My Grandaddy loved stews and soups and this Ground Beef Stew was one of his favorites. He had a special bowl that he liked to eat stew out of and Grandmama always served him in that bowl.
My Grandaddy loved stews and soups and this Ground Beef Stew was one of his favorites. He had a special bowl that he liked to eat stew out of and Grandmama always served him in that bowl.
I have one rule in my house about mornings, I don’t care how early you get up as long as you wake up happy. From my experience it’s not very difficult to do.
A Positive Attitude
A positive attitude will bring you happiness every time, so why not start your day off with one? Even if you find yourself having to go back in your own bedroom and come out again! ~grins~
And to make your day a little brighter, here is a fuss free, economical, and delicious beef stew to warm you from the inside out. I just love stew weather!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Potatoes, Carrots
- Onions
- Diced tomatoes
- Green Beans
- Beef Bouillon Cubes
- Ground Beef
- 1-2 cans of Spicy Hot V-8 juice
You can use beef broth in place of the bouillon cubes but I prefer them because they are less expensive and take up less space when storing them (a small container of these cubes makes about as much broth as twenty five cans of beef broth). You can also substitute some other bean of your preference for the green beans or add any number of other vegetables.
Stews are great to tweak and really make them your own. Play! have fun!
I decided to bring this stew to you using ground beef because it is so economical and most of us have it on hand. This stew is incredibly flavorful and easily adapted to what you have in your pantry and freezer.
I have one special ingredient that I do hope you’ll try though, and that is Spicy Hot V-8 juice. This is what gives my stew such a full bodied flavor without me having to cook it all day and add a gazillion different spices. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t make it hot at all – I promise!
Have you ever had the beef stew from Cracker Barrel? To me, this ground beef stew made with spicy V-8 tastes a lot like that.
- Peel and dice your carrots, potatoes, and onion. Place in a large pot.
As a shortcut you can use a 1 pound bag of frozen cubed hash browns for the potatoes. 🙂
- Add can of tomatoes and bag of frozen green beans.
Exact quantities are in the printable recipe card at the bottom.
- Add four bouillon cubes and two cups of water.
- Add in Spicy Hot V-8 juice.
I am using two cans in mine but you can use one and taste it to see if you want to use the second.
I used two and it still wasn’t hot, just very flavorful.
- Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat and cover and simmer for an hour or so, until vegetables are tender.
- Add ground beef to complete your ground beef stew.
- Stir in a teaspoon of salt.
You won’t need any pepper because of the V-8 juice but you should salt it to your personal taste. I like to salt it shortly before serving because that gives me a chance to taste the finished product and see about how much it needs.
- Serve with crackers or cornbread.
This ground beef stew freezes well so its still great to make if cooking for fewer people. I use those Rubbermaid sandwich size containers since they are shallow and it heats up easier for a nice lunch or supper for one or two. I hope you get to make this heartwarming meal soon!
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained, or see note
- 2-3 Carrots diced
- 1 Onion peeled and chopped
- 5-6 potatoes peeled and diced
- 2-3 cups frozen green beans
- 29 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1-2 6 ounce Cans Spicy Hot V-8 juice I use two
- 2 cups water
- 4 Beef Boullion Cubes or 4 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
Instructions
- Place everything in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmering. Cover and cook for an hour or until vegetables are desired tenderness. Even better reheated the next day!
- This ground beef stew freezes well so its still great to make if cooking for fewer people. I use those Rubbermaid sandwich size containers since they are shallow and it heats up easier for a nice lunch or supper for one or two. I hope you get to make this heartwarming meal soon!
Video
Notes
- This can be assembled in the morning and put in your slow cooker all day on low.
- If ground beef is lean, there is no need to cook it ahead of time, just crumble it up or break off bite size chunks and you can add it in raw. Otherwise, precook it and add in.
- Freezes well. I freeze mine in sandwich size containers for easy reheating as single meals.
Nutrition
TIP: My beef is already browned and waiting happily for me in the freezer to save making another mess.
To see how I process large quantities of ground beef with ease, click here.
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By the way, you may also like these stew recipes”
Budget Friendly & Delicious Lentil Stew
This ground beef stew recipe featured on Meal Plan Monday
I can’t wait to try your stew recipe! If I didn’t already have supper planned, I make it today.
My husband is picky about his bowls too. A year or so ago I bought some really cute dishes that are taupe on the outside and black on the inside. He refuses to eat out of the bowls or drink coffee out of the cups. He says the black interior makes the food look funny so he went to Big Lots and bought some big white bowls and mugs. Go figure!
I’ve been making Christy’s recipe ever since she first published it and I can attest to the fact that it’s a winner. The Spicy V-8 is truly the difference! It’s about that time again here in North Alabama. The days are still hot and muggy, but early mornings often have that feeling of fall. There’s just a difference in the stillness! Make this recipe without reservations. I think you’ll love it!
Thank you so much for your comment. Blessings to you 🙂
Ohhhhhh….am I the first to comment? This looks great! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Kyra!
One of these days I’m gonna have something to give the first commentor! lol
Thank you!!
Gratefully,
Christy
oh, let it be meeeeee.
I’ve made hamburger stew (aka poor man’s stew) for years. I’ve never used green beans or a tomato base. My version has peas and a beef gravy base, just like I do for my regular beef stew. It is a popular dish at out house with hot buttered biscuits.
I’m going to try this, sounds like it might get in the meal rotation sometimes.
I think it’s an amazing twist to a classic for me as a kid growing up in the south, I truly appreciate this recipe because it pairs well with a hot grilled cheese sandwich on a cold fall or winter day. This soup you just can’t go wrong.
I made this stew last night. I added a little more salt and a little sugar to cut the tartness of the canned tomatoes. We all enjoyed it very much.
Hey Christy,
I’m trying this this weekend using my homegrown green beans and tomatoes I froze! I can’t wait! Sounds so yummy. Hubby and I are real soup people when cool weather hits. This soup has lots of good veggies in it…right up our alley!
Sounds like some cabbage would be a good addition, (I love cabbage) but I’ll wait and see if this soup actually tastes like my brain tells me will.
Sorry I meant Stew. Lol
See ya on the front porch!
My Dad’s favorite soup/stew/icecream bowl was a Pyrex bowl exactly like your Granddaddy’s bowl – just a different pattern! After my dad died, I kept the bowl, it had real sentimental value to me. Sadly, a few years later it got broken but I saved the biggest piece and still have it today in the bottom of my jewelry box. It brings up a wave of warm fuzzy feelings whenever I take it out & look at it. Amazing how such simple things can mean more to us than any amount of money or jewels! 🙂 I’m going to try your Ground Beef Stew – it looks yummy – just the type of dish my Dad would have loved to eat – out of his favorite bowl!
Just in time for a little cool snap next week! Well, as cool as Alabama gets, I guess. Thanks for sharing! This looks yummy!
Girl I make my veggie soup the exact same way, except I use the largest V8 juice can and its regular, but I don’t add water, but I use canned veggies and I use the liquids out of that and it is soooo yummy! I actually made this the other day when my hubby got sick. It made him feel better too! hehehe…a good wife know’s how to make the hubs feel better! Talk to ya later. Hope u have a good day!
I can’t wait to try this one!! Yum!!
It’s going to be in lower 30s here for several nights. I think this is going to be on my menu soon.