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Texas Cowboy Stew

Texas cowboy stew with bold Tex-Mex flavors—bacon drippings, browned beef and smoked sausage, and tender potatoes simmered in a spicy tomato broth with pinto beans and corn. Finish by stirring the crispy bacon back in for a hearty, thick bowl.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bacon
  • 6 slices bacon chopped
Ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
Smoked sausage
  • 1 lb smoked sausage sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion diced
Green bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
Garlic
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
Potatoes
  • 1.5 lb potatoes cubed
Diced tomatoes
  • 2 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
Pinto beans
  • 2 can (15 oz) pinto beans drained
Corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
Beef broth
  • 3 cup beef broth
Chili powder
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
Ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
Salt
  • 1 tsp salt
Black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Crisp the bacon and brown the filling
  1. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes, and then remove it while leaving the drippings behind.
  2. Brown the ground beef, sliced smoked sausage, diced onion, and diced green bell pepper in the drippings over medium-high heat for 8 minutes; drain excess fat and then stir in the minced garlic.
Simmer until potatoes are tender
  1. Add the cubed potatoes, diced tomatoes, Rotel, drained pinto beans, drained corn, beef broth, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes at a gentle bubbling until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally so the stew doesn’t stick.
  3. Stir the crisped bacon back into the stew and keep it warm until ready to serve, letting the aroma fully spread through the broth.
Serve
  1. Serve the Texas cowboy stew hot alongside cornbread, with the thick, tender potato pieces clearly visible in each bowl.

Notes

Pro tip: draining excess fat after browning keeps the broth from turning greasy—skim if you see a slick forming during simmering. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently until steaming. Freezing is yes—freeze up to 3 months, then thaw and reheat with a splash of broth if needed. For a lighter option, use turkey bacon and lean ground beef while keeping the same seasonings and simmer time.