Mary Lou's Hamburger Stew
Family favorite - quick, easy, healthy, and a great way to use up leftovers. Was originally my mom's recipe.
Family favorite - quick, easy, healthy, and a great way to use up leftovers. Was originally my mom's recipe.
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- or
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 cup water warm
- 1 pound ground beef 90% lean
- 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables or equal amount leftovers veggies
- pasta optional (spirals or macaroni)
- worchestershire sauce to taste - i add about 20 shakes
- 1 teaspoon beef gravy or bovril powder may add another later to taste - careful of high salt content)
- 2 cups water to cover
- 1 cup spaghetti sauce leftover
- -- or --
- Carbohydrate 183.49729780368 g
- Cholesterol 173.457972083333 mg
- Fat 66.3443126841664 g
- Fiber 49.6854163769908 g
- Protein 78.5322774509986 g
- Saturated Fat 24.0320746009333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (1585g)
- Sodium 2060.40302511662 mg
- Sugar 133.811881426689 g
- Trans Fat 16.426989414 g
- Calories 1560 calories
Step-by-step
- Brown ground beef and drain fat.
- Add beef to pot, add vegetables, add pasta (if using), cover with water.
- Simmer on 5 (med heat). (use a large wide pot called a dutch oven).
- add beef cubes, worchestershire, salt and pepper to taste.
- Add ketchup or tomato stuff.
- stir and let simmer till noodles are about done.
- add water when necessary.
- taste, add worchestershire for more tang, add beef cube for more beef.
- cook until it thickens.
- Add 1 tsp cornstarch to warm water - mix, and the pour into stew while it's simmering well - it will thicken up nicely.
- can be used for pies as well.
- You may omit the pasta and serve over mashed pototoes.
- you can add dices potatoes and carrots if you wish.
Thick droplets of glossy broth cling to the back of a wooden spoon, carrying deep umami notes from concentrated tomato and Worcestershire sauce while soft vegetables and tender pasta yield easily to the bite. Achieving this specific consistency requires careful management of starches and proteins during the simmering process, preventing the ground beef from seizing into dense clumps while ensuring the pasta releases enough starch to body the liquid without turning the pot into a paste. Utilizing a wide Dutch oven maximizes the surface area for evaporation, allowing excess moisture to reduce steadily over medium heat.
Managing Starches and Liquids
When incorporating dry pasta directly into the simmering broth, monitor the liquid levels closely because absorbent wheat will quickly deplete the pot. Adding warm water incrementally prevents scorching on the base of the heavy-bottomed vessel. If shifting from frozen mixed vegetables to raw, diced root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, increase the simmer time by roughly 15 minutes to guarantee complete gelatinization of internal starches. Cornstarch dissolved in warm water acts as a final thickener; whisking this slurry directly into a rolling simmer activates the starch molecules immediately, yielding a glossy finish without clouding the savory profile.
- If the stew remains too watery after the pasta is cooked, dissolve one teaspoon of cornstarch in two tablespoons of warm water before stirring it into the active simmer.
- Should the sauce become overly salty from concentrated beef bases, grate in raw potato chunks to absorb excess sodium during the final ten minutes of cooking.
- Store leftovers in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to three days, noting that the starches will continue absorbing liquid as the dish cools.
