This is a recipe I first came across in the early ’90s while living in Las Vegas. I remember it appearing in either the Las Vegas Sun or the Las Vegas Review Journal, framed as a profile of a local firefighter who handled the cooking duties at his station.
For years, I assumed the recipe was lost. I searched newspaper archives and came up empty. I even began to doubt my own memory, especially after discovering how many firehouse-themed cookbooks existed around that time. I wondered if what I remembered had actually been a promotional piece for one of them.
Before getting into that story, here’s the recipe as it was published around 1993.
Firehouse Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
(or substitute 1-inch diced sirloin steak) - 3 potatoes, diced (about 1 inch)
- 1 green pepper, chopped
(see how I usually cook peppers here) - 1/2 onion, chopped
- 8 oz kielbasa sausage, sliced
- 10 oz frozen corn
- 1/2 cup chicken stock (optional)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Brown the ground beef in a large pot or deep skillet, then drain any excess fat.
Add the potatoes, green pepper, onion, kielbasa, frozen corn, and chicken stock if using. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then finish with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese just before serving.
In our house, this is usually paired with a simple salad and dinner rolls or a baguette.
Notes on Scale and Leftovers
This is a great dish for feeding a crowd. It scales up or down easily without changing the method, which is likely why it worked so well in a firehouse setting.
Leftovers reheat well and hold together nicely the next day, making it a good option for potlucks or make-ahead meals.
Tracking Down the Original Source
Over the years, I’ve found similar recipes labeled as Firehouse Stew or Cowboy Stew, but none match this specific combination of ingredients.
I checked several cookbooks from the same era, including Joseph Bonanno’s Firehouse Grilling Cookbook and John Sineno’s Firefighter’s Cookbook. While they share themes, they don’t include this exact recipe.
The breakthrough came during a holiday visit with family, when I found a very faded newspaper clipping in one of my mother’s collections. Unfortunately, it was only the recipe itself, without the accompanying article, so proper attribution remains unresolved.
If you recognize this recipe or happen to have a copy of the original newspaper article, especially if it included other recipes from the same piece, please reach out. I’d love to finally close the loop on where this came from.