Cowboy Stew

This simple Cowboy Stew recipe is made with three tasty meats for full flavor. Salty applewood bacon, juicy ground beef, and sausage slices get mixed with a variety of beans and southwestern spices to make one hearty dinner. It is the perfect stew to warm you up all winter long!

If you love stew recipes, you are going to love Cowboy Stew and more! This Roasted Garlic Potato Soup is packed with flavor and nutrients and is said to even be a hangover cure. Another popular soup with Mexican inspired flavor is our Weight Watchers Taco Soup, it is easy and delicious!

Stew is perfect comfort food, especially when it’s icy cold outside. One hot bowl fills you up and warms you up. It is one of the best winter dinner ideas.

This particular stew is the kind of dinner that sticks to your ribs. It is seriously packed full of delicious ingredients. I mean, it’s made with three different types of meat. You can’t go wrong with all of that meat.

Sliced rounds of beef sausage, crispy bacon, and ground sirloin all go into this stew! You could even use hot dogs if that is what you have on hand.

Along with the meat are big chunks of potatoes, two types of beans, sweet corn and tomatoes, all in a flavorful, savory broth. If you love potato soup, this Irish potato soup is so simple to make and only 5 ingredients.

Also, this is a one-pot meal! Less dishes equals the best kinds of dinners in my book. It’s a cozy dinner that your family is going to love.

What is Cowboy Stew Made of?

It’s definitely not made of cowboys, lol! It is, however, made with some delicious vegetables diced onion, corn, and potatoes. It is well seasoned with some Tex-Mex flavors like chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.

We keep this stew chunky by adding just a little bit of beef broth. Plus, there is all of the meat added if you didn’t see it above or in the pictures. The bacon starts off crunchy but softens as it cooks into the stew. Hamburger meat gets browned and seasoned to perfection. Sliced sausage is added for even more flavor.

If you are a meat lover this is the stew for you!

Why is it called Cowboy Stew?

Also known as Rancher’s stew, it’s a hearty meal that was well-suited to the cowboy way of life. Whether on a cattle drive or working the ranch, filling recipes are a must! This stew is easy to make on the go over a campfire and it serves a big group.

How to make Stew Nice and Thick

The key to make this old-fashioned cowboy stew really thick and chunky, is to use less liquid. So in this case, we are using less stock than you would typically add into a soup. If you want it more liquidy, just add more broth or water.

Cowboy Stew Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients to make this Texas stew. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and ingredients.

• Bacon: I like to use applewood bacon, but any bacon will work. I use 5 or 6 slices, .
• Onion: One large yellow onion that has been diced into small pieces.
• Garlic: Add more or less depending on your tastes. The garlic will need to be minced, I use a garlic press.
• Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef or ground sirloin.
• Seasoning: You will need a variety of seasonings. Salt, black pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, and smoked paprika.
• Potatoes: You can use russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or yellow potatoes. You could even try sweet potatoes. They will need to be washed, peeled, and cut into chunks.
• Beans: Beans add even more protein to this dish. I use a can each of pinto beans and kidney beans. Add two cans of each to bulk up this stew.
• Green Chiles: One can of mild green chilies.
• Broth: I prefer to use beef broth or beef stock, but vegetable broth or chicken broth will also work.
• Whole Kernel Corn: I like to use one can of sweet corn.
• Diced Tomatoes: Either regular diced tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes. I like to use no salt added, to control the amount of salt that gets added.
• Smoked Sausage: One package of kielbasa sausage or beef sausage.

How to Make Cowboy Stew

Check out the recipe card below for full instructions on how to make cowboy stew!

• In a large Dutch oven, large pot or soup pot, add in the cut up bacon over medium-high heat. Cook until the bacon bits are crispy, then scoop the bacon up with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside. Drain the excess bacon fat, keeping about one tablespoon in the pan to sauté the onions. If I’m not using it in another recipe, I like to pour excess grease into one of my empty bean cans then let it cool and toss.
• Add the diced onion over medium heat until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add the ground beef, sprinkle on some of the salt and pepper. Cook until browned over medium heat, drain off any excess fat.
• Add all of the seasonings and broth to the pot and mix well.
• Next, add all of the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
• Bring the mixture up to a simmer, then reduce the heat down to low. Cover the pot and let cook.

What to Serve with Cowboy Stew

There are so many options to serve with stew, go with your favorite (or favorites!). Let me know in the comments what you serve with your stew.

• Cornbread or cornbread muffins
• French Bread or your favorite bread (even sandwich bread will work)
• Crackers
• Flour or corn tortillas
• Coleslaw
• Rice
• Corn chips
• Green side salad
• Fruit

What are good toppings for Cowboy Stew

If we aren’t eating the soup as is, we love to load up on these toppings. Let me know in the comments if you have more ideas!

• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Diced fresh tomatoes
• Guacamole
• Hot Sauce
• Cheese
• Cilantro
• Flat leaf parsley
• Sliced jalapenos
• Green onions
• Tortilla strips
• Crushed crackers or chips
• Brine from a jar of pepperoncinis
• Make a little extra bacon and keep some aside to add on top.

Can I make Cowboy Hamburger Stew in the Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can. Sauté the bacon in a large skillet, move bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Soften the diced onions in about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease, then cook garlic for 1 minute. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Once cooked, add the beef, bacon and all of the remaining ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Can I make Cowboy Stew in the Instant Pot?

Yes! Sauté the bacon in the instant pot using the sauté button, move bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Soften the diced onions in about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease, then cook garlic for 1 minute. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Once cooked, add the beef, bacon and all of the remaining ingredients into the instant pot. Secure the lid in place. Set the pressure release valve to seal the pot. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and do a quick release to release pressure.

Tips for Success

• Use high quality meats for the best tasting stew.
• Adjust seasonings as you like.
• Add toppings for even more flavor in your stew.
• Use low sodium tomatoes and low sodium broth, then add the amount of salt you would like.

Recipe Variations

• Add veggies. Add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to the mix. Or add your favorite canned vegetables.
• Make it cowboy soup. To make it soup, you just need to add more liquid. Add in 5 cups of broth instead of 3 cups.
• Use different beans. Instead of one can of pinto beans and one can of kidney beans, you could use two cans of pintos or kidney beans. Or use ranch style beans, chili beans, black beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, or red beans. You can even use baked beans like Bush’s, just keep in mind that this will make the stew sweet.
• Make it spicy stew. Add in 1-2 canned chipotle peppers, jalapeño peppers, or red pepper flakes to make it spicy cowboy stew.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories in cowboy stew? If the stew is divided into 8 servings, there are about 218 calories per bowl.

Can I use frozen corn instead of canned corn? Definitely. Substitute in a bag of frozen corn, you don’t even need to thaw it out. You could also use fresh corn.

Could I use ground turkey or ground chicken instead? You could substitute ground turkey or chicken in for the ground beef. I recommend using 90% ground turkey. Since ground chicken is much lower in fat content it will be a little drier.

Do I have to peel the potatoes? This is entirely up to you and your preferences. I definitely like to peel them if I’m using russets because the skin is a bit thicker and tougher. If I use Yukon golds or yellow potatoes, the skin is thin and delicate so sometimes I leave the skins on.

How to Store & Reheat Cowboy Stew

Let the stew cool and then put into an airtight container. It should last about 4 days in the fridge.

How do you reheat the stew? Reheat the stew on the stove over medium-high heat until desired temperature is reached. Or heat in the microwave until heated through.

Can I Freeze Cowboy Stew?

How to freeze it? If you are planning on freezing this stew, make it without the potatoes. Potatoes don’t freeze well, they become mealy once they are thawed out. So, either leave out the potatoes completely or add some cooked potatoes to the stew after it has thawed.

To freeze stew, cool it completely before putting into an air tight container that’s freezer safe. It can be frozen for 3-6 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.

How to thaw it? Thaw frozen cooked stew in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted.

Try these other dinner recipes!

• Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Simple Irish Potato Soup
• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
• Sopa de Lentejas Mexican Lentil Soup with Chorizo
• Italian Lentil Soup

If you’ve tried this Texas-style cowboy stew recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes.

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