixed Meat Stew)
- Autumn Pork Stew
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Hamburger Stew
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
4 tablespoons butter
3 large stalks celery cut into 1” pieces
2 1/2 cups onion cut into 1” pieces
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bold red wine, such as Merlot or Burgundy
5 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon gravy seasoning and coloring sauce, such as Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound green beans cut into bite sized pieces
Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large Dutch oven that has a lid, heat oil over medium high heat and once shimmering, add the ground beef and cook to brown.
Pour mixture into a strainer over a large bowl and set strainer of beef aside for a minute.
Skim off the fat that rises to the top of the bowl and discard but retain the liquid. Set the liquid aside.
Heat pan to medium high with the butter and melt, then add the celery and onions and saute for about five minutes.
Add the browned beef, thyme, black pepper, garlic and tomato paste and cook for three minutes.
Add Balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and deglaze.
Lower heat to medium and add the flour. Stir often for two minutes.
Add the wine and scrape up brown bits from bottom and sides and cook to reduce by half.
Add the reserved beef liquid, beef stock and gravy color and stir.
Cover and place in the oven for one hour.
After one hour, add the carrots, potatoes and green beans, cover and place back in the oven for another hour.
After the second hour, test vegetables for doneness and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes as needed to get them tender. Ours went for an additional 20 minutes after the second hour.
Taste and only add salt if needed. (Our beef stock was not that salty, so I added a teaspoon of kosher salt).
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This sounds truly amazing. Have two questions. Could I do half hamburger and half Italian sausage; and whirl Cab Cav work for the wine?
Thanks, Jan
Sure Janet! That would definitely work – sounds like a delicious change!
Hands down, this is the best stew that I have ever had or made. I followed the recipe to a tee, and it turned out far better than I ever thought it could. I was skeptical because I am not fond of stew and I have never liked hamburger in soups. My intention was to share this stew with my stepson and his family, but I ended up keeping it for us. It is that good. I will make him another batch another time. This stew has a deep, rich flavor, and it looks just like the picture. I would serve this to guests. I have discovered that anything I have tried from afamilyfeast has been a knock out.
Wow Cheri – thank you so much! (You made our day!) 🙂 We’re so glad you enjoyed the stew!