A roux-based stew made using a quick cooking ground beef instead of a roast, and a shortcut of frozen vegetables. Pictured here with my Old-Fashioned Lard Biscuits.
Hamburger Stew
If you happened to see my previous post for Old-Fashioned Lard Biscuits, you probably saw a bowl of this Hamburger Stew there, so I figured I'd slide this one in before Spring is upon us, although it's fast approaching!
Nevermind that the forecast says we'll be in the high 30s when it does roll in!
Not that seasons mean a thing to those of us in the South when it comes to food. We don't really have much of a Winter season down here to begin with, but yes, even in the heat of Summer you'll find us making a gumbo, or even a soup or a stew... if that's what we want!
Just a quick reminder.... if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips, product recommendations and such on a blog, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Beef stew is the more common one, but since it usually utilizes a more tough cut of beef roast and requires a long stew, it takes quite a bit of time.
Enter Hamburger Stew, made using a quick cooking ground beef instead of a roast, and a shortcut of frozen vegetables. Mine also has a roux base and today I'm using another shortcut!
Here's what you'll need to make my Hamburger Stew:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup homemade or prepared dark roux (like Savoie's brand)
- 2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
- 2 to 3 cups beef stock or broth
- 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (like Rotel), undrained
- 1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables or peas and carrots, thawed
- Salt, pepper and Creole/Cajun seasoning, to taste
Today I'm using ground beef from Meriwether Farms, a Wyoming Ranch. I've gotten to where I rarely buy grocery store meat anymore because frankly, I have no idea where it's sourced from and my trust is wavering. I'd rather support independent farms and ranchers from around the country anyway, and there are a few places I purchase from regularly, Good Ranchers, Good Chop and Meriwether Farms, which is where I've been buying beef in bulk for my freezer.
It just has an altogether different look and the flavor is outstanding, plus they offer grain finished, grass finished and an ancestral blend in their ground beef offerings, plus they have all of the other cuts too.
Brown the ground beef over medium heat in a soup pot until cooked through and using your chopper (#ad) to break it down as it cooks. Drain and return to pot.
Add onion and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the garlic.
Add the Italian seasonings and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly.
I like to use a roux in this stew and today I'm shortcutting with a premade, jarred roux. It's a great time saver and identical to what you would make on your own stove or oven - minus the time, and the burns!
If y'all have been around here any length of time you know that a roux isn't my favorite thing to cook and a dark roux? Yeah, that just ain't happening much in my kitchen!
Thankfully there are several brands available online (#ad) - Savoie's, Richard's, Ragin' Cajun, Kary's and Acadian Kitchen are a few of the more well known brands.
Dark roux can have a heavy, strong flavor, so if you don't like that, there are jarred rouxs available in a lighter version also, or you can also just make your own roux to the level you prefer. If making your own roux, you'll need about 1/2 cup. You can also just use a little cornstarch slurry at the end to act as a thickener instead.
Add the roux to the ground beef and onion mixture.
Stir in long enough to warm through.
Add the beef broth.
Blend in.
Add the undrained tomatoes.
Blend in.
Add the potatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the frozen vegetables and return to a boil. Typically I like to use frozen peas and carrots, but this time I accidentally grabbed mixed veggies and didn't realize it until I'd already poured them into the stew. As you can see, I also forgot to get them out early enough to thaw! Oh well...
Reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Since I forgot to thaw my veggies by the time I needed to add them, I had to simmer a tad bit longer this time, since they brought the temperature of my stew down.
Blend in.
Add the undrained tomatoes.
Blend in.
Add the potatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the frozen vegetables and return to a boil. Typically I like to use frozen peas and carrots, but this time I accidentally grabbed mixed veggies and didn't realize it until I'd already poured them into the stew. As you can see, I also forgot to get them out early enough to thaw! Oh well...
Reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Since I forgot to thaw my veggies by the time I needed to add them, I had to simmer a tad bit longer this time, since they brought the temperature of my stew down.
Taste and season as needed with salt, pepper and Cajun or Creole seasoning.
Serve with biscuits, rolls, crackers or cornbread.
For more of my favorite stew recipes, check out this collection on my Pinterest page!
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