There is something so relaxing about making a bit pot of Texas cowboy stew for dinner. The warm aroma of sauteed vegetables, southwestern spices and meat simmering on the stove while you prep a side salad, bake some crusty french bread, or throw together a pan of cornbread is one of the best things about the changing menu with the change of weather.
This old-fashioned cowboy stew perfect to make in the morning and reheat on a busy day so dinner is ready to go, and somehow the flavors are always even better then next day. The leftovers with some cornbread muffins are my favorite!
It’s nothing fancy despite the long ingredient list. We’re talking hamburger meat and cooked sausage with some chopped onions, potatoes, and spices, but it really hits the spot!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Beef: We like using an 80/20 or 85/15 lean ground beef for more flavor, but any fat content will work. You can even use other types of meat like ground bison, ground turkey, or ground chicken if you prefer. Just drain any excess grease off after cooking.
- Onion: I usually use a yellow onion for this cowboy stew recipe, but a white onion will work just as well.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is my preference between it gives even more flavor, but you can also use ½ teaspoons of garlic powder instead.
- Smoked sausage: I used Eckrich Skinless Smoked Sausage in this recipe, but if you want to switch up the sliced sausage, you can use other types of sausages such as chorizo, kielbasa sausage, or Italian sausage. You could even get away with sliced hot dogs and your hungry cowboys wouldn’t complain. Choose any sausage variety that matches your flavor preferences.
- Bacon: You can use regular cut or thick-sliced bacon for this recipe.
- Potatoes: Feel free to substitute the russet potatoes with yukon golds, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or turnips for a different flavor profile.
- Beans: We like beans in our stew! A combination of red kidney beans and black beans is our favorite, but you can use other types of beans such as pinto beans, navy beans, chili beans, ranch style beans, or cannellini beans if that’s what you have on hand in the pantry.
- Corn: Fresh, frozen, or canned whole kernel corn all work for this hearty stew.
- Diced tomatoes: Instead of canned diced tomatoes you can use a can of Rotel instead which has diced green chile peppers in it.
- Beef broth: Swap beef broth for chicken broth or vegetable broth if you prefer. For a richer flavor, you can use beef or vegetable stock.
- Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika (you can use sweet paprika if that’s what you have), salt, and pepper combine to make the best cowboy stew flavor.
- Cheese: This is an optional ingredient, my kids love when I add it in, but if you wish to leave it out, it will not affect the recipe.
How to Make Cowboy Stew
- In a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed large pot, cook the chopped bacon until crispy over medium-high heat. Remove the crispy bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside. Drain the excess bacon fat, leaving just a tablespoon of bacon drippings in the pan for a rich flavor base.
- To the same pot that was used to cook the bacon, add the ground beef, onion, and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a large wooden spoon, until browned and the onions have softened. Drain any excess fat.
- Add the sliced smoked sausage and cooked bacon back to the pot. Stir and cook for a few minutes, just to heat everything through and give the sliced sausage a little color.
- Add the diced potatoes to the pot and stir to combine.
- Stir in the kidney beans, black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes along with their juices from the can.
- Add the remaining ingredients of beef broth, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients, then bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the stew simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the flavors are well combined.
- At this point the cowboy soup is ready to serve or you can stir in the shredded cheddar cheese to add more depth to the stew itself.
