Slow Cooker Lamb Stew

Slow-cooker lamb stew with tender, fall-apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables has a rustic flavourful thick broth. This rich Lamb Stew recipe is surely going to keep you warm in the winter.

Close-up shot of Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and vegetables in a rustic flavourful wine based gravy. Pin

A warm comforting bowl of stew is a winter staple. While Beef Stew is the ultimate stew for the winter, this Lamb Stew is equally delicious. Lamb and vegetables are cooked in the slow cooker until really tender and Juicy.

Lamb is cooked in a flavourful broth along with herbs, cinnamon, and bay leaf. I am having a big bowl of this Lamb Stew right now while writing the post. It is so much comforting and satisfying.

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables have a rustic flavourful wine based gravy. This Lamb Stew is definitely going to keep you warm in the winter.Pin

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Dump everything thing into the slow cooker and you will have a delicious dinner ready.  That’s the reason I make these slow cooker recipes quite often Mexican Chicken SoupQuinoa Chicken Broccoli CasseroleHoney Chipotle Chicken Taco.

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables have a rustic flavourful wine based gravy. This Lamb Stew is definitely going to keep you warm in the winter.Pin

Why This Lamb Stew Is The Best?

Of all the other variations in the lamb stew recipe that I had tried, this is the best. It is very easy to make with minimal preparation.

It starts with browning the Lamb pieces followed by caramelizing Onion and Garlic.  The caramelized brown bits of the lamb add so much flavor that this extra step would seem worth the effort.

Once this step is done, just dump all the ingredients into the slow cooker and forget it for some time. The meat and vegetables would cook slowly by absorbing all those flavors.

This Lamb stew is a meal in itself. So make a big batch of it and enjoy the rest of the week. The flavors really intensify when the stew is one day old. So a perfect meal that you can make ahead and store.

With the right proportion of meat and vegetables, it is a well-balanced meal. You can customize it and add or remove vegetables as per your choice.  Mushroom would be a good addition to the stew.

Ingredients

  • Boneless Lamb and you can read below about the best meat for lamb stew
  • Salt & Pepper to season the chunks of lamb.
  • Minced garlic, Onion & Tomato paste to saute and make a flavourful broth for the stew.
  • Carrots, potatoes, green peas to make the body of the stew. You can add mushrooms too if you like.
  • Cinnamon, Bayleaf, Celery, Fresh thyme provide the flavour to the broth.
  • Red Wine / White Wine to give umami and it adds a mild acidity and complex flavours to the stew. I always prefer adding wine to the stock.

What cut of lamb is best for stew?

There are different cuts of lamb available with your local butcher or retail stores. Each cut has different characteristics and suits a different style of cooking.

For stews, I would always go for lamb shoulder cuts, since they have got a lot of connective tissue, more fat, and flavour. Rib cuts would be a great choice too.

Shoulders and Rib cuts are more worked out muscle groups containing more collagen. We need collagen breakdown into gelatin to give us that rich luxurious feel.
The best cuts for making Lamb Stew

Even though lamb leg parts look meatier and would do fine, I believe the shoulder cuts win with flavor and get tender a tad easier.

Boneless Lamb Shoulder or Rib cuts work best for this Stew. Trim any extra fat while getting it from the local shop.

Can we use Frozen Lamb for stew?

The trick with any frozen meat is to let it thaw so it comes to room temperature. When all parts of the lamb are at around the same temperature, it cooks evenly too. This is essential because if you use frozen meat as it is, the outer surface would get cooked much earlier than the inner parts.

It takes longer for the inner parts to arrive at the right tenderized temperature. By the time the inner parts get cooked, the outer surface would be overcooked i.e. chewy and dry. We surely do not want that.

If you are using frozen meat, then thaw overnight for even cooking. You have two options here. Leave it on the kitchen counter for a maximum of two hours. Else, you can also thaw it in the fridge (not the freezer) section of your refrigerator overnight.

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables have a rustic flavourful wine based gravy. This Lamb Stew is definitely going to keep you warm in the winter.Pin

How To Make On The Stove Top /  In Instant Pot?

If you are short of time or don’t own a slow cooker, you still can enjoy this incredible Lamb Stew. You can either use a heavy-bottom Soup Pot or Instant Pot to make this stew.

To make on Stove Top: 

Take a heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven. Heat Oil and brown seasoned Lamb chunks. Add chopped Onion and Garlic. Saute along with Lamb until onions have softened.

Then add the rest of the ingredients. Once everything comes to a boil, simmer and let it cook on very low heat for 2 hours. You might need a little bit more stock because of more evaporation while cooking on the stovetop.

To make in Instant Pot: 

When you are sort of time, the magical Instant Pot will make your life easy. It is remarkably easy to make this Lamb Stew in the Instant Pot.

You can either brown lamb in batches in the Instant Pot or do that in a pan and add it to the Instant Pot. Then add all the ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by natural pressure release.

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables have a rustic flavourful wine based gravy. This Lamb Stew is definitely going to keep you warm in the winter.Pin

How not to overcook lamb stew ever?

The basic rule behind stews is to let them simmer for a long time at low heat. The “low heat” part is the key here. We do not want to put it on medium/high for a long time. This makes the chunks lose all the moisture and dry up. The end result would be that the pieces would be chewy and grainy to eat.

Lamb meat has got strands like any other meat. At the end of the cook, the pieces should fall apart to reveal the strands but if you see strands getting separated, know that it has been overdone.

Just put it on low heat and leave it for 8 hours.

How long to cook lamb for stew?

For making stews with fall-apart tenderness of lamb chunks in it, I would recommend for 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on medium heat.

Initially, while cooking, you would notice the lamb chunks getting firmer. Do not worry for there is science behind it. The meat has water and connective tissue in them. The connective tissue forms gelatin on cooking and this makes it appear firm initially.

Let it simmer and the meat would slowly break down and becomes tender to the touch.

What stock should you use with lamb?

Beef stock is what I have gone with. You can opt for Lamb stock if it is available. If neither of the above is available, Chicken stock would work too.

The best in terms of imparting flavour would be lamb stock or beef stock. It would be great if you can make beef/lamb stock at home but it takes a lot of time mind you. 

When it comes to buying beef stock, make sure that the stock is not made of artificial flavors and so get one from a well-trusted brand. Many brands do not go for the long-simmering process of making stock by breaking down joints/cartilage and go for artificial flavors.

If you are not sure, a chicken stock made at home from scratch or one from the store would be fine, as chicken stock is not that difficult to make so brands would be honest at that.

Storing Lamb Stew

Stews and curries taste so much more delicious the next day. The more you reheat and it thickens, it just extracts so much aroma. I would always save a bit of stew and have it thick and rich with a plate of rice the next day.

You can store this safely for 4 – 5 days in the refrigerator or keep it in the freezer for upto 3 months.

When you need to take frozen stew for serving, just take it out, and thaw outside for an hour. While heating it, stir it very gently so that it doesn’t break the lamb chunks.

What to serve with lamb stew?

Serve this Lamb Stew with Crusty bread or with a fresh green salad. You can also serve this along with rice, noodles, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy…

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables have a rustic flavourful wine based gravy. This Lamb Stew is definitely going to keep you warm in the winter.
Flavours of Kitchen Logo

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with tender fall apart lamb chunks and hearty vegetables have a rustic flavourful based gravy. This Lamb Stew is definitely going to keep you warm in the winter.
Servings 6 People

Ingredients
  

  • 500 Grams Boneless Lamb
  • 2 tablespoon Oil
  • 1 large Onion
  • 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
  • cup white wine
  • 2 large Carrots
  • 250 grams Potato
  • ½ cup Green Peas
  • 1.5 tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • cup Celery
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
  • 3 Cups Beef Broth
  • 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon Chilli Powder
  • ¼ cup Flour
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Pat dry Lamb Chunks to remove any extra water. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour and toss well lamb pieces are well coated. 
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add Lamb chunks. Brown lamb chunks in two batches, without crowding the pan.
  • Keep aside the browned lamb pieces aside, covered so that they don't get dry.
  • To the same pan add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until onion has softened and no more raw smell.
  • Deglaze the roasting pan with 1/3 cup of wine. Scrap any brown bits stuck at the bottom.
  • Once the wine has reduced, add 1/2 cup of stock(out of total of 3 cups) to the pan and mix.
  • Add browned lamb chunks, sauteed onion and garlic, rest of the ingredients, remaining stock to the slow cooker. 
  • Check the seasoning. Slow cook on low for 8 hours or on medium for 4 hours. 
  • Towards the end of the cooking before 30 minutes, add green peas.
  • Serve with crusty bread.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4203IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
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13 Comments

  1. Jackie de Broise says:

    5 stars
    Can’t recommend this recipe enough. I made some earlier this year and portioned it up for the freezer. With the downturn in the weather and trying to watch those fuel bills, I dug one out to thaw overnight. Popped it in the microwave and topped it with small suet dumplings. Meal on the table in 10minutes using only a tiny amount of electricity. Tasted even better the second time around.

    1. Subhasmita says:

      Thanks, Jackie. Stews taste better when reheated.

  2. 5 stars
    May I just say, this stew is kick-ass! I made it with left over leg of lamb that we had as a roast. I took the juices and meat and put it into the recipe with everything else. Darling BF loved it. Thank you so much for sharing.

    1. Subhasmita says:

      Thanks Jinnie. Happy Stewing 🙂

  3. Alec James says:

    5 stars
    I made this a second time and had a few more notes that I thought might help other users:

    1. Toward the end of cooking I added a cornstarch slurry to thicken up the broth, by whisking 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 cup water then slowly stirring it into the slow cooker. My slow cooker only has a low and high setting, and I discovered that the thickening only works when cooking on high.

    2. I added some sour cream also, which gives the broth a nice creamy aspect.

    3. I made the mistake of adding FROZEN peas 30 minutes prior to serving while cooking on low, which noticeably lowered the temperature too much.

    4. I did not include any mushrooms this time and they were missed, I will definitely put them in again next time.

    5. Lastly, I added some salt toward the end as the broth was a little on the sweet side without it.

    Another delicious stew and a couple of good cooking lessons for me for next time! I hope these tips help others.

  4. Alec James says:

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious, thank you so much for sharing. It was even better reheated the second night! I was all out of peas so I substituted chopped asparagus, and I did add some mushrooms as recommended.

    The only part of the recipe that confused me a bit was ‘Once the wine has reduced, add another ½ cup of stock to the pan and mix,’ because there had been no previous mention of incorporating the stock yet. Eventually I figured it out but just thought I’d mention it.

    This is going to be my go-to lamb stew recipe from now on, it’s just perfect. Thank you so much.

    1. Subhasmita says:

      Glad that you liked it. Thank you for pointing the issue, I will do the neccessary changes.

      1. Samantha Madden says:

        Hi – in step 6 am I right that it’s the first time adding the stock? The “another” refers to having previously added wine? Looking forward to trying this! Looks delicious! Thank you.

        1. Subhasmita says:

          Hi Samantha, It is the first time adding the stock. Updated it. Thanks.

  5. What does &frac13 mean ?

    1. Subhasmita says:

      This seems to be like technical issue. It is 1/3 cup

  6. Bahia Samaiaou says:

    5 stars
    I love all the recepies I love to learn new things all the time and this food are amazing and easy to make thanks Bahia

  7. Say I’d rather just finish off this in the dutch oven instead. Kinda new to all of this what would 8hr slow cooker equate to for a low simmer on the stove? Thanks in advance

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