Bread Bowl Hamburger Stew

This updated take on my grandma’s hamburger stew is served in a bread bowl. Ground beef and fresh vegetables in a thick savory broth make this stew a hearty and comforting meal.

My mother did all of the cooking in our home when I was growing up. With five children, if she wasn’t cooking, she was cleaning, and if she wasn’t cleaning, she was cooking. In the summer, when all of us children were home from school, my mom would cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, seven days a week, week after week. It seemed that as soon as the breakfast dishes were cleaned and put away, she would start to prep lunch, and as soon as lunch was cleaned up, she would prep supper.

I helped her here and there in the kitchen, but I never learned how to make any dish in its entirety. That is, until hamburger stew came along. Ironically, it was not my mother who taught me how to make it, but my grandmother. She spent a little time alone with us when my parents were in the hospital awaiting my baby sister’s birth.

Grandmother showed me how to make hamburger stew from beginning to end. This dish has sentimental value to me because it was the first complete dish I learned how to cook, and every time I make it, I think about my grandmother, who has long passed.

I changed her recipe a little bit over the years. Grandmother used canned vegetables, and I used fresh vegetables whenever possible. One thing I like to keep the same is the seasoning. She used Maggi Seasoning, and I love the stuff! But I can’t always find it in the grocery store, and soy sauce is a perfect substitute when I can’t find it. Grandmother also didn’t serve our hamburger stew in a bread bowl. She served it with rice, which is how I usually have it. Her broth was thin, but when I served it in a bread bowl, I thickened it up to prevent all the juices from making the bread too soggy.  

This is truly a hearty bowl of comfort. It is the perfect supper after a long, hard day of work, school, or play. May it leave you feeling nurtured and satisfied as it does me. Make this for you and your loved ones. Be well.

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• A large skillet—this one is 12-inch wide. It’s non-stick and 100% APEO & PFOA-Free.
• Wooden turner for breaking up ground beef.
• Maggi Seasoning—for saltiness and great depth of flavor.

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Bread Bowl Hamburger Stew

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Stovetop Cooked Cuisine:American Courses:Main Recipe Keys: High Protein C Carbohydrate

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 30 minutesTotal time: 45 minutesServings:4 Servings

Description

This updated take on my grandma’s hamburger stew is served in a bread bowl. Ground beef and fresh vegetables in a thick savory broth make this stew a hearty and comforting meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup thinly chopped celery
• 1/2 cup thinly chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup green beans, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can low sodium beef broth, divided
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. Maggi Seasoning (or soy sauce)
• 4 (about 13 oz. each) crusty bread boules

Instructions

1. Add oil to a preheated large pan on medium heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, green beans, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Move all the vegetables to one side of the pan and slightly slide that portion of the pan off the burner. Increase heat to medium-high.
2. Add ground beef to the empty portion of the pan. Cook meat, breaking it up into small chunks as it browns. As the meat cooks, stir the vegetables a couple of times to prevent the bottom from browning. When the meat is almost all the way cooked, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, and corn. Slide the pan entirely back on the heat. Incorporate the vegetables into the meat mixture and cook until the beef is brown. Reserve 1/2 cup of beef broth and add the remaining to the pan. Add Maggi Seasoning. Stir. Allow to come to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. In the meantime, hollow out the bread boules: Use a serrated knife to slice off the top quarter to a third of the bread. Use your hands to pull out the interior, leaving a wall at least 1/2″ thick. Set aside. Next, add cornstarch to the reserved beef broth. Stir until smooth.
4. After 15 minutes of simmering, increase the heat to bring the stew to a harder boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Allow to boil and thicken for a minute or two. Remove from heat. Pour the stew into bread bowls just before serving.
5. Makes 4 servings.

Keywords:Hamburger Stew, Ground Beef, Comfort Mel, Grandma’s

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