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Recipes » Soups » Mulligan Stew Recipe

Mulligan Stew Recipe

Posted on March 27, 2020 By Chef Billy Parisi

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Mulligan stew is a free-for-all and easy to make delicious hearty soup crammed with meat and vegetables in a tasty beef broth.

bowl of stew with vegetables

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.

bowls of mulligan stew served alongside bread

More Hearty Soup Recipes

  • Split Pea
  • Zuppa Toscana
  • Pasta E Fagioli
  • Chicken Dumpling Soup
  • Matzo Ball

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this, then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

Video

bowl of stew with vegetables
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Mulligan Stew Recipe

Mulligan stew is a free-for-all and easy to make delicious hearty soup crammed with meat and vegetables in a tasty beef broth.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time1 hr 10 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24
Calories: 223kcal
Author: Chef Billy Parisi

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

Chef 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 1016mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2864IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg
Mulligan Stew Recipe was last modified: April 10th, 2020 by Chef Billy Parisi

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Comments

  1. elf says

    February 20, 2021 at 3:09 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks so much for this lovely Stew You are such a blessing… God Bless

    Reply
  2. Deborah Hickman says

    January 25, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    5 stars
    Love all your videos.
    Debbie

    Reply

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ABOUT ME

I’m Billy Parisi and thanks for checking out my site! I’m a culinary school grad that spent 15 years in the restaurant industry as a line cook, sous chef and executive chef. Now I write recipes, take pictures of’em, shoot some video, occasionally hosting on TV, checking out the latest fashion, hangin with my wife and daughter and watching a whole bunch of college sports. Hope you enjoy my twists on classics as well as new innovations! Read More…

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