Canned Liquids

• Canned broths, stocks and juices add liquid to the hamburger stew without the trouble and time needed for homemade ingredients. Use canned beef stock or broth for traditional flavor, or choose tomato or vegetable juice for added sweetness and tartness. Blend beef broth and vegetable juice for a combination of flavors. Canned vegetable stock lightens the stew and cuts some of the richness. When adding canned broth, stock or juice, check the ingredients for added sodium and reduce the amount of salt you add so the stew won't end up too salty.

Canned Vegetables

• While not all vegetables traditionally added to hamburger stew work well when added as canned versions, some may actually work better than their fresh versions. For instance, add fresh onions and celery when browning the ground beef. Do not substitute the canned versions. However, canned carrots, green beans, peas and corn, added toward the end of the cooking time, add flavor, color and texture to the stew without adding prep time.

Canned Tomatoes

• Canned tomatoes, whether diced, stewed or sauced, add substance, spice and sweetness to hamburger stew. Without the trouble of blanching, peeling and seeding the tomatoes, simply opening the cans and dumping the contents adds the cooked and tender essence of the tomatoes to the stew. Use canned tomatoes with green chiles for some extra spice or diced tomatoes with garlic and onions added for some seasoning. Break whole stewed tomatoes up with the back of a wooden spoon after adding to the pot.

Canned Potatoes

• Canned potatoes add substance to the hamburger stew. To avoid them turning to mush in the cooking, choose small, canned, whole potatoes and add them toward the end of the cooking time. Avoid diced or sliced canned potatoes that will fall apart during stewing. Check labels for added sodium and reduce salt accordingly for each canned ingredient that contains salt.