Why not have a pot of this slow cooker campfire stew recipe ready for when you get home after a long day? Each mouthful is full of tasty shredded gammon cooked in a delicious combination of spices, baked beans and tomatoes.
If you're looking for a tasty budget recipe that uses mostly dry cupboard store ingredients, then I highly recommend this easy campfire stew slow cooker recipe.
It's full of wholesome comfort foods melded together and we love how filling and versatile it is.
And the best thing is, is that it's lean and healthy using no fat, making it a perfect campfire stew Slimming World recipe. But, if you want to stir in some olive oil, cheese and cream at the end, then you can!
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🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.
- Gammon joint - if using smoked, I recommend soaking it in water overnight to remove any excess salt
- Smoked paprika - adds a delicious sweet smoky flavour
- Garlic cloves - for a more complex and delicious flavour
- Chopped tomatoes - for the main tomato sauce base
- Baked beans - for extra filling protein and fibre and tomato sauce
- Chilli - mild chilli powder and flakes for heat
- Onions - for a warming taste
- Bell peppers - we use a mix of yellow and red bell pepper, but you could use green too
- Mushrooms - optional, but we love the texture
- Balsamic vinegar - or use red wine vinegar or Worcestershire sauce for sweet acidity
- Tomato purée - this is concentrated tomato paste for flavour
- Black pepper - for heat, but note we don't add salt as it's already in the gammon
- Bay leaves - for a warming taste, but remove at the end of cooking
📋 Instructions
Here's my step-by-step cooking process for you to follow.
Ensure all fat is removed from your gammon joint, including the plastic strip holding it together. Then place it in the slow cooker.
Now add the remaining ingredients and put the lid on and cook on high heat for 6-7 hours.
At the end of cooking time, take out the gammon and shred it with two forks into bite-sized pieces.
Now add the remaining ingredients and put the lid on and cook on high heat for 6-7 hours.
Tip: the gammon should fall apart easily without shredding. However, I recommend breaking it up thoroughly with two forks, otherwise, it will resemble a gammon bean and vegetable soup.
👩🍳 Substitutions
Here are a few simple swaps you can make, depending on your dietary requirements:
- Diabetics - swap the baked beans for plain tinned cannellini beans, kidney beans or red lentils with a low glycaemic index(GI)
- Gluten Free - use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce use a GF baked beans brand, such as Heinz.
- Vegetarian - swap the gammon for jackfruit or try 1 cup of red lentils instead and add more vegetables like a large carrot, green beans, etc
- Keto - swap the baked beans for lupin beans
⚖️ Variations
There are lots of other ways you can tweak this type of meal to suit your tastebuds:
- Spicy - add hot sauce like Siracha for a sweet chilli taste
- Deluxe - stir in a tablespoon butter per serving and cheese, and lime juice with fresh coriander
- Kid friendly - omit the chilli powder and flakes and serve with fries
- Alternative meats - make it a beef stew, or use chicken breasts
See my healthy pulled gammon version here without beans.
🔪 Equipment
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- Slow cooker
- Weighing scales
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Measuring spoons
- Garlic press
- Salt and pepper grinder
❄️ Storage
Storing - As it feeds lots of people, you may have lots of leftovers which I recommend storing in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing - To store in the freezer, a reader's tip was to place a freezer bag in a container as a liner and then fill, seal, and freeze. Once frozen, you can remove the liner bag and reuse the container again.
Reheating - Once defrosted, microwave, stirring half way, or on the stove until piping hot.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
It's pretty much a one-pot wonder that tastes great with a side of whole grains, rice, mashed potatoes or crusty bread* But our favourite way is this leftover pulled gammon carnitas recipe.
Or you can add some tortilla chips in foil packets, add some grated cheese and grill under medium-high heat, making it perfect for feeding large groups!
*Note, if part of a Slimming club, then opt for whole-grain bread.
💡Pro Tips
- If you want to reduce the salt, it's a good idea to soak it in cold water for 2 hours, then drain before popping it in
- There's no need to stir while the stew cooks, although it certainly won't hurt
- The gammon in this delicious stew should easily break up in the crock pot, but I recommend being more thorough with two forks so it is a less soupy texture
- For a simple soup, you can beef stock to leftovers and simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium heat
❓ FAQ
Yes, you can swap the gammon joint for ground beef and in fact, if you add sausages too, then you've pretty much made slow cooker cowboy stew! Another great meat that holds up to slow cooking is pork shoulder.
It might feel odd not adding beef broth to the pot, but if we did, it would turn out more like a gammon tomato soup. Also, while it's slow cooking, the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes and beans is all you need.
It doesn't need to be a meaty stew to enjoy the flavours! You could add jackfruit or Quorn mince instead, or even add some more types of beans.
The clue is in the name! Campfire stew is traditionally cooked on an open fire with hot coals in a camp oven and enjoyed by many cultures, such as Northwest India, Romani people, etc.
It's also a classic Girl Scouts of the United States of America camping trip recipe and is usually cooked in a cast iron dutch oven.
It's such a versatile recipe if you're feeding picky eaters. I you don't want to add baked beans in tomato sauce, you could add haricot beans, cannellini beans, or garbanzos beans (chickpeas).
You'll find this gammon stew very healthy as it's full of lean protein, vegetables, and all fat is removed from the gammon before cooking.
Each serving works out at just over 400 calories each divided between four people.
However, depending on how big your gammon joint is. Either way, you'll result in a very warming stew!
Yes, campfire stew works perfectly in a pressure cooker and multi cooker, like the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodie and Tefal Cook4Me.
It's almost the exact same recipe, and takes 35 minutes.
➕ More Gammon Recipes
You can also find more great recipes here using cheap cuts of gammon:
➕More Slow Cooker Recipes
Save time with these amazing recipes by making the most out of your trusty slow cooker!
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Campfire Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.3 kg gammon or around this size
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 800 g (2 tins) of baked beans
- Pinch chilli flakes Or two
- 2 onions diced
- 1 red pepper deseeded & diced
- 1 yellow pepper deseeded & diced (or 2 red peppers)
- 100 g mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or
- 120 g tomato purée Or 6 tbsp
- 1 tablespoon mild chilli powder
- Pinch ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Lime juice only
- Bunch Coriander for a garnish
Instructions
- Soak the gammon joint in fresh cold water overnight if possible to remove excess salt or for a couple of hours then drain.
- Now place everything in your slow cooker and set high for 6 to 7 hours.
- Remove the gammon joint and shred with two forks and place back in the sauce.
- Now serve with whatever you wish.
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Video
Notes
- If you want to reduce the salt, it's a good idea to soak it in cold water for 2 hours, then drain before popping it in
- There's no need to stir while the stew cooks, although it certainly won't hurt
- The gammon in this delicious stew should easily break up in the crock pot, but I recommend being more thorough with two forks so it is a less soupy texture
- For a simple soup, you can beef stock to leftovers and simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium heat
Laura
Well worth the wait! Everyone enjoyed . Now a family favourite. Thankyou for sharing the recipe
Sharon Amesbury
Can you freeze this please
Haley
Absolutely beautiful dish... first time I’ve had it... I did tweak it a little and made mine with pork.... served with rice, was very filling
Kerry
Love this my friend made it me really enjoyed it, this will be first time cooking it it's been in slow cooker since 1pm it's now 4pm & it's smells absolutely gorgeous ?.
Vikkie Lee
Glad you enjoyed it too 🙂