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Hobo Stew

Hobo stew is an easy Dutch oven campfire stew with tender potatoes, carrots, and hearty ground beef in a bubbling, savory broth. It simmers covered until the vegetables are soft, so every spoonful tastes thick and comforting.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Stew meat or ground beef
  • 1 lb Stew meat or ground beef
Potatoes
  • 4 Potatoes
Carrots
  • 4 Carrots
Onion
  • 1 Onion
Corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) Corn drained
Green beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) Green beans drained
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 oz) Diced tomatoes
Beef broth
  • 2 cup Beef broth
Garlic powder
  • 2 tsp Garlic powder
Paprika
  • 1 tsp Paprika
Salt
  • 1 Salt to taste
Black pepper
  • 1 Black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meat
  1. Heat your Dutch oven over campfire and brown the stew meat or ground beef until it’s browned all over. You should see a dark, sizzling crust forming at the bottom of the pot.
Build the stew
  1. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, corn, green beans, diced tomatoes, and beef broth to the Dutch oven. Stir so the broth coats the vegetables and you don’t leave any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
  2. Sprinkle in garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper, then stir to combine. The surface should look evenly speckled with seasoning.
Simmer
  1. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady bubble. Cover the Dutch oven and keep the stew simmering for 35-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Serve
  1. Ladle the hobo stew into bowls and serve hot. Look for thickened broth and soft vegetable chunks when you scoop.

Notes

Pro tip: for deeper flavor, keep the simmer steady at a gentle bubble instead of a hard boil so the potatoes stay intact. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in a covered container. Freezing is yes—freeze up to 3 months; reheat until steaming throughout. For a lower-sodium option, use reduced-sodium beef broth and season with salt gradually to taste.