Depression-Era Shipwreck Stew

Name: Depression-Era Shipwreck Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 420 min
Total time: 435 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 450g beef mince; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 x 425g tin tinned vegetable soup; 1 x 400g tin tinned chopped tomatoes, with juice; to taste fine salt; to taste Black pepper

A thrifty slow-cooker stew of beef, potatoes, onion, tomatoes and vegetable soup for a filling family dinner.

435 mins Serves 4Slow Cooker

Ingredients ↓Method ↓

Ingredients

450g beef mince
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 x 425g tin tinned vegetable soup
1 x 400g tin tinned chopped tomatoes, with juice
to taste fine salt
to taste Black pepper

Method

15 mins prep420 mins cook435 mins total

Lightly grease the slow cooker. Add the beef mince and break it into large pieces across the base.
Layer the sliced onion over the beef, followed by the potato slices.
Pour the vegetable soup over the potatoes, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice.
Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on Low for 6–7 hours or High for 3½–4 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the beef is cooked through.
Stir gently to bring the beef, potatoes and sauce together, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot with bread, crackers or rice.

Notes

Keep the potato slices fairly thin so they cook through in the slow cooker.

Add a pinch of dried thyme or smoked paprika if you want a little more savoury depth.

About this recipe

Shipwreck stew is a practical, inexpensive meal built from ground beef, potatoes, onion and tinned vegetables. The ingredients cook in layers until the potatoes are tender and the sauce becomes rich and spoonable.

Serve it with bread, crackers or rice. It is simple food designed to be filling, adaptable and easy to leave cooking while you get on with the day.