There is something mighty comforting about a slow cooker supper that asks so little of you and still fills the house with that old-fashioned, good-cooking smell by late afternoon. This 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Vintage Mid-Summer Ham leans on pantry staples and a bag of frozen diced ham to make a sweet-and-savory dish that feels like the kind of practical country cooking Midwestern families have long depended on during busy haying days, church evenings, and warm summer weekends when nobody wants to stand over a hot stove.
This ham is especially good spooned over buttery mashed potatoes, cooked rice, or buttered egg noodles to catch every bit of the sauce. If you want to round out the table, serve it with green beans, sweet corn, sliced tomatoes, or a simple cucumber salad, and a basket of biscuits or soft dinner rolls fits right in with the vintage supper-club feeling of the meal.
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Vintage Mid-Summer Ham
Servings: 6
Ingredients
4 cups frozen diced ham
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Directions
1. Add the frozen diced ham to the bottom of a slow cooker.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed pineapple with its juice, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and cornstarch until smooth.
3. Pour the pineapple mixture over the ham, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours, stirring once or twice if convenient, until the ham is heated through and the sauce has thickened.
4. Give everything a good stir before serving, then spoon it hot over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Variations & Tips
For a tangier sauce: If your family likes a sharper sweet-and-sour flavor, add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the sauce mixture. It brightens the pineapple and keeps the brown sugar from tasting too heavy on a warm day.
For a heartier meal: Stir in cooked baby carrots or serve the ham over thick slices of toast or biscuits if you want it to stretch a little farther. That is the kind of thrifty supper trick many of us grew up with.
Watch the salt: Ham can vary quite a bit in saltiness, especially packaged diced ham, so this recipe does not need any added salt. Taste it at the end before deciding whether it needs anything extra.
Thickening tip: If your sauce is a touch thinner than you like, leave the lid off for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking on high. That usually helps it tighten up without any fuss.
Make it your own: A spoonful of Dijon in place of part of the yellow mustard gives it a slightly dressier flavor, while a pinch of ground cloves can lend that old holiday ham taste if you are feeling nostalgic.