I thought about calling this Poor Man’s Stew, but honestly, our Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew is great for even the Queen of England on a cold night!

a magenta napkin with two antique spoons next to a blue rimmed ceramic bowl full of quick and easy ground beef stew with carrots and potatoes

Not only is this Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew delicious, but we’ve also included an instant pot stew recipe alongside it! Really, you could do a slow cooker stew as well, but to be honest, you have to cook the meat and veggies in a pot anyway so at that point you might as well finish it all off in the same pot. Though, I suppose if you were leaving home it might work better in a slow cooker until you return.

My mom’s Fabulous Oven Stew is one of my favorite things to make during the cold winter months. I love how tender and totally fall apart the meat gets, I love that it’s got a creaminess to it and I love that it gets baked in the oven like a true stew should. But the fact of the matter is, sometimes I’m in more of a hurry and I don’t always have the right meat on hand.

Ground beef is such a cheap, easy to keep in the freezer meat and the best part is, it cooks up much faster than stew meat, allowing you to get things on the table in no time at all.

a magenta napkin with two antique spoons next to a blue rimmed ceramic bowl full of quick and easy ground beef stew with carrots and potatoes

It’s Always the Random Recipes We Love

We were having an absolute blizzard a while back and I had absolutely no desire to run to the store. Usually I’m pretty well prepared with a well stocked panty, fridge and freezer, but we had just finished up Christmas and I really didn’t want to leave to get groceries so we just kept eating through what little we had.

On one particular day I knew we were in trouble. I had ground beef, 1 sprig of rosemary, a few potatoes and a few mini carrots and everything else was random like cereal, bread, condiments, eggs etc. We weren’t in the mood for breakfast for dinner so I just winged it.

And of course it’s now one of our favorite new recipes. Thank goodness I had the thought to sit down and write down everything I did!

Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew

I’m not kidding, our house wasn’t well stocked with things to really pull together a meal, but it totally ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew starts off with what I think is the most important start of any stew, the mirepoix. This creates such a sweet and flavorful beginning.

Next up we will throw in the ground beef. Now don’t underestimate the power of the Ground Beef Hamburger Chopper here. It’s the most important thing you could buy in 2019 and it’s only a few bucks. It will make your ground beef end up perfectly broken up and it’s 100 times easier to do that. I’m serious. Don’t wait, Amazon it to yourself right now.

A few more ingredients are added to build a depth of umami flavor. The flavor that gives to meaty, richer undertones. We add tomato paste, tomato sauce and beef broth. Why do we add tomato paste in addition to the sauce? It is a condensed form of that wonderful tomato flavor that is unlike a lighter tomato sauce.

A sprig of rosemary that gets removed at the end of cooking has an important role. I’ll discuss it below.

We also added some chopped Yukon Gold potatoes. Potatoes give off starch which helps to thicken the stew a bit, but it also adds more heartiness so you are really filled up after eating this delicious Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew.

a blue le creuset pot full of quick and easy ground beef stew with potatoes, carrots and parsley on top

Can I Use Russet Potatoes Instead of Yukon Gold Potatoes?

In this stew recipe you can substitute russet potatoes for the yukon potatoes. We happened to have yukon golds, plus I really like how simple and creamy they are. I especially like that I don’t have to peel them at all.

A Sprig of Rosemary

  • What is a Sprig of Rosemary? – A sprig of rosemary is one small stick of the rosemary without removing any of the leaves.
  • What is the purpose of throwing in a sprig of rosemary whole just to remove it?

Leaving a whole sprig of rosemary in a dish is a great, convenient method of adding flavor to a dish without overly making it herby and this allows you to quickly find the stick and remove it once the desired amount of rosemary flavor has seeped into the soup or stew.

  • Substitute for Rosemary Sprig- If you do not have a fresh sprig of rosemary, substitute 1/4 Teaspoon dried Rosemary. Technically it’s 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary or 1 Teaspoon of fresh rosemary, but we are not looking to add that much flavor which is why the sprig is removed at the end of cooking.

a blue le creuset pot full of quick and easy ground beef stew with potatoes, carrots and parsley on top

Mirepoix

  • What is Mirepoix?

A mirepoix is a flavorful base made from diced vegetables such as onions, garlic, celery (not in this recipe) and carrots that are cooked, usually with butter or oil, for a long time on a low heat without color or browning. It is not sautéed because the intention is to sweeten the ingredients rather than caramelize them. That’s why you’ll notice we use medium heat. never go higher than that.

a magenta napkin with two antique spoons next to a blue rimmed ceramic bowl full of quick and easy ground beef stew with carrots and potatoes

What Kind of Ground Beef for Soup and Stew

Because this is a stew you can actually use any percentage of ground beef that you’d like. If you use a more fatty ground beef, please be sure to drain off a little fat before continuing with the recipe. Failure to do so will result in a more greasy stew.

We tend to use an 85/15 or 90/10

a blue le creuset pot full of quick and easy ground beef stew with potatoes, carrots and parsley on top

What is Better Than Beef Bouillon?

You’ll notice that Better than Beef Bouillon is used versus a beef stock in this recipe. That’s for very good reason.

  • What is Better than Beef Bouillon?

Better than beef bouillon is a condensed form of beef roast base which you add water to in order to create a rich and flavorful stock.

  • Why Use Better than Beef Bouillon instead of Stock or Broth

We much prefer to use this because of how much good flavor you’ll get from it. It’s usually less salty and it’s way easier to keep on hand than a bunch of cartons or cans.

a magenta napkin with two antique spoons next to a blue rimmed ceramic bowl full of quick and easy ground beef stew with carrots and potatoes

Soup RECIPES

Looking for more soup recipes?  Award Winning Instant Pot Chili, Roasted Tomato Basil Soup, Taco Stew,  Mom’s Fabulous Slow Cooker Stew or Broccoli Cheese Soup!

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Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew

4.16 from 20 votes
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Description

I thought about calling this Poor Man's Stew, but honestly, our Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stew is great for even the Queen of England on a cold night!

Ingredients 

  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Onion, Yellow, minced
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 Bell Pepper, Red, minced
  • 1 1/2 Cups Carrots, Sliced, or more to taste
  • 1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef, 1 Pound is fine for a less meaty stew
  • 6 Potatoes, Yukon Gold, chopped
  • 1 Can Soup, Golden Mushroom
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
  • 15 ounce Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Teaspoon Beef bouillon, Better Than Beef Bouillon
  • 3/4  Teaspoon Salt , or to taste
  • 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Sprig Rosemary

Instructions

Stove Top Recipe

  • In a pot over medium heat, add the butter and as it begins to melt, add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
  • Add the bell pepper and carrots and stir again, cooking for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the ground beef, and using a meat chopper, (which you absolutely must buy because it's amazing) break up the meat while it is cooking.
  • Once the meat is browned, add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Allow the stew to cook on medium low for 1 hour.
  • Remove the rosemary and serve.

Instant Pot Recipe

  • Start the instant pot on Saute mode, add the butter and as it begins to melt, add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
  • Add the bell pepper and carrots and stir again, cooking for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the ground beef, and using a meat chopper, (which you absolutely must buy because it's amazing) break up the meat while it is cooking.
  • Once the meat is browned, add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Turn the instant pot off. Now turn it on to stew or manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
  • Turn the valve to seal.
  • Allow a natural release for 5-10 minutes.
  • Remove the rosemary and serve.

Notes

Beef stew will keep for 3-4 days, covered, in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 334kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 17gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 826mgPotassium: 746mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5102IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 100 + BEST Easy Beef Recipes for Dinner

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a magenta napkin with two antique spoons next to a blue rimmed ceramic bowl full of quick and easy ground beef stew with carrots and potatoes