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Ham Stew with Beef and Bacon: Popular with Meat Lovers

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Preview: This hearty Ham Stew with beef and bacon satisfies and warms but won’t leave you weighed down. The secret is in the apple-flavored broth.

My favorite soup recipe on this blog is Ham Stew. #1!! On a cold and blustery day, nothing warms your innards better than this meaty bowl of soup with a broth that’s slurpin’ good. It’s filling, but not heavy on your belly since there is no gravy or cream sauce.

The secret to this ham stew is the broth. Invisible sliced apples add a subtle sweetness.

You can’t see the apples without a close inspection, but they work magic. Honestly, I would be content with a piece of hot, crusty cornbread and a bowl of the broth alone. Tasty and comforting!

Leave out one (optional) ingredient to make this stew gluten-free and grain-free.

This Cabbage Stew recipe is packed with beef, ham, and bacon for a most satisfying soup. is an unforgettable combination of smoky bacon, tender chunks of beef chuck, cubes of ham, cabbage, apples, and other veggies combined with a delicious beef broth.

bowl of Hearty Beef and Ham Stew with cornbread

Ingredients

Ham: This soup is a great recipe for leftover ham. Or plan ahead. Around the holidays is an opportune time to pick up an unsliced ham on sale. Cut it into small half-inch chunks and freeze for this soup.

Cubed Chuck Roast: Stew meat works perfectly. I try to buy chuck roast on sale, cut it up myself, and freeze it for future stew.

Bacon: Bacon is essential to this stew. If you want to use pre-cooked bacon pieces, be sure to add bacon grease to brown the stew meat. Although you can use oil instead, bacon grease adds a ton of flavor.

Onions: Yellow onions are the best for most soups, in my opinion. White onions will work, too. Frozen onions are also fabulous and more convenient.

Apples: The best apples will “melt” into this soup while cooking. I don’t want to see chunks of apple floating around in my soup.

The best apples will “melt” into this soup while cooking. I don’t want to see chunks of apple floating around in my soup.

My preferred apple for this recipe is Golden Delicious. Granny Smith would also work.

The recipe calls for 2 cups of finely chopped apples. This usually requires 2 medium apples or 3 small apples. A little more or less than 2 cups is fine.

Carrots: Scrape or peel regular carrots and slice about 1/4-inch thick. Save a little time by using baby carrots since you won’t have to peel or scrub. Cut them in about four slices since they are smaller in diameter.

Cabbage: The only important tip to mention about the cabbage is not to let it cook too long at the end. I like it to be a little bit soft with a little bit of crunch. Is it appropriate to say the cabbage should be “al dente”?

Is this ham stew recipe grain-free and/or gluten-free?

Yes, both, IF you leave out the optional Worcestershire sauce. It’s not a deal-breaker when it comes to this recipe. Your soup will still be delicious.

Stove-top, slow cooker, or pressure cooker?

Stove-Top

For the 25-30 years that I’ve been making this recipe, I did it on top of the stove. You can, too. Allow 2-1/2 to 3 hours. See the notes in the recipe for detailed instructions.

Slow Cooker

Then I started doing it in my slow cooker. After frying the bacon, brown the beef. Then add the onions, apples, ham, and carrots, along with the broth and other seasonings.

After cooking the meat and veggies all day, add the cabbage and bacon for the last 10 minutes before you are ready to serve. This is a good plan if you can’t be home during the day.

Pressure Cooker

Are you a pressure cooker or Instant Pot fan? I sure am. You can make this hearty soup from start to finish in about an hour. Maybe not the first time. Much of that time is while the stew is in the pressure cooker, giving you time to throw together some cornbread if you like.

With a little practice, this extraordinary ham stew will come together fast. See the video for more details about making this recipe in a pressure cooker.

How to make Ham Stew with an Instant Pot:

Frying bacon in an Instant Pot
#1 Set the pot to SAUTÉ and fry the bacon until it is crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside. Leave the bacon grease in the pot.
browning beef for stew
#2 Using the SAUTE function, brown the beef cubes.
Softening onions in Instant Pot
#3 When all meat is browned, add the onions and cook until softened.
Adding chopped apples
#4 Add chopped apples to the pot.
Adding remaining ingredients to pot
.#5 Add the remainder of ingredients except for cabbage and cooked bacon.
Setting the timer
#6 Push the MANUAL button and set it on High pressure for 35 minutes. Release pressure naturally. At this point, the stew can be set on WARM (with the lid on) for hours until you are ready to eat.
Adding the cabbage before serving
#7 About 10-15 minutes before you are ready to eat, remove the pressure cooker lid and add chopped cabbage. Also, don’t forget to add the bacon you set aside earlier. Use the SAUTÉ setting to heat the soup for 10 minutes until the cabbage is softened.
two bowls of hearty beef and cabbage stew
#8 Serve hot with cornbread, hot rolls, or crackers.

More recipes for soup lovers

Slow Cooker Steak and Mushroom Soup: A Busy Day Lifesaver

Beef and mushrooms dominate this hearty and filling soup.

Vegetable Beef Soup

This healthy vegetable beef soup is a great way to clean out the fridge and use up leftover pot roast. All ingredients and amounts are negotiable.

Texas Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ground Beef

A spicy vegetable-beef mixture made heartier with the addition of two types of beans. I use pinto beans and black-eyed peas.

Leftover Steak Soup

Use leftover steak or beef roast to make a delicious soup full of mushrooms and seasonings. Sour cream stirred in at the end creates stroganoff-like flavors.

Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, you can help others and me by leaving a 5-star 🤩 rating inside the recipe below. No comments are required.

Hope to see you again soon!
Paula

p.s. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can email me privately: Paula at saladinajar.com.

Yield: 8 servings

Hearty Ham Stew Recipe

two bowls of hearty beef and ham stew

A beef-broth based soup recipe with beef stew meat, ham, bacon, carrots, cabbage, and apples

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 strips of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound boneless chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I prefer Golden Delicious)
  • 2 cups sliced (1/2-inch) carrots
  • 1 cup cubed cooked ham
  • 1 cup beef broth (I like Better Than Bouillon beef base, 1 teaspoon + 1 cup water)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
  • 4-5 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage,

Instructions

Directions for Instant Pot:

  1. Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Fry chopped bacon until crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside.
  2. Sauté beef in two batches in the pot using the leftover bacon grease.
  3. Meanwhile, chop onions, apples, and carrots.
  4. Add chopped onion to the browned beef chunks (which have all been added back to the pot) and cook until onions are soft.
  5. Add apples, carrots, ham, broth, 4 cups of water, Worcestershire sauce, and a bay leaf. Cover and set to cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. At this point, pot can sit unopened for hours until you are ready to eat.
  6. Ten minutes before serving, change the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add cabbage and bacon. Cook for about 10 minutes. Cabbage should still have a slight crispness to it. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes

SLOW COOKER:

If you prefer, add browned beef, onion, carrots, apples, and broth to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-9 hours. Transfer back to the pot on the stove to finish cooking ham, cabbage, and crispy bacon for about 10 minutes.

STOVE-TOP:

  • Fry bacon in a large dutch oven. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Saute beef in bacon grease.
  • Meanwhile, prepare onions, apples, and carrots.
  • Add chopped onions and cook until softened.
  • Add apples, carrots, ham, broth, and 4 cups of water and a bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
  • Depending on how much the broth has reduced, you may need to add some water. You need enough to cover all the ingredients with a little to spare.
  • Ten minutes before serving, add cabbage and bacon. Cabbage should still have a slight crispness to it. Remove bay leaf before serving.


    • Cook's Prerogative: Adding more than 1 pound of chuck and 1 cup of ham makes the soup even heartier. I never measure it myself.

    Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    8

    Serving Size:

    1 bowl
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 958mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 44g

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    © Paula of saladinajar.com
    Cuisine: American / Category: Soup
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