I found this recipe for Amish golden stew while flipping through my Mom’s Amish cookbook, which was a combination of recipes from the community of old order Amish that we grew up in. When I saw this golden stew had only 8 ingredients I knew I had to try it out! This stew with cream of soups, carrots and potatoes, turned out delicious and was easily adapted to be made in the crockpot as well, making it a win for my family! You may enjoy serving this Amish golden stew with fresh Amish honey bread or Amish garlic pretzel knots. We also enjoy it with a side of tossed garden salad.
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Amish Golden Stew (crockpot or stove top)
Equipment
- 6 quart crockpot (linked below)
- 6 quart stockpot (linked below)
- Cutting board (linked below)
- Chef's knife (linked below)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sliced or cubed carrots peeled
- 2 cups cubed potatoes peeled
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cups cubed ham precooked
- 2-3 cups chicken broth *see note
- 10.75 oz. cream of cheddar soup *see substitute below
- 10.5 oz. cream of celery soup *see substitute below
- 10 oz. frozen peas
Instructions
Stove Top Method:
- Place the onions, carrots, potatoes and ham in a large stockpot and add 3 cups chicken broth. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until tender.
- Add the cream of soups and peas to the veggies in the stockpot, adding additional chicken broth if needed (the cream of soups will also thin out as they heat up). Salt and pepper can also be added to taste if needed. Simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until heated through.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then enjoy!
Slow Cooker Method:
- Place the carrots, onions, potatoes and ham in a 5-7 quart crockpot/slow cooker.
- Combine cream of soups with 2 cups chicken broth and pour over the veggies and ham, ensuring the potatoes are covered in the soup and broth mixture.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours until the vegetables are tender. Add peas at the last hour of slow cooking, and salt and pepper to taste if needed. Once the peas are soft, allow the stew to cool slightly and then enjoy!
Notes
Equipment for this Amish Golden stew:
- 6 quart crockpot If using the slow cooker method, I recommend using a medium-large crockpot for this soup.
- 6 quart stockpot You will need a medium-large stockpot if making this Amish golden stew on the stovetop.
- Cutting board I prefer to use plastic cutting boards that are dishwasher friendly for chopping the veggies in this golden stew.
- Chef’s knife A large chef’s knife is also useful for dicing and slicing the potatoes, ham, carrots and onion.


Ingredients for this Amish Golden Stew:
Chicken broth, cream of celery soup, cream of cheddar soup, cubed and cooked ham, carrots, onion, peas, potatoes.
Note*
If you use a sweeter flavored leftover ham such as from my pineapple citrus glazed ham recipe, you may want to add salt and pepper to the soup for additional flavor. However, you may not need to add salt and pepper if the ham is saltier, or you simply prefer a milder tasting stew.
Substitutions:
You can also use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of celery soup. I have tested this recipe using both and found my personal preference was the cream of celery soup, because it compliments the vegetables in the soup more than the cream of mushroom which has more of an earthy flavor.
According to the Amish cookbook, Velveeta can be used instead of cream of cheddar, but you will need to add it to taste as I have not tested it personally.


Step 1 Stovetop: Cook the veggies and ham in chicken broth, until the vegetables are tender.
Note*
When testing this recipe I cooked the vegetables without adding the ham, however I found the slow cooker method, with the veggies and ham cooked together, to be much more flavorful. Feel free to use your own judgement and add the ham before or after the veggies are cooked.


Step 2-3 Stovetop: Add cream of soups and peas to the softened vegetables and stir well. Allow to heat and if needed, add salt, pepper and additional chicken broth. Cool and enjoy.


Step 1 Slow cooker: Place the veggies and ham in a large slow cooker.
Confession time: I actually only use a 7 quart and a 2.5 quart crockpot at this point. I knew the soup would be a little more than my 2.5 quart sized crockpot could handle, so I tested it in my seven quart crockpot. I did find the seven quart to be slightly big for the amount in this golden stew recipe, which is why I recommend using a 5-6 quart crockpot.


Step 2 Slow cooker: Combine the cream of soups and chicken broth, then pour over the veggies and ham in the crockpot.
Note*
The slow cooker method uses more of a slow and moist heat than the stovetop method. I do not recommend using more than 2 cups chicken broth in the crockpot until the veggies are cooked through, then additional broth can be added if you find the stew to be too thick for your preference. The soup will also thicken somewhat as it cools.


Step 3: Cover and cook the golden stew as directed in the recipe card. Add peas at the last hour of cooking and allow to soften.
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Step 3 continued: Allow the golden stew to cool slightly and then enjoy!
We like to enjoy this soup with homemade bread (if I have it on hand) and a tossed salad. This soup is also great for toddlers with all the soft veggies and mild flavor, but you may need to finely dice or remove the ham for a smaller toddler.


Feel free to pin this recipe for later and tag me on Instagram with a photo of your own creation!
Anyone know the nutritional facts on this?
Looks very good. Going to try this. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome, Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Could you add chicken to this??
Yes, Cooked chicken shredded or cubed could be added to this stew.
Definitely going to be trying this one. My favorites have minimal ingredients and maximum flavor. No cream of chicken soup, thank goodness. I avoid that soup or substitute. My husband will be happy when I fix this one. Thanks for sharing this recipe. **
That’s great, I’m glad you found something you can enjoy too!
Can this be canned or frozen for future use. I prefer canning for lack of freezer space?
Honestly, I have never tried canning it. Looking online I found it is discouraged due to the ingredients in the cream of soups interfering with the proper transfer of heat during processing. Hope that helps!
Can this soup be frozen?
Can this soup be frozen?
I haven’t tried it personally because we eat it so fast, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well since it is made with cream of soups.
I made mine in the slow cooker, followed the recipe. I didn’t think it had much flavor. It say 2-3 cups of chicken broth. I used just over two(finishing what I had. So about 2 cups and probably 1-1 1/2 table spoon of broth.). I would only use a cup of brothand probably another can of the condensed cheddar cheese soup. The vegetables were fine.
Thanks for sharing your preference with us! As instructed in the recipe I only use 2 cups of broth for the slow cooker, which gives me the consistency we prefer. You can add salt and pepper or other seasonings for flavor, but they aren’t listed as a necessary ingredient because some types of ham will be salty enough to flavor the soup.
I wonder if I could use frozen peas and carrots in this recipe I think it would work it looks really good and I would have all ingredients in my pantry and freezer I am a soup lover eat it for lunch every day
I think it would definitely work in the slow cooker. If doing the stovetop method you wouldn’t need to cook the stew as long because frozen veggies are softer than fresh veggies. Enjoy!
This stew was sooo good! I plan to make it often
I am glad you enjoyed it too!
This is not really a stew, it’s more like a soup & I’m a major soup lover. This was delicious & I plan to add it to my recipe book. A great way to use leftover ham!
Glad you enjoyed it!
What can be used instead of ham?
You could use pretty much any precooked meat such as shredded chicken, browned ground beef or even stew meat that has been cooked.
Great recipe and easy to make
Glad you enjoyed it too!
I and my family love this soup! But what “older order” of Amish could have used canned soup? How long ago?
I am glad you enjoyed it! My family left the old order Amish from a branch of Lancaster Amish in 2009. This recipe was found in one of my Mom’s worn out cook books from even before then, but can’t really say how old the recipe was.