4-Ingredient Easy and Hearty Ground Beef Hobo Stew
This hearty, meaty hobo stew is perfect for a cold, rainy day. You can also make it camping!
This delicious meal goes by many names: hobo stew, mulligan stew, campfire stew, or kitchen sink soup. It’s very simple, can be made in 15 minutes, and is filling and flavorful. Pair it with a crusty homemade bread for the perfect dinner.
This is actually my family’s go-to recipe when camping. You can make it four ways – in a dutch oven , in a crock pot, on the stovetop, or as a foil dinner. I’ll give stovetop, dutch oven, crockpot, and foil dinner cooking instructions below!
What’s in 4-ingredient hobo stew?
There are tons of versions of this recipe, all floating around with different ingredients. The version my family makes when camping uses these four. When we camp, we use the stable, pantry staple option.
- Ground Beef: You can use a different kind of meat for this, like ground turkey, hot dogs, ground pork, or meatless crumbles.
- Mixed Vegetables: This recipe is very forgiving. Use your favorite fresh vegetables, a frozen mixture of veggies, or even canned mixed veggies. We love fresh carrots, bell peppers, lima beans, and green beans.
- Baked Beans: Use any brand or flavor you’d like! You’ll need the 24 oz can.
- Potatoes: I typically use russet potatoes in this recipe, but you can also use red potatoes, or canned potatoes.
Making hobo stew on the stovetop
Step 1 | Chop
If you’re using fresh veggies and potatoes, chop them into 1 inch pieces. I remove the skin on russet potatoes, but leave it on for red potatoes. Your choice!
For canned veggies and potatoes, you can drain them now so they’re ready to add in step 3.
Step 2 | Brown
In a large pot, brown your ground beef over medium heat. You can season the meat with salt and pepper, if you’d like!
When the meat is browned, pour off the grease.
Step 3 | Mix
Add the chopped veggies and potatoes to the ground beef. Dump in the baked beans, including all the juice.
If you want a thinner stew, you can fill the baked bean can half way with water and pour that in with the rest of the ingredients. Use as much liquid as you would to get the thickness you want!
Give everything a good stir.
Step 4 | Simmer
Lower the heat and let the stew simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 5 | Enjoy!
When the potatoes are soft, your hobo stew is ready to eat! You can top this with fresh herbs, cracked black pepper, or even grated cheese.
Crockpot, Dutch Oven, and Foil Dinner Instructions
- Crockpot: Brown the ground beef, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4.
- Dutch Oven: Prepare 30 charcoal briquettes. Let them burn for 20 minutes, or until they turn gray. Place 15 under the dutch oven and let it heat through. Add a little oil to the bottom of the dutch oven and brown the ground beef. When the beef is browned, add the other ingredients, stir them, then cover. Add the other 15 briquettes to the lid. Allow the soup to cook for 1 hour.
- Foil Dinner: Let your campfire burn until your coals get ashy. Lay out two pieces of foil in a cross shape to make one packet. This recipe makes 4-6 packets depending on size. Split the ingredients between the packets, then wrap them tightly in the foil. Place them on the coals and allow them to cook for 45-60 minutes. Rotate them every 15-20 minutes to ensure even cooking.
FAQs
Common choices include potatoes, carrots, onions, corn, green beans, and tomatoes. You can use fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables depending on what you have on hand.
Yes. Let the stew cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Definitely! Hobo stew tastes even better the next day. Just store it in the refrigerator and reheat when ready to serve.
Let the stew cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium potatoes
- 1 lb ground beef
- 12 oz frozen mixed vegetables
- 24 oz baked beans
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes into 1 inch chunks.
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef. When the ground beef is browned through, drain the grease.
- Add the potatoes, baked beans with their liquid, and the frozen vegetables to the pot. Stir it. If you'd like a thinner stew, add water to thin.
- Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Serve soup warm.
I remember making campfire stew when I was in Girl Scouts.
I have been searching for this recipe for years.
Bravo for making this easy recipe again.
I can’t wait to serve it.