Lazy June Evenings: Just 4 ingredients. I make it when I want a comforting bowl handled hours ahead after a long, hot summer day.

On those long, hot June days when the sun hangs on forever and the house is already warm by mid-morning, I like to get supper handled before the heat really settles in. This 4-ingredient slow cooker hamburger stew is the kind of no-fuss, comforting bowl that fits right into a lazy summer evening: hearty enough to feel like a real meal, but simple enough that you can toss it together in minutes using frozen beef patties and let it burble away all afternoon. It reminds me of the easy, practical suppers my mother leaned on during haying season—nothing fancy, just a rich, savory pot waiting for you when you finally come in, dusty and tired, ready to sit down and eat.

Ladle this stew into wide bowls and serve it with thick slices of buttered white or wheat bread for dipping into the glossy, beefy gravy. A simple side of sliced garden tomatoes or cucumbers with a little salt keeps it light for summer. If you like, add a small green salad or a bowl of cottage cheese to round things out. This stew also sits nicely over a scoop of cooked rice or mashed potatoes if you want to stretch it for extra mouths or heartier appetites.

Servings: 4

4 frozen beef hamburger patties (about 4 ounces each)

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a bit of oil or cooking spray so cleanup is easier later.

Lay the frozen hamburger patties in a single layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. It is fine if they are rock-hard straight from the freezer; do not brown them first.

In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and condensed tomato soup until they form a smooth, combined sauce. Do not add water; you want a rich, thick base that will thin slightly as it cooks.

Pour the soup mixture evenly over the frozen patties, making sure every patty is coated so they stay moist and soak up the flavor as they cook.

Sprinkle the frozen mixed vegetables over the top, spreading them out into an even layer. Do not stir; the vegetables will sink down as everything cooks and the patties soften and crumble.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the patties are very tender and the vegetables are soft. The mixture should be bubbling gently and look glossy and saucy.

Once everything is tender, use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the hamburger patties right in the slow cooker, stirring them into the sauce and vegetables until the meat is crumbled throughout and the stew looks thick and meaty.

Taste and, if you like, add a pinch of salt and black pepper just before serving. Ladle the hot stew into bowls and serve while it is still bubbling and rich.

If you prefer a little more body, you can stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of leftover cooked rice or cooked small pasta during the last 30 minutes on LOW, just long enough to warm through and soak up some of the sauce. For a sweeter, more old-fashioned flavor, use frozen mixed vegetables that include corn and lima beans; for a lighter taste, choose a blend heavy on green beans and carrots. You can also swap the cream of mushroom soup for cream of celery or cream of chicken if that is what you have on hand, though the flavor will be slightly different. If you enjoy a bit of zip, add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce or a small splash of hot sauce when you stir the stew at the end. To keep this truly a lazy-summer recipe, do all your chopping and extra add-ins (if any) early in the day before the kitchen heats up, and let the slow cooker sit in a cooler corner of the house. For food safety, always start with fully frozen or properly refrigerated beef patties that have not sat out at room temperature; place them straight from the freezer into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW or HIGH only as directed—avoid using the WARM setting to cook from frozen, as it may hold the meat too long at unsafe temperatures. Leftover stew should be cooled and refrigerated within 2 hours and eaten within 3 to 4 days, or frozen in airtight containers for up to 2 to 3 months. Reheat leftovers until they are steaming hot all the way through before serving.