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
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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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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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208 comments
See what others have to say
LucyTuesday 22nd January 2019
Hi,
To soak the gammon do you cover it with water and leave in the fridge overnight?
Thanks
Sarah BayesWednesday 16th January 2019
I tried to cook camp fire stew in my new Instant Pot, I followed the recipe exactly. I don’t have a manual setting so looked it up and said to use the pressure cook setting which I did but it burnt to the bottom of the instant pot before getting up to pressure. I emptied the contents of the inner pot cleaned it and set it back off but did exactly the same 4 times in total. Please can you tell me what I’m doing wrong? ????????♀️ We were really looking forward to tasting it but gave up so going to slow cook it tomorrow.
AllyTuesday 15th January 2019
Hi, this sounds great and perfect to come home to at the end of a busy day. I really don’t like Kidney beans, could I replace with chickpeas instead?
AthenaSaturday 12th January 2019
What do you do if you are using in the instant pot and get the BURN message and you open it (safely) and the ingredients are stuck to the bottom. I read you take it out, clean the bottom etc… but do you add water to avoid it sticking again, and if so, how much and will it bland the flavour?
Stephanie OramTuesday 8th January 2019
I’ve had my campfire stew on for 5 hours on slow. Checked the meat and it’s still raw! I thought it was a typo in the text when it said high 6-8 hours ????. I’ve now switched it onto high and will now have to leave it in longer and make something else for tea. Hopefully it will cook before going to bed ????. So disappointed in myself.
HeatherWednesday 5th December 2018
I love this with gammon but i have some frozen chicken breasts (purchased frozen not fresh then been frozen) if i added these instead of gammon would the cooking time be the same or less? Thankyou
JessicaTuesday 4th December 2018
I’m making this in a morphy Richards multi chef, so I can only go off temperatures, would you consider high on a slow cooker as around 200 degrees or lower or higher
Thankyou
Claire CanhamFriday 16th November 2018
Made campfire stew today, so delicious, couldn’t stop eating it out of the slow cooker!!!!
NicolaWednesday 14th November 2018
Hi, do you think it’s possible to use gamon steaks if there are a few instead of a joint?
Helen GeorgeThursday 8th November 2018
Just making this now- do you drain the kidney beans or throw beans and water into the slow cooker? Thanks x
Karen CramptonFriday 26th October 2018
Hi
Can I freeze what isn’t eaten for another time?
This is going to be my first attempt but I’d rather make the whole recipe and freeze then try to reduce the amounts
Julie MooreThursday 18th October 2018
Could I use a pork shoulder joint, rather than Gammon?
KeelyWednesday 10th October 2018
Hi, love the look of this and making it next week! Just wanted to check do you drain the kidney beans or chuck the liquid into the slow cooker too? Thanks!
AngelaMonday 8th October 2018
Hi I have a pressure king pro, Do
I follow the instructions for instantpot? Thanks
Alice O'DonnellFriday 28th September 2018
409kcal is that per person or per recipe? seems quite high
Samantha blamireFriday 7th September 2018
Is it a full carton of pasatta instead of tomatoes cause we don’t like tomatoes
AndreaSunday 2nd September 2018
How long is the total time in the oven please? A PKP is on my shopping list ☺️
Chris HMonday 13th August 2018
Fab recipe. Very tasty with a smoky aroma. Also super cheap and filling with plenty left over for lunch! I served this with rustic wedges and green beans. Will definitely be making again ????
VanessaTuesday 7th August 2018
Caint wait to try new recipes
Wendy l camberMonday 23rd July 2018
I’ve defrosted a big joint in the fridge over two days, does everyone soak theirs in water? Mine is unsmoked. Wondering if I should just put it in or can I still soak it. Thanks
Julie FoxSunday 24th June 2018
Hello, can I use a vegetarian joint instead of meat? Quorn do a gammon equivalent…. wouldn’t need soaking.
Thank you
JoSaturday 26th May 2018
Hi, I absolutely love this recipe! How long will it keep in the fridge? I left it too late to freeze
WendyFriday 25th May 2018
Can you confirm how long this should be cooked for on manual in the instant pot? Instructions mention ‘0 minutes’
SophieFriday 4th May 2018
I can’t fit everything in, will carrots, celery and mushrooms be ok to add in later once everything’s reduced a bit and if so how many hours do they need to soften.
SueWednesday 25th April 2018
Has anybody ever tried a vegetarian version of this? Or is gammon the key ingredient?!
SueWednesday 2nd May 2018
Ooh I didn’t even know that existed! Thank you! x
GraemeMonday 23rd April 2018
Hi
This look lovely and I’ve seen it mentioned many times.
How long in ‘normal’ old fashioned pressure cooker (my best friend for long-cook stews etc).
Tia
ClairWednesday 18th April 2018
Went down a treat with the whole family will definitely make this again. ????????
FionaMonday 26th March 2018
Hi I’m really hoping it doesn’t matter that I’ve made this using a gammon joint that’s 1.3kg, just noticed the comments after I put everything in the slow cooker! Think it will still cook ok in 8 hours??
FionaMonday 26th March 2018
Well I cooked the large joint and it’s taken over the whole pot so it’s mainly just gammon and not much sauce! Nice and tender though! Think I would use a small joint next time!!
IonaWednesday 21st March 2018
Hi. I want to cook this overnight so I can have it for my lunch tomorrow but I am scared of overcooking. Can it be cooked on medium for longer? Or how long can it be left on high? Thanks
StephenMonday 19th March 2018
I’m going to make this camp fire stew for the first time ever , using all suggested ingredients it sounds like the kind of food I would enjoy. …..using a conventional slow cooker…..I’ll be letting you know how I got on……..many thanks Steve x ….
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