Hamburger stew is an easy recipe to make in the crock pot or on the stove top. Not only is this low carb hamburger soup keto friendly, it’s suitable for paleo and AIP too! And it’s a flavorful comfort food that’s sure to become a family favorite.
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If you’re looking for an old fashioned stew, don’t skip this recipe just because there’s no diced tomatoes or potatoes. The taste will likely surprise you. My recipe for hamburger stew uses pumpkin puree and turnips instead!
In addition to having Graves’ disease, I also have a condition known as vitiligo where areas of my skin no longer tan in the summer. Both of these conditions are autoimmune diseases so I’ve been experimenting with the autoimmune protocol (AIP) eating plan.
AIP compliant foods are low inflammatory. And nightshades like potatoes and tomatoes can aggravate inflammation. That’s why they aren’t allowed on the autoimmune protocol. But potatoes are also high in carbohydrates so you won’t find them in any of my recipes.
Now that you know why I chose the non-traditional ingredients, let’s take a look at my recipe.
What you need for the recipe
First off, you can use any ground meat you like in this low carb hamburger soup. I often use a venison burger that a local butcher prepares. It’s just a ground deer meat with pork or beef fat mixed in. My husband hunts so we tend to eat a lot of venison.
Either way, to make enough for the whole family, I use two pounds of ground meat for the stew along with the following:
- chopped onion
- minced garlic
- beef broth or stock
- pumpkin puree
- chopped radishes
- sliced celery
- common herbs and spices
- fresh or frozen spinach
I use my enameled cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe. If you don’t have one, a large pot works too. And if I’m sharing the dish at a potluck, I’ll use the slow cooker method so I can keep the soup warm in a Crock Pot for hours.
How to make hamburger stew on the stove top
- Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Don’t heat the oil too much as it doesn’t have a high smoke point.
- Add the ground meat to the oil and stir in the onion and garlic.
- Cook the meat with a spatula until the meat is brown and crumbly.
- Add in beef broth, pumpkin puree, radishes, celery, and spices to the meat.
- Give it a good stir to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes, covered.
- Add the spinach and let it sit covered for another 10 minutes, still simmering.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Using a Slow Cooker
If you do have a Crock Pot, the meat is browned on the stove top first and then added it to the slow cooker. Alternatively, you can make a big batch of browned ground beef and keep it frozen in your freezer. This is a convenient way to make preparation of the hamburger stew crock pot method easier.
The stew can also be made by adding raw ground meat to the slow cooker. But you’ll have to break it up as it cooks which isn’t convenient.
The spinach needs to be added at the end of cooking as it cooks must faster than the other vegetables. All the other ingredients can be slow cooked for hours.
That’s it. Pretty simple, right?
Hamburger Stew Recipe Variations
If you want to adjust the veggies, you can replace spinach with kale or cabbage. Or, add them both in. Cabbage can be added before starting to slow cook, but kale should be added at the end like spinach.
Sometimes I like to replace the red radishes with either diced daikon radish or turnips. Most people who have tried this keto hamburger soup recipe don’t even realize that I’m using mock potatoes.
Why bone broth?
You also might be wondering why I’m also adding beef bone broth for my easy hamburger stew recipe. Isn’t that overdoing it on the beef? I don’t think so.
Personally, I find that beef bone broth makes this stew heartier and more traditional tasting. You could instead use vegetable broth.
However, I think that these days, it’s so easy to find healthy, grass-fed beef bone broth. It sure is easier, and faster, than making your own.
Other Recipes You May Like
Be sure to check out my entire collection of low carb soups and stews. Here’s a few of my personal favorites:
Enjoy this heartwarming low carb stew! And if you give it a try, let us know what you think in the comments. You may also want to try my venison chili, it’s a family favorite during the cooler months.
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Recipe
Easy Hamburger Stew with Crock Pot Option
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground grass-fed beef or venison
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 32 ounces beef bone broth
- 15 ounce pumpkin puree canned or fresh
- 10 ounces radishes chopped
- 4 stalks celery sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper omit for AIP
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon marjoram
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- 10 ounces spinach chopped (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
Stove-Top:
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground meat, onion, and garlic. Cook until meat has browned.
- Add in broth, pumpkin, radishes, celery, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook covered for another 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Crock Pot:
- Brown ground meat with onion and garlic then transfer to the slow cooker if needed.
- Add in broth, pumpkin, radishes, celery, and spices. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Spinach can be added during the last 1-2 hours of cook time.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
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Lori
Has anyone tried this with turnips instead of radishes? I have turnips on hand. 🙂
Lisa MarcAurele
Turnips are a great alternative to radishes and need about the same cooking time. I didn't use them as they are a bit higher in carbs than radish.
Patti
Can this be made in an instant pot?
Lisa MarcAurele
It sure can and I've made it in my Instant Pot. Just use the sauté setting to cook the meat with onion and garlic. Then cook on the "soup/stew" setting or you can pressure cook on high for 8-10 minutes with quick pressure release. Then add spinach and do a quick zero time and quick release or just let it sit covered until spinach is heated.
Rachel
Just made this and it's delicious! The nutrition facts show too much sodium, so I used low-sodium broth and cut out the salt - but it tasted a little bland - perhaps I added too little salt, so I needed to add some table salt after cooking to spice it up a little.
Jeanie Watkins
I tried this with 2 slices of bacon and 1 link sausage instead of ground beef. I also substitute a leftover garnet yam instead of the pumpkin. It is SO yummy.
Jan Wear
Can you taste the pumpkin? Can you cut down the amount used to lower the carbs? Not sure if it was for taste or texture.
Lisa MarcAurele
You should be able to cut it down to half if you are concerned about carbs. I use it in place of tomato for both taste and texture. You might be able to use mashed zucchini or yellow squash instead as they have less carbs than pumpkin.
Ginger
This is "okay." I'll eat all of what I made, but it's not worthy of a repeat. People really shouldn't rate if they didn't actually make.
Lisa MarcAurele
Sorry you didn't care for it but it's one of my family's favorite meals. I get requests to make it all the time for family get togethers.
Grandi
This was delicious and I will make it again and again! I was unhappy with the long prep time, however, since it says 10 mins. That’s not realistic, and I was unprepared.
Lisa MarcAurele
It could take a little longer to prep the vegetables so I'll get that changed. Thanks for the feedback!
Lori Geurin
This looks so delicious! I'm planning to make it in my slow cooker tomorrow. Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
Enjoy! It's a family favorite.
Aarin
This is a delicious recipe. I made it pretty much exactly as written and although I was skeptical of the radishes in particular, it was very good and my entire family enjoyed it. Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
Thanks for looking past the radishes. I find they have a much milder taste when cooked in soups and stews.
Lee Hernandez
Today is my second time making this. It is wonderful! The only difference this time is I used 1/2 beef and 1/2 ground turkey. Chicken broth is what I had, so I used that. I freeze my own pesto in @ tablespoon portions, so I used that for the basil. Right now, it smells great. Can’t wait for dinner! Thank you for this recipe!
Lisa
I sometimes use chicken broth too if that's all I have. The homemade pesto sounds like the perfect add!
S.P.
Just making this in my instant pot now. Super thrilled and smells amazing! I’ve used several of your recipes now and none have failed me. Thank you for your hard work!
Lisa
You're welcome. I hope you enjoy this stew as much as me and my family do.
Emma
This looks delicious. The weather has finally turned in the UK so I'm looking for hearty, warming dinners. This one hits the spot!
Lisa
It's perfect for those cool fall evenings! It's already getting cool here in Southern New England.
Shanika
I love stew, but I never had hamburger stew! This looks like it has so much flavor!
Lisa
It is very flavorful and has become a family favorite for us!
Jacqueline Meldrum
I've actually never heard of hamburger stew before. It must be a cultural thing. The things you learn online. HUH!
Lisa
It's been mainly beef stew for us, but I do like the smaller bits of hamburger better.
Krissy Allori
We have many dietary restrictions in our house and this hamburger stew is a recipe that makes everyone happy!
Lisa
It's very low inflammatory so it's usually safe for most people.
Heidy L. McCallum
Loving the low card edition of a popular recipe! I can't tell you how much trouble I have with carbs...so glad to stumble on this recipe for something more healthy and low carb like Hamburger Stew. Your recipe totally rocks and we will make it part of our menu this fall for sure.
Lisa
I hope you enjoy the recipe!