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Hold onto your hats, folks! This cowboy stew is about to take your taste buds on a wild ride. This hearty, one-pot wonder is like a warm hug with its stick-to-your-ribs quality, combining three types of meat, beans, and veggies in a rich, savory broth that’ll have you saying “yee-haw” with every spoonful. It’s the perfect meal for those chilly evenings when you need something substantial to fuel your inner cowboy (or cowgirl). So let’s wrangle up a stew that’ll have your whole posse begging for seconds!
This one pot cowboy stew is so easy to make and the flavors are really rewarding. It tastes great and also reheats well to enjoy again and again.
Do you love hearty stews? You might also like this easy slow cooker beef stew, simple crockpot chicken stew, or what about this delicious beef Bourguignon?
Why You’ll Love It
A one-pot recipe: You can make the whole cowboy stew in one pot, making the washing up afterwards quick and easy.
So delicious: The combination of meats, vegetables, tomatoes, beans, and seasonings is so tasty.
Easy to customize: Choose your own meats, veggies and other ingredients to make this cowboy stew recipe your own.
Cowboy Stew Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Bacon, kielbasa and ground beef: A trio of flavorful meats for a hearty stew.
Vegetables: Potatoes, corn, onions, mixed veggies, and bell pepper add color and nutrients.
Canned beans: Black beans and ranch style beans.
Chili powder: For a kick of heat but feel free to adjust how much you add.
Diced tomatoes: For a sweet, tasty sauce.
How to Make Cowboy Stew with Ground Beef
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Brown the meats: Sauté the bacon in a large Dutch oven or pot over a medium heat and then drain on a paper towel lined plate. Brown the kielbasa sausage in the bacon drippings in the same pot and transfer that to the plate. Brown the lean ground beef in the pot too.
Add vegetables: Add the bell pepper, onion and minced garlic to the ground beef and cook briefly. Add the flour and cook some more.
Add more ingredients: Now add the cooked bacon and kielbasa sausage back into the pot, along with the broth, potatoes, frozen veggies, tomatoes, beans, corn, garlic powder, chilies, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and ground cumin.
Simmer and finish the stew: Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, then serve hot with chopped fresh parsley as a garnish.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour and broth, and check the kielbasa sausage ingredients.
Bacon: Any type of bacon works in this cowboy stew. You could even use beef or turkey bacon.
Kielbasa: Use hot links, sweet Italian sausage, smoked sausage or any sliced sausage.
Ground beef: Try ground pork or ground turkey for a different flavor.
Frozen mixed vegetables: Any vegetables will work or, if preferred, you can use fresh vegetables in which case cook them when you sauté the onions. A mixture of frozen corn, carrots and peas is always good.
Canned corn: Use canned whole kernel corn, fresh or frozen corn.
Beans: Kidney beans, great northern beans or baked beans are some other bean options to consider, or you could use canned pinto beans with chilies in.
Less or more spicy: Adjust the amount of chilies and chili powder depending on how spicy you like it.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Start this hearty meal with a relatively light appetizer, perhaps dirty martini shrimp.
Side dishes: Cornbread or one of these bread basket recipes would be so good with cowboy stew. Or you could leave the potatoes out of the stew and instead serve it with red skin mashed potatoes.
Desserts: Finish the meal with homemade vanilla cookies or strawberry tiramisu.
How to Store Classic Cowboy Stew
Store: Let the stew cool completely and then keep leftover cowboy stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 or 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: You can warm it back up in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Top Tips
Cooking the flour: Don’t let the flour burn or you’ll have to start your cowboy stew again! Keep stirring and don’t use too high a heat.
Crispy bacon: If you prefer your bacon crispy, don’t add it back into the pot. Instead reserve it until serving the stew and crumble it on top.
Let it cool: Let the cowboy stew cool completely before storing, otherwise the steam will condensate the container and this will drip back into the stew and make it watery.
More serving ideas: A dollop of sour cream is good with this stew, or you could add shredded cheese or swap the chopped parsley for chopped cilantro.
Texas Cowboy Stew FAQs
It will thicken as it cooks and as it’s sitting but if you want a thicker, gravy-like consistency, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and stir it into the stew, then simmer for a few minutes.
Mix in some more beef broth when making the stew and/or when reheating leftover cowboy stew. If you don’t have any more broth, just add a splash of water instead.
Traditional Cowboy Stew Recipe
Cowboy Stew
Equipment
- Pot Large with Lid
Ingredients
- 6 Slices bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, large, diced
- 4 Cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ Cup all purpose flour
- 18 Ounces kielbasa, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 Pounds ground beef, lean
- 5 Cups beef broth, more as needed/desired
- 2 russet potatoes, medium, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 15 Ounces canned corn, kernels with liquid
- 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
- 12 Ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- 15 Ounces canned ranch style beans, with liquid
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- 10 Ounces canned diced tomatoes and green chilies, canned
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 15 Ounces black beans, canned with liquid
- 2 Teaspoons chili powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- parsley, fresh for optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over a medium-high heat.
- Add the bacon and cook until browned and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.
- Cook the kielbasa sausage in the same pot until it’s browned on both sides. Transfer to the same plate with the bacon and set to one side.
- Remove the excess bacon grease from the pot. Then add the ground beef. Break it into smaller pieces using a spatula or wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink.
- Add the bell peppers, onions and garlic and sauté for about 4 minutes or until the onions soften and begin to go translucent.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine.
- Keep cooking and stirring for a minute. Don’t let the flour burn.
- Next add the bacon and kielbasa back into the pot and then add the broth, potatoes, frozen vegetables, diced tomatoes, beans, sweet corn, garlic powder, green chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Bring the cowboy stew to a boil and then turn down the heat to a low simmer.
- Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir the stew occasionally and add some more broth if the liquid gets too thick.
- Ladle the stew into bowls and serve with cornbread, dinner rolls or biscuits.
- Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley if liked.
Notes
Crispy bacon: If you prefer your bacon crispy, don’t add it back into the pot. Instead reserve it until serving the stew and crumble it on top.
Let it cool: Let the cowboy stew cool completely before storing, otherwise the steam will condensate the container and this will drip back into the stew and make it watery.
More serving ideas: A dollop of sour cream is good with this stew, or you could add shredded cheese or swap the chopped parsley for chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Robust, hearty and oh-so-delicious, this bold cowboy stew offers a riot of flavor in every forkful. Meat, vegetables, spices, garlic, and more combine to make this tasty dish. It’s so good paired with cornbread or crusty bread on the side, and you can try different vegetables, meats or seasonings to make it your own.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Really love the mix of veggies, meat, and chili style broth! Very versatile, if you don’t have quite the exact ingredients. I didn’t have ground beef, but had some ground pork that I seasoned with smoked paprika, 5 pepper chili powder, onion powder and salt and pepper. A lovely, warm treat served with buttermilk biscuits!
I must try making it with pork too! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Cowboy stew hit the spot—it’s hearty, comforting, and I’m already craving another batch!