What is campfire stew?

Campfire Stew is a term that’s used broadly, it probably means wildly different things to different people depending on what they have been served or what they have made themselves in a campfire/ evening garden party type situation. For me that’s a stew with lots of carrot and onions, a little pulled chicken or pork and a rich BBQ sauce. Jacket potatoes were always available wrapped in foil and thrown in the fire, although I never really could get the hang of eating a jacket potato without a table to rest the plate on. To me, that’s the definition of hearty. A meal that warms you just as much as the fire in front of you. Of course the vegetables and nutrition in this stew make this recipe healthy and wholesome too. This recipe makes a huge batch of stew to feed 4 large portions. If you have left overs then it freezes well and will also last 3-4 days in the fridge so this campfire stew recipe is great for batch cooking if that’s your thing.

Campfire Stew is a great option for those with the following dietary restrictions:

Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Low GI

A note about slow cooking:

This recipe is made using a slow cooker. Its important to note that in a typical crock pot style slow cooker this recipe will be ready in 4-6 hours. In a Ninja Foodi Slow Cooker this recipe may take 7+ hours. Most slow cookers heat from the bottom and the sides however the Ninja Foodie slow cookers only heat from the bottom, making them even slower than most slow cookers. Even though this recipe was created in the Ninja, I will be giving instructions for standard slow cookers as that’s probably what most people own. If like me you have a ninja then add on at least 2 hours to your total cooking time even if you preheat your multicooker.

Step 1: Slice and dice the vegetables

To start with, dice 2 onions, 3 cloves of garlic and slice 2 large carrots. Half roughly 10 button mushrooms and add all of this to a slow cooker. On top of this, add your gammon joint. When I’ve made this meal in the past I’ve found a small 400g gammon joint produces far too much meat once it all falls apart so I’ve recently reduced down to just over half of this gammon joint, approximately 250-300g worth. Add your gammon to the slow cooker.

Step 2: Add the beans and stock

On top of this add a tin of beans and a tin of chopped tomatoes. In a small jug or bowl mix together 3 tbsp of tomato puree with 100ml of vegetable stock. Add in 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of ground coriander and 1tsp of oregano. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker and mix everything together well. Heat on high for 3 hours (4hr if using ninja). Stir every hour.

Step 3: Adding the final touches to your campfire stew

Once your campfire stew is past the half way mark turn your slow cooker down to low (unless your using a foodie, keep that on high). Slice up 2 large whole peppers of any colour, today I used red and yellow although I usually opt for red and green just to put as many colours into the dish as possible. If your peppers are particularly small you may want to use 3 instead. The peppers do not take as long to soften as the other ingredients if you put them in too soon then you will only come across the occasional skin rather than a piece of pepper. Cook your stew for another 1-2 hours ( up to 3hrs in the Ninja).

Step 4: Shred your pulled pork

After a total of 4 hours in the slow cooker Your gammon should be ready for shredding. Take two forks and shred the meat using one fork to hold the joint still and the other to break apart the meat by running it in the same direction that the grain of the meat runs. If your not sure what this means there are tonnes of great videos on YouTube showing you how but I also find the meat will only shred one way so give it a pull in all directions and it should become clear.

Mix the meat into the sauce and vegetables.

What to serve with campfire stew

Serve your campfire stew with mash, on jacket potatoes or even with rice. This recipe is so hearty and filling that you may decide you don’t need anything with it at all, just a bowl and a spoon!

Can I reheat this recipe?

Yes! A healthy campfire stew will stay good in the fridge for 2-3 days. Thoroughly reheat any leftovers in the oven or microwave.

Can I freeze my campfire stew?

Yes! Build your healthy fish pie as instructed above and freeze before cooking. Defrost thoroughly before cooking. Alternatively once your fish pie is cooked you can portion into microwavable containers, freeze and then reheat from frozen in the microwave for 8-10 minutes.

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