Cowboy stew is a hearty one-pot meal that your family will love. It contains three different kinds of meats, beans, and vegetables. This is a “stick to your ribs” kind of dish that is absolutely delicious and simple to prepare. You’ll love this easy comfort food!

❤️WHY WE LOVE IT

Cowboy stew has a little bit of everything in it. It comes together quickly, using just one pot to prepare it. This stew is delicious and great comfort food. It consistently receives fantastic reviews—the perfect dish for a tailgate, a cold winter night, or a Sunday family dinner. If you’re a fan of hearty dishes, you’ll want to check out our brown beef stew, crockpot chicken and noodles, or sausage and cabbage casserole.

🍴KEY INGREDIENTS

Here are a few essential ingredients that make this stew delicious!

Ground Beef– we used 90/10 lean ground beef.

Smoked Sausage– adds a smokiness that brings a ton of flavor.

Bacon– another flavor maker!

Sweet corn– adds sweetness that is perfect in this dish. 

Rotel tomatoes– we use mild, but you can easily use the medium or hot Rotels for a kick!

Baked Beans-we use Bush’s country-style baked beans.

Potatoes- use golden potatoes; they cook quickly, and there is no need to peel them. Win! Win!

Chicken broth– helps bring out the richness of this stew

Spices– garlic, chili powder, and smoked paprika add great flavor and enhance the smokiness.

Flour– helps thicken the broth.

🥄SWAPS

You can easily use kielbasa instead of smoked sausage. Just don’t leave it out; it’s essential to the smokiness of this recipe!

Rotels are a brand of diced tomatoes and green chiles. You can easily use a different brand. If you can’t find canned tomatoes and green chiles together, simply add a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of green chiles.

🥣EQUIPMENT

You’ll need just one pot for this easy stew! That’s reason enough right there to love it.

🍲HOW TO MAKE

You won’t believe how easy it is to prepare this stew. It takes very little effort, and your family is going to devour it. This is the kind of meal people remember!

PREPARATIONS

Place your large pot on the stove.

Dice your potatoes and onions, gather your seasonings, and open your canned items. 

Go ahead and slice the smoked sausage and cut the bacon into bite-size pieces. 

COOKING

1. In a large pot on the stove on medium heat, cook smoked sausage and bacon. Stirring to not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Add onion, ground beef, and garlic seasoning and cook until beef is no longer pink (drain if needed).
3.  Add bacon and sausage back to the pot.  
4. Next, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, continuing to stir often so it doesn’t stick to the pan. 
5. Once boiling, cover and turn down to a simmer. 
6. Cook for about an hour. 

⭐PRO TIP

You can easily make this cowboy stew in a crockpot. Just cook all the meat first and then add it to a crock pot along with the other ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. 

VARIATIONS

• You can make this dish spicier by adding jalapenos and a few dashes of hot sauce. 
• Want to make it even heartier? Serve it over a bed of white rice. 
• Like cheesy dishes, add shredded cheddar cheese over the top.

WHAT TO SERVE IT WITH

✔️We serve this dish with our Southern hoecakes! Stew and cornbread were just meant to go together. 

✔️You can add a homemade pimento cheese sandwich. It’s known in the South that a pimento cheese sandwich is lovely with a bowl of chili or stew.

❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

STORING AND REHEATING

This stew can be stored in an air-tight container and will last up to four days in the refrigerator. You can easily freeze this stew by placing it in a freezer container and storing it for two months. 

Reheat by placing on the stove on medium heat until heated through. Be sure to stir it frequently to keep it from sticking. You can quickly reheat in the microwave, too.

💕MORE POPULAR RECIPES

SERVING SIZE

This recipe will serve 8-10 easily. Remember, you can easily half this dish for a smaller group.

Easy Cowboy Stew

The Southern Lady Cooks

This delicious cowboy stew will quickly become a family favorite. It’s full of flavor and simple to prepare. This one pot dish is hearty and the best comfort food!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

• 1 pound of ground beef (90/10)
• 1 12-ounce package of smoked sausage, cut into slices
• 5 slices of bacon cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon of garlic seasoning I used Kinders Blend
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can of sweet corn, drained
• 1 10- ounce can of mild Rotel, undrained
• 2 16- ounce can Bushs Country Style Baked Beans, undrained
• 2 cups of quartered Yukon Gold potatoes

• In a large pot on the stove on medium heat, cook smoked sausage and bacon. Stirring to not stick to the bottom of the pan.

• Remove from pot and set aside; add onion, ground beef, and garlic seasoning, and cook until beef is no longer pink (drain of grease if needed).

• Add bacon and sausage back to the pot. Next, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, continuing to stir some so it doesn’t stick to the pan.

• Once boiling, cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook for about an hour.

You can easily make this cowboy stew in a crockpot. Just cook all the meat first, and then add it to a crockpot, along with the other ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Keyword Cowboy stew, dinner recipes, easy meals

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