Cowboy Stew - All the cowboys, cowgirls, and meat lovers are going to LOVE this EASY stew recipe with ground beef, bacon, and sausage! There are also beans, potatoes, and corn simmered in a flavorful chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin broth. Ready in 45 minutes, this is pure hearty comfort food that the whole family will enjoy!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Beef
Servings: 8
Calories: 829kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1poundlean ground beefI recommend about 90% lean
6slicesbaconstacked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
12ouncepackage Polish sausage or kielbasa*beef, pork, or turkey, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1small yellow or white onion. diced small
3 to 5clovesgarlicfinely minced
¾poundYukon gold or red potatoesdiced into 1-inch pieces
2 to 3teaspoonschili powderor more or less to taste
1teaspoonsmoked paprikaor more to taste
1teaspooncuminor more to taste
1teaspoonsaltor to taste
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
Cayenne pepperoptional and to taste
Fresh cilantrofor garnishing
Instructions
To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the ground beef and cook over medium-high heat. Stir and crumble the beef as it cooks to ensure even cooking and browning. After it's done, remove it with a slotted spoon, set it aside, and drain the grease.
Add the bacon to the Dutch oven or pot, and cook until crisp. Stir and flip as it cooks to ensure even cooking and crisping. After it's done, remove it with a slotted spoon, set it on top of the beef; and do not drain the grease this time.
Add the sausage, onions, and cook them in the bacon grease until the sausage has browned and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir and flip frequently.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir constantly (if you're making this on the stove, move on to Step 5). For Slow Cooking - Up until now, you perform all the steps the same in the recipe, one through four. This is where now after you've cooked the garlic, you'll transfer everything into a large 7 to 8-quart slow cooker, cover, and slow cook on HIGH for about 2 to 3 hours, or on LOW for about 4 to 5 hours. It's the potatoes that you want to make sure are fully cooked through and will ultimately deterine cook time. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments, garnish with cilantro and serve.
Add all remaining ingredients (except the cilantro), and simmer uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and done. If the stew is still too brothy, simmer it for additional time so some liquid evaporates. If it's too thick, add additional beef broth, as desired.
Taste the soup and make any necessary flavor and seasoning adjustments. Seasoning Tips - If the soup tastes at all flat, dull, or boring, it likely needs salt, so add some, to taste. I also add about double the above listed quantities of chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin, and if you like bolder flavors, follow my lead. Cayenne is optional and doesn't make the soup overtly spicy but rather adds depth of flavor. With any spices, always add them to your personal taste preferences.
Garnish with fresh cilantro to really brighten up the flavor profile (or try a squirt of fresh lime juice), and serve immediately. Stew will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. Tip - Store it in smaller-to mid-sized containers, especially if freezing it, for easier thawing and faster reheating.
Notes
*Sausage – Select pre-cooked sausage, many times sold in a U-shaped “ring” or package, many times labeled Polish sausage or kielbasa. You can use beef, pork, or turkey sausage.Tip: I don’t like sausage links in casings as much for this because not only do you have to deal with the casings, but if you take them off, you essentially wind up with ground sausage very similar to the ground beef above. Whereas if you use cooked sausage, you can slice it before you brown it, and it retains its texture so that you have three distinct textures with the proteins. Nutrition Stats - While I do not deem this stew "lite", the bacon grease is discarded when you actually make the recipe. However, that's not accounted for in the automated nutrition stats that are generated. Therefore, in my opinion, the stats are skewing artificially high.