This Slow Cooker French Ham Steak Stew is one of those recipes that you can't get enough of: deep, rich flavor, tender meat and a velvety creamy sauce… while you barely have to do anything. It's flavored with onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a hint of rosé wine.
And then, my favorite part, you stir in heavy cream near the end, which turns the sauce silky and "French-bistro cozy." An elegant dinner on your plate, honestly.
At a Glance
- Recipe name: Slow Cooker French Ham Steak Stew
- 🕒 Ready in: 6 hr 40 min ⏲️ Prep time: 10 min 🍳 Cook time: 6 hr 30 min
- 👪 Servings: 6, Calories: 324 kcal
- 🥘 Main ingredients: ham steaks, onion, tomatoes, rosé wine, fresh herbs (parsley/thyme/rosemary), beef stock cubes, bay leaves and cloves, heavy cream
- 👩🏻🍳 What it tastes like: rich, herby with a silky, creamy sauce and very tender meat
- 📋 Why you'll want to make it: dump-and-go slow cooker comfort food that tastes like you babysat a French stew all afternoon
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🎉 Perfect for: busy days, cozy weekends, family dinners, "I want something elegant with zero effort" nights
Jump to:
Classic French Stew vs. This Slow Cooker Version
Classic French-style stews are usually simmered low and slow on the stove, with wine, vegetables and herbs doing their thing for hours.
This version keeps the same idea, but the slow cooker does the heavy lifting. Everything quietly cooks together until the ham steak turns wonderfully tender and the sauce tastes like it's had all day to mingle.
Adding cream to the sauce gives it a velvety and rich taste, making the recipe luxurious. It makes this French stew with ham steaks even tastier.
It tastes rich and savory with a gentle sweetness from tomatoes, herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary), and a soft wine note from rosé. The cream at the end makes the sauce smooth and luxurious. This makes it perfect for mixing through pasta, dipping with bread, or spooning over boiled potatoes.
What You'll Need
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Ham steaks: Juicy, soft texture and ideal for slow cooking. If you want to switch it up, you can use pork tenderloin or pork shoulder. No pork? Beef chuck roast also works (they need a longer cook), and chicken fillet is an option too-just expect a different vibe.
- Onion: Sits at the bottom of the slow cooker and builds that sweet, savory base as it cooks.
- Flour, salt and pepper: The flour helps the sauce thicken, and seasoning on the meat gives flavor from the start.
- Rosé wine: Adds a light wine note without making the stew heavy. You can use dry white wine instead. If you'd rather skip wine, use the same amount of water and a teaspoon of vinegar.
- Tomatoes: They soften into the sauce.
- Fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary): Adds that French "herby" feel. They go in as sprigs, then get removed at the end-no little twig surprises on your fork.
- Water and beef stock cubes: Turns into a quick broth base with plenty of savory depth.
- Bay leaves and cloves: Classic stew aromatics. The trick here is pinning cloves into the bay leaves so you can remove them easily later (smart and slightly life-changing).
How to Prepare It
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe card below.
- Step 1: Put the chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Step 2: Add the ham cubes, sprinkle flour, salt and pepper on top.
- Step 3: Pour the rosé wine into the slow cooker.
- Step 4: Add tomatoes, water and herb sprigs. Crumble stock cubes over the top and stir. Also add bay leaves with cloves stuck into them.
- Step 5: Cover, and cook on LOW for 6 hours (or HIGH for 4).
- Step 6: Remove bay leaves and herb sprigs. Temper the cream with a little hot sauce, stir it in, and cook (LOW) 30 minutes more to let it season.
Top Tip
- Cream goes in at the end. That's how you keep the sauce silky. Tempering it first (mixing with a little hot sauce) helps it blend smoothly.
- Cloves-in-bay-leaf trick: You'll thank yourself later when you're not fishing for cloves.
- Feeding a crowd? Don't hit "2x" automatically on a slow cooker recipe. If you double the meat, add a bit of extra water (the recipe suggests ½ cup / 120 ml).
Serving suggestions
- I love this with pasta and a tomato salad, because the sauce clings beautifully and you get a fresh side to balance the richness.
- It's also great with bread (for mopping) or potatoes (because creamy sauce + potatoes is always a yes).
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
- You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
- And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!
📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 ¼ pound ham steaks, cut into cubes of 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup rose wine
- 2 tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 3 sprigs Fresh Parsley, fresh
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup water
- 2 beef stock cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- ½ cup heavy cream
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Place chopped onion at the bottom of the slow cooker.1 onion
- Add the meat to the slow cooker. Sprinkle the meat with flour, salt, and pepper. Give it a stir.2 ¼ pound ham steaks, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pour the rosé into the slow cooker. Mix everything.½ cup rose wine
- Add tomatoes and water. Add parsley, thyme and rosemary sprigs.2 tomatoes, 3 sprigs Fresh Parsley, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 1 cup water
- Crumble stock cubes over the meat and stir well.2 beef stock cubes
- Stick cloves into the bay leaves and place on top.2 bay leaves, 3 cloves
- Cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- Remove bay leaves and herb sprigs.
- Temper the cream: mix cream with a small portion of hot sauce, then pour it into the slow cooker and stir well.½ cup heavy cream
- Cook 30 minutes more, covered, to let the flavors settle.
- Serve with pasta, bread, or potatoes.
Notes
- Fridge: Cool quickly, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Not recommended; cream-based sauces can curdle after freezing.
- Reheat: Warm in a pan with about 2 tablespoons of water, stirring until hot.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply