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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.
Do you add any kind of broth or water or does it make its own. I plan on making it in the slow cooker.
No extra water or broth – only what’s stated in the recipe card above.
This was very good. I cut everything in half, as it’s only me and my hubby. I didn’t have any celery snd only a small can or corn and it was fine. I felt it needed more liquid, so I added half a can of V8 juice. So easy to make! Maybe I’ll try the crock pot next time. Also, substitute a can of tomatoes with chili’s for the can of tomatoes. It was delicious without the substitution!! Many thanks!!
Jamie, Thanks so much for sharing your family recipe and your story, as uncomfortable as it may be. I too, can identify with some similarities in my family dynamic, and no one makes biscuits and gravy better than grandma!
Did anyone add any other spices or seasoning? I tend to add more than just salt and pepper when making stew and didn’t know if this recipe needs more seasoning or not.
This is surprisingly tasty without a lot of other spices, maybe the undrained veggies. I only added garlic powder because….garluc.
Yes I did. I added Worcestershire sauce and celery seeds, smoked paprika, beef broth, just the one can of beans. My hubby always adds green chili to his bowl.
I drain my corn and beans and add beef broth. Also use seasoning salt.
Thank you for sharing your story and recipe ,
I am cooking this right as I write this and can’t wait
to try this tonight.
All the best to you.
I made this soup tonight and it was absolutely delicious !! I love how easy it was too. Thank you !!
This looks really good. What size cans of kidney beans and diced tomatoes ? I really want to make this. TIA
I use 15 oz cans – I hope that helps.
This is so crazy! My sisters and I are getting together and decided to have a dinner in honor of my mom. Our plan was to have some meals that our mom made when we were younger. Shipwreck Casserole was our choice. we had trouble finding her exact recipe so opted for something else. This looks and ingredients sound like the one she made only difference is she made homemade biscuits and baked on top. I think we should try this one!! Thank You!!
What a wonderful story
Question: Do I layer the potatoes, etc. OVER the browned beef in the same pot?
Yes, that’s right. 🙂
*going to be a home run*
Saw this and knew it was a gone run right off the bat! It is delicious and definitely gets better with reheating after being frozen! I made a couple of additions and it simply couldn’t be any better! I also added a large bottle of spicy V-8 and a few dashes of Tobasco sauce because my husband likes spicier food! Making it again tonight! Thanks for your story and recipe!