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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208 comments
See what others have to say
AlisonSaturday 5th November 2022
What size are the tins of beans and tomatoes etc…. used for the recipe for 4 people? 227g (small tin) or the 400g (larger) tin?
SharonTuesday 8th November 2022
Hi Alison, you will need 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, baked beans and kidney beans for the Campfire Stew. Thanks for your question and enjoy the recipe!
Mike JonesThursday 20th October 2022
Please help, used my instant pot but food started to burn before pressure reached, do I need to add more liquid?
HollyMonday 24th October 2022
Hey Mike, check that theres nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot as this will cause it to overheat give it a little scrape it with a wooden spoon to remove anything stuck. Once the pot has cooled down completely you could try adding a little water to make the sauce a little less thick. Then once it’s done, remove the lid and use the saute function to reduce and thicken. Some of the newer instant pots are very sensitive, especially with tomato based sauces. Hope that helps!
SamWednesday 19th October 2022
Hi can I cook this in my ninja 15 in 1? If so what setting and for how long? Also can I use pork joint instead of gammon? Thanks
HollyMonday 24th October 2022
Hey Sam, we have included 3 methods for cooking this recipe one is for the Instant Pot which you would find will work in the Ninja 15 in 1 on the pressure cook function, hope that helps!
PaulineTuesday 18th October 2022
I will be out of the house at work for 11 hours, am I better to leave it on low ?
SharonWednesday 19th October 2022
Hi Pauline, yes, cooking on low would be more suitable if you’re slow cooking this recipe for a long time. We would also recommend checking the instruction leaflet for your appliance for specific advice. Enjoy the recipe!
Michelle ClarkSaturday 8th October 2022
The recipe at the top advises 6 servings but further down in the ingredients it says 4 servings. Which is correct?
HollyTuesday 11th October 2022
Hey Michelle, the recipe serves 4 and cooks for 6 hours in the slow cooker, hope that helps!
MeganSunday 27th February 2022
Is it necessary to soak the gammon overnight?
HollyMonday 28th February 2022
Hi Megan, Some gammon joints need to be soaked in water for a few hours then drained before cooking or they will be too salty. To test if yours needs soaking, cut a small piece off the joint and fry it in a pan. If it’s too salty once cooked, soak it first. Hope that helps!
Pauline BirkettTuesday 22nd February 2022
I love this but would like to know the saturated fats in this dish. Camp Fire Stew 10 out of 10
HollyTuesday 1st March 2022
Hi Pauline, we have a small table showing nutritional information at the very top of the recipe page above the rate my plate feature. This includes saturated fat. Hope that helps!
HayleySunday 18th April 2021
Hi. Can you advise what size gammon joint you recommend? I picked up a 1.2kg joint but not sure whether that is too big?
HollyWednesday 21st April 2021
Hey Hayley, gammon joints vary from brand to brand but a standard joint weighs between 700g up to 1kg so that is fine to use for the Campfire Stew, hope that helps!
Julie GoldsmithSunday 28th February 2021
I made this today, it’s lovely. I entered all the ingredients into my WW app and it’s coming out at 13sp not the 8sp that the recipe says. Why is that?
HollyMonday 1st March 2021
Hey Julie, I’ve just double checked this recipe and the points have changed slightly have a look HERE at our guide for how we work out points and nutritional information for all of our recipes, hope that helps!
NicholaMonday 21st March 2022
Is there any other liquid to go in . IE any water ?
HollyMonday 21st March 2022
Hey Nichola, the moisture from the vegetables, baked beans and chopped tomatoes break down in this recipe to make a delicious smokey sauce so no extra liquid is needed, hope that helps!
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