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This rustic Mulligan Stew, also known as Hobo Stew, is a classic old-fashioned American one-pot soup featuring tender beef and vegetables (potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, mushrooms) in a savory beef broth. Make it on the Stovetop, in the Slow Cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
What is Mulligan Stew?
Mulligan stew is an American classic soup that originated during the Great Depression. Originally known as "hobo stew," Mulligan stew was a community meal made from any odds and ends of meat and vegetables people had on hand.
These days, Mulligan stew is usually made with beef stew meat, but it was originally made with chicken or any other protein that could be scrounged up. For more cozy comfort food ideas, also check out my Beef Bourguignon and Beef and Vegetable Soup.
High-Protein Well-Balanced Meal
Despite its humble beginnings, this Mulligan stew is quite nutritious. It's packed with protein from the beef. It's dairy-free, a good source of fiber, and relatively low-calorie when divided into 12 servings.
You can easily make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour and making sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, or replacing it with gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos.
Why You'll Love It
- Easy to adapt: Since the recipe was originally based on using what you had on hand, Mulligan stew is great for using any vegetables and herbs you might have available. Whether it's a partial bag of peas or lima beans in your freezer or a few potatoes leftover from making easy scalloped potatoes or sausage potato soup, use what you've got.
- Makes great leftovers: Stews like this one and beef bourguignon often taste even better the next day! Don't be afraid to save leftovers to enjoy for dinner or lunch later in the week.
- Tons of flavor: Even though Mulligan stew has humble beginnings, I've added a few ingredients, such as a bit of tomato paste and red wine to improve flavor.
- Flexible recipe: I made it on the stovetop and included instructions for the Slow Cooker and the Instant Pot. You can use (or add) chicken and use any veggies you like!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef: I like to use stew meat. You could also buy a chuck roast and cut it into bite-size chunks.
- Aromatic vegetables: Onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms add a flavorful base for the stew.
- Flour: To help thicken the stew.
- Tomato paste: This works together with the red wine to deepen the flavor of the broth.
- Red wine: Feel free to omit this if you prefer.
- Beef broth: I recommend using a low-sodium broth or beef stock so you can better control the final seasoning.
- Worcestershire sauce: You can substitute this with soy sauce if needed.
- Smoked paprika: Just a bit adds a lovely smoky note to the stew.
- Fresh herbs: Tie together sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley, and bay leaf with kitchen twine to create a bouquet garni.
- Slow-cooking veggies: Carrots and potatoes are my favorite. I usually grab Yukon gold potatoes, but red potatoes or russet potatoes work great, too. Parsnips would be delicious, too.
- Quick-cooking veggies: I usually go for green beans, frozen peas, and corn.
- Other seasonings and herbs: You will also need olive oil, salt, and black pepper. You may also want to finish the stew with some fresh chopped parsley, thyme, and/or rosemary.
How to Make Mulligan Stew (Step-by-Step Photos)
This is a recipe overview. Scroll down to find the complete instructions + ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
- Brown the beef: Season the meat and cook in batches as needed. Remove the beef to a plate.
- Add chopped veggies (onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms) and cook until softened.
- Add flour and tomato paste to the veggies and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Deglaze the pot with red wine. Don't forget to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot!
- Simmer: Add the broth, bouquet garni, Worcestershire sauce, and browned beef back to the pot and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes.
- Add the slow-cooking vegetables (carrots and potatoes) and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes until the veggies soften and the stew thickens.
- Add the quick-cooking vegetables (peas, corn, and green beans) and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Finish: Take out the bouquet garni, taste for seasoning, and serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs!
Tips for Success
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels before seasoning the meat. This will allow for better browning.
- Brown the beef in batches: Browning the beef before simmering the stew adds tons of flavor. For perfectly brown meat, be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Cook the meat in batches if needed so that everything gets well browned.
- Don't overcook the vegetables: Root veggies, such as carrots and potatoes, need to cook for much longer than vegetables such as peas and green beans. Add those quicker-cooking vegetables at the very end so they don't get mushy or lose their bright color.
- Use your favorite vegetables: The best Mulligan stew is the one that includes your favorite veggies! If you don't like certain vegetables, feel free to leave them out and swap in your favorites. Other veggies that work great in stews like this one include lima beans, parsnips, rutabaga, and even sweet potato.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-packaged stew beef from the grocery store works great! A chuck roast cut into 1½-inch cubes is another great option. It's well-marbled and collagen-rich, which means it stays moist and gets tender during the long braise. If you want an even richer stew, boneless short ribs are a great upgrade. I'd avoid lean cuts like round or top sirloin because they'll dry out and toughen rather than breaking down properly.
A bouquet garni is a bundle of fresh herbs tied together so you can flavor a dish while it cooks, then pull everything out cleanly at the end. It sounds fancy, but it's actually a very practical, old-school cooking trick. A classic bouquet garni includes thyme, parsley stems, rosemary, and a bay leaf.
I would replace the wine with extra beef broth and add a small splash of red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or even Worcestershire sauce to bring back a little of that acidity and complexity. The key is still to "deglaze" the pot (with broth) and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom, because that's where much of the flavor comes from.
This recipe should thicken naturally from the flour, potatoes, and long simmer. If it still feels thin, I'd simmer it uncovered a bit longer first. Another option is to stir in a small cornstarch slurry at the end. I would not add a lot of flour late in the process, as it can make it taste pasty.
More Soup Recipes
Mulligan Stew
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew beef cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 large bay leaf
- 3 medium carrots sliced
- 3 medium russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup corn kernels
For finishing
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, 6-8 minutes per batch, until well-seared. Remove the beef to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the onion and celery. Sauté 4-5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they release moisture and begin to brown, 5-6 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook 1 minute, stirring. Stir in tomato paste and smoked paprika.
- Pour in the red wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the wine simmer for 1 minute to reduce slightly.
- Whisk in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Return the browned beef to the pot.
- Tie the thyme, rosemary, parsley, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine or wrap in cheesecloth to create a bouquet garni. Add this to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Add the carrots and potatoes. Simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the vegetables and beef are tender and stew begins to naturally thicken.
- Stir in green beans, peas, and corn. Simmer another 5-10 minutes, until the quick-cooking vegetables are cooked through.
- Remove the bouquet garni. If the stew is too thick, add a splash of broth or water. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce if a richer flavor is desired.
- Garnish with fresh chopped herbs and serve.
Notes
- Don't skip patting the beef dry. Moisture on the surface of the beef prevents browning. Paper towels, a few seconds, and you get a proper sear. It's the single most important step in this recipe, and the one most people skip.
- Work in batches and resist the urge to stir. Give the beef 3 to 4 minutes undisturbed on each side before flipping. If the meat sticks, it's not ready to release yet. Moving it too early means you lose the crust you're building.
- Simmer, don't boil. Once the broth and beef are in, the heat should be low enough that you see occasional gentle bubbles, not a rolling boil. Boiling toughens the beef fibers and breaks down the vegetables too fast. Patience here is what gets you fork-tender beef.
- Use a proper Dutch oven. A heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid distributes heat evenly and maintains a steady temperature during the long simmer. A thin pot with poor heat distribution will give you hot spots, scorched bottoms, and uneven cooking. If you don't have a Dutch oven, a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid is the next best option.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: Mulligan stew is absolutely a meal in a bowl, so I recommend serving it hot with crusty bread, my savory bacon cheddar scones, dinner rolls, or garlic bread for soaking up the broth.
- Starches: If I want the stew to go further, I spoon it over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or even plain rice, especially for leftovers.
How to Make Mulligan Stew in a Slow Cooker (Crockpot)
- On the stovetop, brown the beef first for better flavor, then sauté the onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir in the flour, tomato paste, and smoked paprika, then deglaze with the wine.
- Transfer everything to the slow cooker with the broth, Worcestershire, beef, herb bundle, carrots, and potatoes.
- Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High for 4-5 hours. Add green beans, peas, and corn in the last 20-30 minutes.
How to Make Mulligan Stew in an Instant Pot
- Use Sauté to brown the beef, then cook the onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms.
- Stir in flour, tomato paste, and smoked paprika, then deglaze with wine, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add broth, Worcestershire, beef, herb bundle, carrots, and potatoes.
- Cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes, then Natural Release for 10-15 minutes before Quick Release.
- Switch back to Sauté, add green beans, peas, and corn, and simmer briefly.
Storage, Reheating, Freezing, and Make-Ahead
- Storage: Let the stew cool, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. Add a splash of broth or water if it has thickened too much. You can also microwave individual portions in short intervals, stirring between each one.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled stew in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. I like to leave a little room at the top because soups and stews expand as they freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Make ahead: You can make the full stew 1 day ahead and reheat it before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
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