In a small bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the condensed tomato soup and the beef broth until fairly smooth. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just mixed enough so the soup isn’t one big lump.
Pour the soup and broth mixture evenly over the crumbled beef, potatoes, and onions in the slow cooker. Do not stir; just let the liquid seep down through the layers as it cooks.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours, or on HIGH for about 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the ground beef is cooked through. Avoid lifting the lid too often so the stew can stay hot and cook evenly.
Once the cooking time is up, gently stir the stew from the bottom so the potatoes, beef, and sauce are all combined. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little more salt and pepper if needed.
Let the stew sit with the lid off for about 5–10 minutes to thicken slightly, then ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Variations & Tips
For a bit more color and sweetness, you can add 1–2 chopped carrots on top of the potatoes, keeping the rest of the recipe the same. If you prefer a milder tomato flavor, replace half of the tomato soup with extra beef broth. For a richer version, stir in a tablespoon of butter at the end of cooking, or top each bowl with a small handful of shredded cheddar cheese. To stretch the meal for a bigger family, add an extra potato or two and a splash more broth. If you need to use what you have on hand, any basic potato (Yukon Gold, red potatoes) will work, and you can swap the yellow onion for a few tablespoons of dried minced onion in a pinch. For a leaner stew, use 90% lean ground beef and, if there’s extra fat on top after cooking, just skim it off with a spoon before serving.
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