An easy, budget-friendly stew with ground turkey (or Thanksgiving leftovers), beans, veggies and plenty of flavor!
First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Lots of turkey, lots of stuffing, plenty of veggie sides and maybe a little pie to top it all off. And more importantly, loads of love, laughter and family. We certainly did!
We started the day with a turkey trot 5K run, a tradition in recent years and a great way to make room for ALL the food to come. And we ate dinner earlier this year and had the kiddos with us at the table. I love that they are old enough to join in on the fun (without being total distractions)! M loved helping my mom get everything laid out and beautifully set on the table. She made the place cards for each of us, too. J loved seeing ALL that food in front of him. M said turkey was her favorite. We think J liked the ham the best. But they tried everything and were so happy to be included in the festivities; warmed this mama's heart.
Second of all, I know, I know. The title of this recipe. Hobo stew. Not exactly PC. But that’s what they call this dish. That’s what my people call this dish. It’s adapted from one of my grandmother’s local cookbooks. It can be campfire stew. Some people call it beggar stew or ground beef stew (which I don't use). My family says hobo stew, so I’m going to roll with it.
It’s interesting, though, how language changes over time. And what those changes say about us. The linguistics and gender class I took in college was one of the most fascinating and illuminating courses of my college career. You don’t realize how many preconceptions you have until someone breaks down the very basic language you use.
Anyway, hobo stew. It’s all about throwing whatever you got into a single pot and making a meal out of it. It’s adaptable, forgiving and full of flavor. It’s normally made with ground beef, but I of course subbed ground turkey - a little lighter and more healthful of a meat. And, of course, it being the day after Thanksgiving, you can absolutely use your leftover turkey instead of cooking up ground turkey. See, very adaptable.
But whatever you throw at it, at the base level, this is just a really great hearty stew. It's got all kinds of flavor profiles and together, they seriously sing. Everyone will find something to love about this dish.
Enjoy!
Hobo stew
An easy, budget-friendly stew with ground turkey, beans, veggies and plenty of flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup green pepper, chopped
- 2 - 2 ½ pounds ground turkey (see notes)
- 1 14.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 16 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (or 1 ½ cups frozen corn)
- 1 32 oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hamburger seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried mustard
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper and saute until tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Add ground turkey and saute until browned and cooked through, 7-10 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve hot.
Notes
The ground turkey I buy at the store comes in 1 ¼ pound packages, so I use 2 ½ pounds here. Feel free to do the same. Also, I use the 7% fat kind, but any version is fine. As is ground chuck if you would rather sub that.
This makes a lot! The leftovers are great for lunch later in the week and the extras also freeze great.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 546Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 656mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 8gSugar: 8gProtein: 44g
** What's your favorite recipe with a strange or inappropriate name? **
Carlee
I am glad you had a nice Thanksgiving! We started ours with a Turkey Trot as well, but somehow I think I still overindulged. This stew looks amazing and I love all in one meals. We'll have to give this a try.
Kathryn
Haha, a turkey trot is certainly not a guarantee of not overdoing it -- I certainly did! And enjoyed every bite 🙂 But this stew is a good reset. All-in-one meals are the best, right? Glad you had a great Thanksgiving!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Budget friendly is easily my favorite pairing of words - especially when it comes to delicious meals and recipes. Love your perspective and I love that you had a nice Thanksgiving. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, as always. 🙂
Kathryn
Haha, so true - budget-friendly is a great part of any meal! Hope you had a happy holiday, too!
Mary M. Martinez
Looks fabulous!A great recipe .Thanks for this
Kathryn
Thanks Mary!
Jennifer Dhanjee
Just came across your blog today and loving it! Your recipes are fantastic- thank you 🙂 Just wanted to say I love that you posted a Hobo Stew recipe and kept the name 🙂 PC though the name may not be, this is a dish that I grew up with and it made me a bit home-sick and nostalgic finding your recipe! It's such comfort food! If you can believe it, my mom would put hot dogs in her hobo stew (in addition to ground beef) - LOL!! I go with ground chicken these days; gives it a white chili kinda-feel 😉 Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for sharing and for the trip down memory lane 😀 Happy Fall ! -Jennifer
Kathryn
Oh, thank you so much Jennifer! You made my day! So glad to hear you love my recipes and that this one's got fond memories for you 😉 Have a wonderful weekend!