Ground Beef Stew

5 from 42 votes

This hearty ground beef stew is a simple, budget-friendly one-pot meal made in a Dutch oven. Packed with tender potatoes, carrots, green beans, and savory broth, it delivers rich, slow-simmered flavor in under an hour. Perfect for weeknights, meal prep, or even campfire cooking.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 606kcal

Author: Ned Adams

Equipment

6 quart Dutch Oven or camp oven (or larger)

Ingredients

3 lbs ground beef lean
1 cup onion diced
1 cup celery 3 ribs; diced
1 ½ cups carrots about 4; diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 tablespoon fresh; minced
1 ½ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 cups beef broth
4 russet potatoes large; cubed
1 lb green beans trimmed
2 bay leaves
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup peas
2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

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Instructions

Heat the Dutch oven over medium high heat; once hot crumble in the ground beef.
Once the beef is halfway cooked, add in the onions, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well and cook until the beef is done.
Add in the potatoes, green beans, broth, and bay leaves. Stir to thoroughly mix everything together. Remove 1 cup of the broth and set aside.
Bring to a boil for 10 minutes or until the vegetables, especially the potatoes are fork tender. The liquid will begin to reduce.
While the stew is boiling, add the tomato paste to a medium bowl and whisk in the reserved broth until smooth.
Once the vegetables are cooked through, reduce the heat to medium and completely stir in the smoothed tomato paste.
Mix in the peas and parsley; allow to cook at a low simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy.

Notes

Cut Vegetables Evenly: Chop carrots, celery, and potatoes into similar-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate and stay tender without turning mushy.
Simmer Uncovered to Thicken: If the broth seems thin at the end, remove the lid and let the stew simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes to naturally concentrate and thicken.
Camping Adjustments: Stir the tomato paste directly into the pot and mix thoroughly so it fully dissolves and doesn’t clump. Prep vegetables and brown the meat ahead of time for easier camp cooking, but wait to cut the potatoes until you’re ready to cook so they don’t brown. To lighten your load, use water with granulated bouillon instead of broth — just taste before adding extra salt.

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