Mulligan stew is a free-for-all and easy to make delicious hearty soup crammed with meat and vegetables in a tasty beef broth.
We are big-time stew and soup eaters in our house and we are often making this recipe in addition to Chicken and Wild Rice and Wedding Soup.
Mulligan Stew
This Great Depression staple was also known as “Hobo Stew.” Mulligan, being a common Irish surname, completes the recipe stew title because it’s an adaptation to a classic Irish Beef Stew.
During the depression, this catch-all meal was assembled by whatever anyone could scrounge up. Each person would be responsible for gathering an ingredient and adding it to the stew and would be shared amongst those people.
It was said that they would add the ingredients to a large coffee tin and heat it over a fire to cook it. A humble way of being able to eat, but necessary for feeding oneself.
What Kind of Meat to Use
The classic meat used in a mulligan stew would be simply beef stew meat. Some other cuts of meat that can absolutely be used in this recipe are:
- Ground Beef
- Top Round
- Sirloin
- Bottom Round
- Flank Steak
- Skirt Steak
The whole purpose of this recipe is to use what you have to make it work. Every time Mulligan stew was made during the depression it altered based on what was available and what people could afford.
My suggestion to you would be to see what cuts of meat you have in your refrigerator or freezer or find out what’s on sale at your local grocery store.
What Are the Ingredients
Mulligan stew ingredients varied, but here are some of the original items that were said to be in it.
- Beef Stew Meat
- Carrots
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Navy Beans
- Water
- Salt
The recipe over time adapted to which foods were available and if people could afford them. Some of those additional ingredients include:
- Celery
- Peas
- Corn
- Lima Beans
- Garlic
- Green Beans
Please remember to use what you have and season it well at the end with salt and pepper. You may also take this recipe one step further by adding in some dry herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, and parsley when you add in the beef stock.
Mulligan Stew With Chicken
In some of this recipe’s earliest days, there was a note in it that stated, “whoever can steal a chicken for this stew, all the better.” You can either make Mulligan stew with chicken being the main source of meat, or you can add it in with the beef. I doubled up on the protein and added chicken to my recipe and wow is it amazing.
Chef Recipes Notes + Tips
Make-Ahead: Soup and stew will always taste better over time so make this soup up to 1 day ahead of serving it.
How to Reheat: Place your desired amount in a saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. Likewise, you can also place your desired amount into a microwave-safe bowl and heat until hot.
How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.
It’s important to make this recipe in steps to pull as much flavor into it as possible.
When cooking the meat be sure to cook it past the point where moisture is released into the pot so that it can brown up properly.
It’s a great time to prep up all of the vegetables while the beef and chicken are stewing in the beef stock for 30 minutes.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
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Video
Mulligan Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 pounds cut up beef stew meat
- 1 ½ pounds cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 peeled and small diced yellow onions
- 96 ounces beef stock
- 6 peeled sliced carrots
- 6 stalks sliced celery
- 1 pound trimmed green beans
- 3 pounds peeled and large diced russet potatoes
- 3 cups corn kernels
- 2 cups lima beans
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a very large pot over medium-high heat add in 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the beef stew meat until browned, which takes about 4-6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot and cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, which takes about 4-6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the onions to the pot and brown over medium-low heat while stirring every 1-2 minutes, which takes about 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked beef and chicken back into the pot along with the beef stock and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat to help tenderize the meats.
- Place in the carrots, celery, green beans, potatoes, corn, lima beans, and tomatoes and cook for 20-25 minutes over medium-low heat or until tender.
- Finish with parsley, salt, and pepper and serve.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Soup and stew will always taste better over time so make this soup up to 1 day ahead of serving it.
- How to Reheat: Place your desired amount in a saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. Likewise, you can also place your desired amount into a microwave-safe bowl and heat until hot.
- How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.
- It’s important to make this recipe in steps to pull as much flavor into it as possible. When cooking the meat be sure to cook it past the point where moisture is released into the pot so that it can brown up properly.
- It’s a great time to prep up all of the vegetables while the beef and chicken are stewing in the beef stock for 30 minutes.
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