Campfire Stew
Campfire Stew is an easy, warming and slimming friendly meal for anyone counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers or similar.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories409
- Carbs47g
- Protein24g
- Fat15g
- Saturates5g
- Sugars11g
Your dishes
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
This Campfire Stew has to be one of the easiest, yet tastiest slimming friendly recipes we’ve done so far! In fact, it’s one of the most popular recipes over on our Facebook group and we love how much you’ve been enjoying it!
Just throw the ingredients into your slow cooker before you out go to work in the morning and come home to the fab smoky aroma, what could be easier than that?
This Campfire Stew is one of many slimming friendly slow cooker recipes that we’ve created. These are all really simple, and the perfect kind of recipe to tuck into at the end of a long day.
What diets is this Campfire Stew suitable for?
This Campfire Stew recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions:
- Worcestershire sauce
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients or equipment to make Campfire Stew?
This recipe is great as most of the ingredients such as beans, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes etc. will likely in your cupboard already!
The main star of the dish is the gammon joint, and a cheap one will do. Just make sure to soak it in water overnight or it may be a bit too salty for your taste. We’ve used an unsmoked gammon joint due to the saltiness, but you can use smoked if you like.
As for the hot sauce, we generally use Franks as it adds a bit of heat without overdoing it and also brings a nice bit of acidity. If you don’t have any you can leave it out without any problems. You should be able to get this in the spice aisle of the supermarket, or substitute with standard hot sauce.
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‘So delicious. I made it in the ninja on pressure cook function. We enjoyed it so much we have had it three times in the last two weeks!!’
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How many calories are in this Campfire Stew?
There are 409 calories in each portion of our slimming friendly Campfire Stew. This means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence recipe category. You can find all of our other Weekly Indulgence recipes here.
This Campfire Stew is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Slow cooker method
Step 1
Soak the gammon joint overnight in cold water if necessary.
Step 2
Reserve half of the sliced peppers, and add all the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir well and switch on.
Step 3
Set the slow cooker to a high setting and cook for 6-8 hours (you can leave it on longer).
Step 4
30 minutes before the end of cooking stir in the reserved peppers.
Step 5
After 6 hours, check the consistency of your sauce and the tenderness of your meat. The meat should be starting to fall apart and the sauce thickening. You can remove the lid and cook on high to finish the meat and thicken the sauce if necessary.
Step 6
The meat should have broken up, but if not shred it in the slow cooker with two forks and mix well before serving.
Instant Pot method
Step 1
Soak the gammon joint overnight in cold water if necessary.
Step 2
Reserve half of the sliced peppers, and add all the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir well.
Step 3
Turn the valve to “sealing” and cook on Manual for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
Step 4
Stir in the remaining peppers, close the lid, turn the valve to “sealing” and cook on Manual for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will reach pressure, then let the pressure release naturally.
Step 5
The meat should have broken up, but if not shred it in the Instant Pot with two forks and mix well before serving.
Oven method
Step 1
Soak the gammon joint overnight in cold water if necessary.
Step 2
Reserve half of the sliced peppers, and add all the rest of the ingredients to the casserole dish, stir well and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Step 3
Cook for 2-3 hours at 170-180°C, checking every 30 minutes or so.
Step 4
Check the consistency of the sauce and the tenderness of your meat. The meat should be starting to fall apart and the sauce thickening.
Step 5
You can remove the lid and continue cooking to finish the meat and thicken the sauce if necessary.
Step 6
The meat should have broken up, but if not shred it in the slow cooker with two forks and mix well.
Step 7
15 minutes before the end of cooking stir in the reserved peppers and serve.
What should you should serve with Campfire Stew?
Any of the following go really well with Campfire Stew. It’s one of those dishes that goes with pretty much anything. It’s so hearty it can of course be eaten on its own!
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.
How do you know when the Campfire Stew is cooked?
You should cook this Campfire Stew until the gammon literally falls apart when pulled with a pair of forks.
This should take approx 1 hour in the pressure cooker, 6 hours in the slow cooker (high) or 2 hours in the oven (170°C).
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Campfire Stew in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Campfire Stew in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Campfire Stew?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer! Unless you fancy mystery food for dinner haha.
How do I reheat this Campfire Stew?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Campfire Stew
Campfire Stew is an easy, warming and slimming friendly meal for anyone counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers or similar.
-
Prep Time
40 MINS
-
Cook Time
6 HR
- KCals 409
- Carbs 47G
Instructions
In the Slow Cooker
- Soak the gammon joint overnight in cold water if necessary
- Reserve half of the sliced peppers, and add all the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, stir well and switch on
- Set slow cooker to high setting and cook for 6-8 hours on high (you can leave it on longer)
- 30 minutes before the end of cooking stir in the reserved peppers
- After 6 hours, check consistency of sauce and tenderness of meat. The meat should be starting to fall apart and sauce thickening. You can remove the lid and cook on high to finish the meat and thicken the sauce if necessary
- The meat should have broken up, but if not shred it in the slow cooker with two forks and mix well before serving
In the Instant Pot
- Soak the gammon joint overnight in cold water if necessary
- Reserve half of the sliced peppers, and add all the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot, stir well
- Turn valve to "sealing" and cook on Manual for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally
- Stir in the remaining peppers, close the lid, turn valve to "sealing" and cook on Manual for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will reach pressure, then let the pressure release naturally
- The meat should have broken up, but if not shred it in the Instant Pot with two forks and mix well before serving
In the oven
- Soak the gammon joint over night in cold water if necessary
- Reserve half of the sliced peppers, and add all the rest of the ingredients to the casserole dish, stir well and cover with a tight fitting lid
- Cook for 2-3 hours at 170-180°C, checking every 30 minutes or so
- Check the consistency of sauce and tenderness of meat. The meat should be starting to fall apart and sauce thickening
- You can remove the lid and continue cooking to finish the meat and thicken the sauce if necessary
- The meat should have broken up, but if not shred it in the slow cooker with two forks and mix well
- 15 minutes before the end of cooking stir in the reserved peppers and serve
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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209 comments
See what others have to say
BarbaraMonday 13th November 2017
Hi, can you use smoked gammon ?
LucySunday 12th November 2017
I just did this in the instant pot the sauce is cooked but the gammons not ???? not sure where we’ve gone wrong… just popped the meat in the oven but it’s so tough ????
JessicaTuesday 7th November 2017
This is just sooooo tasty!!
JoMonday 6th November 2017
Do you have to soak the gammon overnight? I’m wanting to have this tomorrow but will be getting the ingredients in the morning
JackieSunday 5th November 2017
Hi do I have to soak the gammon joint overnight or can I pop it the slow cooker straight away
Linda BrannanSunday 5th November 2017
Your recipe says peppers but only one is in the list of ingredients. Do you suggest a couple of different colours?
LisaSunday 5th November 2017
Fab recipe. Going to give it a whirl this week.
Re slow cooker instruction 3. Am I to cook it on low/medium/high?
Maggue WestSaturday 4th November 2017
A bit unclear if this is 6-8 hrs in the slow cooker on low, medium or high as you say ‘set to medium to high & cook on low for 6-8 hrs’. Is it just me or is this a little confusing please? Maggie
CathySaturday 4th November 2017
I can’t eat Gannon can I use chicken or beef instead?
SusanSaturday 21st October 2017
would It be ok to put chicken breast in instead of gammon or pork for campfire stew
KathyThursday 19th October 2017
What could I use instead of Frank’s hot sauce please?
JennhTuesday 17th October 2017
Can I make this in the oven? I don’t have a slow cooker or instant pot but really want to try it!
TaraSaturday 23rd September 2017
Any suggestions if what I can use instead of carrots and celery I don’t care much for either.
VickiThursday 14th September 2017
Might be a weird question but could I prep this the night before and cover in the fridge just to stick in the slow cooker in the morning? As quick as it is a can’t handle strong spells (garlic and onions mainly) first thing in the morning! Thanks
LauraThursday 21st September 2017
I always do this as I have very early starts in the morning and don’t like to start prepping dinner at 6am. So do it the night before and put the slow cooker bowl in the fridge over night. Don’t waste plastic by using cling film, just use the lid for the slow cooker. I often start it as soon as I get up on high then turn it down to low before I go to work (normally around an hour) to get it started. Otherwise on low it would take a long time to start cookIng because everything is very cold.
Denise PattersonTuesday 19th March 2019
Hi I am going to try chicken thighs with it for tomorrow’s dinner do you think that would be ok xxx
Samantha PritchardSunday 10th September 2017
Would this work without backed beans, as the hubby can’t stand them.
Emma TMonday 11th September 2017
Hi Samantha,
It would, you might need to add something extra to bulk it out – try kidney beans, or pearl barley ????
TracyWednesday 23rd August 2017
Hi where do I get franks hot sauce from please ?
Emma TMonday 11th September 2017
Hi Tracy,
Most of the supermarkets sell it ????
Helen SalterFriday 10th March 2017
Lovely! Had this last night and even the fussy 3 year old loved it 🙂
RaqFriday 20th January 2017
Is any other choice of meat suitable with this recipe, please? Thanks. Xx
KateSaturday 21st January 2017
Hi Raq
We’ve heard from people that have used beef instead of the gammon joint, but we’ve not tried it ourselves. It might need cooking a little bit longer than the gammon would
RaqFriday 27th January 2017
Thank you so much for your reply…If you’ve not tried it with beef then I’m not!! Will stick to what I know with the gammon! Thanks again, xx
Becky BottomleyTuesday 17th January 2017
I love this recipe for Campfire stew and it’s become a weekly meal that my husband enjoys! Throw it all in and your good to go! Really tasty and moreish! I love this meal with a jacket potato and lots of green veg such as cabbage, green beans and make sprouts! There’s always lots leftover so I often have it two days in a row!
KaySaturday 11th February 2017
Hi Becky,
So glad you and your family love it! ????
AmyTuesday 27th December 2016
What would you suggest to serve this with?
JoSunday 27th November 2016
How do I cook this without a slow cooker?
TIA
SadesMonday 7th November 2016
Can you use another meat instead of gammon?
KateMonday 14th November 2016
Hi Sades,
We’ve never tried using a different meat, however we have seen some people use a pork or beef joint
...Sunday 16th October 2016
What size gammon joint do you recommend please? Want to make sure I don’t use one that is too big and therefore make the sauce too dry.
KaySunday 16th October 2016
We usually use a 750g piece 🙂
SianTuesday 4th October 2016
Would this be ok on SP? I’d like to try it next week!
NickiTuesday 4th October 2016
Can I use passata instead of tin tomatoes??? My partner doest like them xx
AmyTuesday 6th September 2016
Would this work if you used kidney beans in chilli sauce (which are free) rather than regular kidney beans, or would that be too spicy / too liquidy? Thanks! 🙂
SRWMonday 5th September 2016
I purchased the Instant Pot a few weeks back because of your recipes, and it is FANTASTIC. I followed this recipe and cooked a 1.4kg gammon joint in there for 80 minutes under high pressure (40 minutes first which wasn’t enough as the gammon wasn’t cooked in the middle, so after another 40 minutes it was perfect) The flavors are incredibly rich. It was delicious and oh so easy. Thank you
FionaWednesday 31st August 2016
Can you freeze leftovers
KateThursday 1st September 2016
Hi Fiona, Yes, you can freeze leftovers without any problems. I quite often freeze any extra
HeatherTuesday 26th July 2016
Yes that’s right – the moisture from the gammon and the tinned tomatoes/added sauces will make the sauce 🙂
JackieSunday 3rd July 2016
I’ve just popped this in the slow cooker, am I right that there is no stock? Does water come off the gammon to make the sauce? Thanks!
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