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Ground Beef Stew is a thick and creamy gravy with ground beef, potatoes, peas and carrots. Making this in the Instant Pot makes this stew fast and easy! Pair this stew with a crusty dinner roll and you’ve got yourself one hearty meal!

The Fastest and Tastiest Poor Man’s Soup

The first time I made a version of this soup was when we were in grad school and quite literally, extremely poor. (Hello, loans!)

It was one of those days where grocery shopping needed to be done DAYS ago and ground beef was the only meat in the freezer.

We were tired of Sloppy Joes and stroganoff. We were in a serious ground beef meal rut. It’s a real thing and I believe you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, share your secrets with me!

So I racked my brain (and pantry) and came up with a seriously cheap, fast, easy, DELICIOUS meal. Honestly, every time I make this I tend to eat it for every meal until the leftovers are gone. If you have extra veggies to use up, try this version of Ground Beef Vegetable Soup.

It is now faster than ever because, well, INSTANT POT.

Instant Pot Ground Beef Stew made with potato chunks, carrots, peas and ground beef which are swimming in a thick delicious gravy.

How to make Instant Pot Ground Beef Stew

You will be surprised at how simple and fast this stew comes together.

First you’ll brown the ground beef. You can do this on the sauté setting or in a frying pan. I always cook and freeze my ground beef in pre-portioned baggies, so in my case, I pull one out of the freezer and thaw it. 😉

Dice the potatoes into small cubes, about the size of cubed hash browns. I always use a bag of frozen mixed peas and carrots.

Beef broth, Au Jus seasoning, minced onion, the beef and veggies go into the Instant Pot. (If you used your instant pot to brown the meat, make sure you deglaze the pot with the broth to insure the dreaded burn notice won’t pop up.)

Cook on Manual HIGH for 0 (zero) minutes and then quick release the pressure. Make sure not to cut the potatoes into too big of chunks or else they will not cook in the zero minute cook time.

Then turn the Instant Pot on to saute. Make a paste with butter and flour. When the stew begins to boil, add the paste to the pot and stir until the paste has melted and thickened the gravy.

Poor man's soup or stew is a cheap and easy meal for those on a budget.

Making Ground Beef Stew without an Instant Pot

Yes, it can be done! Instead of pressure cooking everything, you’ll need to simmer the potatoes and broth on the stove top for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

Just before the potatoes are done, add in the cooked ground beef and frozen peas and carrots. Simmer for 3-5 more minutes.

Thicken with a paste of butter and flour.

Serve with a crusty dinner roll for a hearty meal!

Ground Beef Stew

Ground Beef Stew is a thick and creamy gravy with ground beef, potatoes, peas and carrots. Making this in the Instant Pot makes this stew fast and easy! Pair this stew with a crusty dinner roll and you’ve got yourself one hearty meal!

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 pkg au jus seasoning
  • 1 1/2 tbsp minced onion dried
  • 2 potatoes diced, small
  • 2 cups frozen mixed peas & carrots
  • 2 tbsp butter room temperature
  • 3 tbsp flour

Instructions

  1. Brown the ground beef. This can be done in the Instant Pot on the saute setting or in a separate pan, whatever you prefer.
  2. Add the broth (If you used the Instant Pot to brown the meat, make sure to deglaze the pot!) ground beef, au jus seasoning, onion, diced potatoes and the frozen peas and carrots to the liner of the Instant Pot.
  3. Cook on Manual HIGH for 0 (yes, ZERO) minutes.
  4. While the stew is pressure cooking in the Instant Pot, make a paste with the butter and flour.
  5. Quick Release the pressure when the Instant Pot is done.
  6. Turn the Instant Pot onto saute. When the stew begins to boil, add the butter and flour paste to the Instant Pot.
  7. Stir while the paste is melting and thickening the stew. If after all of the paste has melted, you still want the stew thicker, simply make a little bit more paste and thicken to your liking. The measurements above are exactly the way I eat it.
  8. Serve with a crusty dinner roll and enjoy!

PIN ME!Ground Beef Stew is a thick and creamy gravy with ground beef, potatoes, peas and carrots. Making this in the Instant Pot makes this stew fast and easy! Pair this stew with a crusty dinner roll and you've got yourself one hearty meal! |Cooking with Karli| #instantpot #groundbeef #stew #recipe #dinner #maindish #hearty

Want more Instant Pot recipes? Take a look at these ones!

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce and pasta dish!Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti
Instant Pot Chicken Breast is a versatile chicken breast that is quick, easy and it literally melts in your mouth! Serve it for dinner or store it in the freezer until needed!Instant Pot Chicken Breast
No prep Alfredo made in the Instant Pot in under 20 minutes! A dream come true!Dump and Start Instant Pot Alfredo

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5 from 9 votes

Ground Beef Stew

Ground Beef Stew is a thick and creamy gravy with ground beef, potatoes, peas and carrots. Making this in the Instant Pot makes this stew fast and easy! Pair this stew with a crusty dinner roll and you've got yourself one hearty meal!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 pkg au jus seasoning
  • 1 1/2 tbsp minced onion, dried
  • 2 potatoes, diced, small
  • 2 cups frozen mixed peas & carrots
  • 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
  • 3 tbsp flour

Instructions 

  • Brown the ground beef. This can be done in the Instant Pot on the saute setting or in a separate pan, whatever you prefer. 
  • Add the broth (If you used the Instant Pot to brown the meat, make sure to deglaze the pot!) ground beef, au jus seasoning, onion, diced potatoes and the frozen peas and carrots to the liner of the Instant Pot.
  • Cook on Manual HIGH for 0 (yes, ZERO) minutes. 
  • While the stew is pressure cooking in the Instant Pot, make a paste with the butter and flour.
  • Quick Release the pressure when the Instant Pot is done.
  • Turn the Instant Pot onto saute. When the stew begins to boil, add the butter and flour paste to the Instant Pot. 
  • Stir while the paste is melting and thickening the stew. If after all of the paste has melted, you still want the stew thicker, simply make a little bit more paste and thicken to your liking. The measurements above are exactly the way I eat it.
  • Serve with a crusty dinner roll and enjoy!
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Karli Bitner

This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. If you are Cookie obsessed like I am, check out my Sister Site, Cookies for Days.

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19 Comments

  1. No one has my great grandmother canned stew recipe, but this is the closest I can find. Even though it’s not the same it brings back the old feeling of childhood. Thanks for sharing. We made it several times.

  2. Jeanette, I haven’t tested making this recipe in a crock pot, so I can’t say for sure. I would suggest cooking on high for an hour or two, until your potatoes are fork tender. Then to thicken the soup, you’ll need to transfer it to a large pot on the stove top and bring everything to a boil before adding the flour and butter paste. Hopefully this helps!

  3. 5 stars
    Very good! I don’t always want a tomato based beef stew, and I had a package of defrosted ground beef to use, so this came together quickly. I used a can of Campbell’s Beef Consumme and a can of Campbell’s French Onion, diluted with 1 can of water each, in place of the 4 cups of beef broth and the onion. I also added a liberal dose of celery seed because I can seldom leave well enough alone. Plus I like the taste of celery in stew, but not the cooked texture of it. This was a very simple, quick and hearty recipe, thank you!