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Hobo Stew

Hobo stew is a campfire-friendly Dutch oven stew with tender potatoes, carrots, and green beans simmered in a savory beef broth. Brown the meat first, then simmer everything until the vegetables are soft and the pot is bubbling.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Stew meat or ground beef
  • 1 lb stew meat or ground beef
Potatoes
  • 4 potatoes Cubed.
Carrots
  • 4 carrots Sliced.
Onion
  • 1 onion Diced.
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
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
Black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meat
  1. Set a Dutch oven over a campfire and brown the stew meat in it until browned on all sides, with a lively sizzle in the bottom of the pot.
  2. Stir and cook a little longer as needed until the meat is no longer pink and the surface looks caramelized.
Build and simmer the stew
  1. Add the cubed potatoes, sliced carrots, diced onion, drained corn, drained green beans, diced tomatoes, and beef broth to the Dutch oven.
  2. Season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper, then stir to combine so the liquid looks evenly colored.
  3. Bring the stew to a boil, with steady bubbling across the surface.
  4. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 35-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender, with frequent soft bubbles around the edges.
Serve
  1. Ladle the hobo stew into bowls and serve hot, showing tender vegetable chunks and a bubbling consistency.

Notes

For best texture, simmer gently after boiling so potatoes soften without breaking apart. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3-4 days; reheat in a pot until steaming. Freezing is yes—cool completely, freeze up to 2 months, then thaw and reheat thoroughly. Dietary swap: use low-sodium beef broth and adjust salt to taste for a reduced-sodium version.