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Shipwreck Stew – a simple and economical comfort food full of ground beef, veggies, and beans. Don’t let this dish’s simplicity fool you!
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Easy Soup Recipes
Some of my favorite recipes to share with y’all and some of my personal favorite recipes are easy soup recipes. There is something so comforting in a bowl of soup.
With the cooler weather upon us, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a bowl of this quick and easy Shipwreck Stew. A few common ingredients and about an hour of your time yields a soup so special and dear to my heart.
A hopeful reunion … someday
So, this is one of those posts that is extremely hard for me to write. Like so many other people, I came from a “broken home.” My mother and my biological father divorced when I was very young – around the age of 3 or so. Believe me, those scars run deep. It has affected so many other facets of my life. Needless to say, I never really knew much about my biological father or his side of the family, and I have very few memories from my childhood with him or his family in them.
My story
I was one of the lucky ones, you could say. I was adopted by my step-dad and grew up having a “normal” life. Some of those old wounds have been medicated by having him in my life. However, some will probably never completely heal this side of Heaven.
I have sat on this post for quite a while deciding how much I felt comfortable with sharing – or not sharing – because it is such an emotional one for me. The truth is, it’s not comfortable at all. It dredges up all of the pain, hurt, and rejection I’ve carried most of my life – for over forty years. After all of this time, the pain is still here.
Most days, I am ok. On an occasion, it really gets to me, and it puts me in a funk. Somehow, I feel like sharing this will take some of the burdens off of me because I know there are probably thousands and thousands of people out there who can relate.
After I became an adult, I made contact with my biological father and his side of the family. Before has passed away, I didn’t really have much contact with him. Between drugs, alcohol, and his own self-interest, I just couldn’t keep putting myself (or my kids) through the pain. However, I do keep in contact with some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins from that side of the family.
Some years ago, my aunt, Wanda, posted on Facebook that she was making something called “Shipwreck Stew.” I had never heard of this recipe or dish before. So I asked her about it. Apparently, it was something my grandma made. Maybe your family has a similar dish?
Y’all know I love to cook (and eat!), and I especially love how food has a tendency to bring people together.
What is Shipwreck Stew
It was quite obvious how fond my aunts, uncles, and cousins seemed of this dish. So many memories are made during a meal – whether we realize it or not. I wanted to feel some kind of closeness to the family I never knew, so, I asked Wanda for the recipe. Of course, she happily obliged . Thanks, Wanda! 😊
Shipwreck Stew is full of ground beef, potatoes, onions, celery, kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. One of the things I love most about this recipe besides the origin and how simple it is to make is how easy it is to switch up what you put in it! It’s a great way to use up some of those odds and ends veggies and you can easily play with the spices to add that extra bit of yum. But truthfully, this soup is perfect just the way it was given to me, too.
Although my Aunt Wanda didn’t list it in the ingredients list, I’m pretty sure there was an extra cup or two of love put in this dish – the comments about this Shipwreck Stew from the family told me so.
This dish is far from fancy, and being perfectly honest, it totally made me cry as I ate it. I feel like I lost so many potential memories with some very wonderful people. What can I say, I am a huge cry baby! (Even as I write this post, I have to dry my eyes.)
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I may never have gotten the chance to share this with my grandparents, but if Heaven has a kitchen, something tells me there will be a bowl of this stew and a long-overdue reunion waiting for me.
What to serve with Shipwreck Stew
We usually serve some type of bread alongside this dish. Some of our favorites are Southern Cornbread, Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Muffins, BEST Garlic Bread, Herbed Dinner Rolls, No-Knead Bread, or Buttery Rolls.
Occasionally, we’ll make sandwiches to go along with our soup. Air Fryer Grilled Cheese and my Classic Ham Sandwich are two of our faves.
How to make Shipwreck Stew
- In a large pot, cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink.,
- Drain, if necessary.
Layer in order:
- the potatoes, onions, celery, kidney beans, corn, and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook on medium-high heat until the stew starts to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
- Cook covered and stir occasionally.
Shipwreck Stew FAQs
Yes, you can! This soup is perfect for making ahead and freezing! Once the soup has cooled, transfer it to freezer-safe containers or ziptop bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. When you’re ready to eat, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Once cooled, transfer the soup to an airtight container with a lid or a ziptop bag. Refrigerate and use within 3-5 days.
STOVETOP: Place the soup in a saucepan or Dutch oven and reheat over medium-high heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
MICROWAVE: Microwave soup in a microwave-safe container that has some room at the top with a vented lid or plastic wrap for 2-3 minutes or until hot, stirring after each minute.
Recipe Tips
- According to my Aunt Wanda, this is a stew that gets better each time it’s reheated!
- Feel free to add other seasonings or spices.
- This soup is a great way to use up odds and ends vegetables!
- You can make this in a slow cooker too! Just brown the ground beef and add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker on LOW for about 6-8 hours.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Shipwreck Stew
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 5 – 7 potatoes, peeled (if desired) and sliced thin or cubed
- 1 large onion, sliced thinly or finely chopped
- 5 – 7 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cans dark red kidney beans, liquid included, 15.5-16 oz. each
- 2 cans whole kernel corn, liquid included, 15 oz. each
- 2 cans diced tomatoes, juice included, 14.5 oz. each
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
- Drain, if necessary.
Layer in order:
- the potatoes, onions, celery, kidney beans, corn, and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook on medium-high heat until the stew starts to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
- Cook covered and stir occasionally.
Notes
- According to my Aunt Wanda, this is a stew that gets better each time it’s reheated!
- Feel free to add other seasonings or spices.
- This soup is a great way to use up odds and ends vegetables!
- You can make this in a slow cooker too! Just brown the ground beef and add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker on LOW for about 6-8 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published on March 20, 2014. Updated on October 2, 2021.
This is going on the menu tonight!
Love the recipe but holy h, you have ads on ads on ads. Takes forever to find what I needed amongst the sea of garbage. I know you have to make money but this isn’t the way. Experience is awful.
I can totally relate to your story. My parents divorced when i was 3, my brother was 1. My mother married a man in the navy and we moved all over the world, so my brother and I never really had the chance to know our fathers family. As an adult I met a half-sister and we are still close to this day. I have found out that my biological grandfather was quite the baker who shared his baked goods with family and friends. I love to bake and sometimes imagine the memories that could have been made over shared baking. Like you I believe if there is a kitchen in heaven I will get that meeting over baked goods. 🙂
Hi Jamie. Thanks for this fabulous recipe. My family doesn’t care for kidney beans. Will it work if I use chili, pinto or black beans?
Hello, Norma! Yes, you can swap out the beans and it will still be fine! I hope y’all enjoy the recipe!
Just made this for the first time tonight! OH MY GOSH! It was delicious! What a bittersweet story. Thank you for sharing this story and recipe.
I was looking up shipwreck recipes and I found this post. I too grew up in a split family and we were VERY broke, my mother did what she could and would make a very similar thing that was baked, that we loved as kids and all of us kids have talked to each other about how she use to make it at different times over the years, but could never get it down like she did. 🤷♂️After reading this it brought me back to my childhood when it didn’t matter what you had but more of who you have and cheap easy meals are the ones that have the most impact on one. I’m definitely making this!
We love this recipe. We seasoned the beef up, added a can of diced alapenos (with liquid) and about a cup of vegetable stock. Came out amazing!
Jalapenos*
I hope you find peace regarding your Dad. I loved your recipe. If I might add, I found the soup tasted very strong of kidney beans. Next time I will make the recipe as is except I will drain and rinse the kidney beans. I added a little worcestershire sauce.
I made this and its so good!! I put leftovers in Mason jars and freeze. Thank you for sharing recipe and your story. I grew up on this calling it hamburger soup.