Slow-Cooker Cowboy Stew With Ground Beef Recipe

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 05/21/22
Cowboy Stew

bhofack2 / Getty Images

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 hrs
Total: 5 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 10 cups

The name of this beef and bean stew makes it all the more appealing to kids. Who wouldn't want to sit down to a big bowl of "cowboy" stew? It's an excellent lunch or a quick and easy supper with cornbread muffins or crusty rolls.

The slow cooker makes this especially easy, perfect for a busy day when you have a thousand other things to do. While it's not quite a "dump and go" slow-cooker meal, it requires just a few minutes of prep and dirties only one skillet.

This recipe is a cinch to adapt. Using the base of beef and beans, you can take it in more of a south-of-the-border direction by browning the ground beef with a packet of taco seasoning, up the spice ante by adding a chopped jalapeno when you sauté the onion, or even give it gaucho style with steak sauce and garlicky chimichurri.

 

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 1 pound ground beef (or ground chuck)

  • 15 ounces canned chili beans

  • 15 ounces canned pork and beans

  • 12 to 15 ounces canned cream style corn

  • 15 ounces canned tomato sauce

  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (or red bell pepper)

  • 1/4 cup sour cream (for garnish, or shredded cheese)

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.

  2. Add the onion and bell pepper, if desired. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.

  3. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring often and breaking up any large clumps of meat, until no pink remains. Drain well.

  4. Combine the beef mixture in the slow cooker with the beans, cream-style corn, and tomato sauce; cover and cook on low for 5 to 8 hours.

Recipe Variations

  • Add some mild green chili peppers instead of or in addition to the red or green bell peppers.
  • Replace the cream-style corn with whole kernel corn or a can of hominy, rinsed and drained. Add water or broth a tablespoon at a time if the stew seems too thick.
  • Substitute for prepared chili beans with 1/4 cup of broth, 2 teaspoons of chili powder, and one can of pinto beans, small red beans, navy beans, or great northern beans.
  • Swap the ground beef for diced steak and smoked sausage; skip the browning step and just throw everything into the slow cooker.
  • Add 2 slices thick bacon, browned, drained, and chopped, to the slow cooker when you combine all of the ingredients. For even more flavor, sauté the vegetables in the rendered bacon fat instead of oil.
  • Give it gaucho style by swapping up to 1/4 cup of your favorite steak sauce for an equal measure of tomato sauce, then topping each bowl with a dollop of garlicky chimichurri sauce before you serve.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
459 Calories
18g Fat
48g Carbs
30g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 459
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 1425mg 62%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 17%
Dietary Fiber 10g 34%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 22mg 108%
Calcium 103mg 8%
Iron 6mg 32%
Potassium 1228mg 26%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)