This delicious Slow Cooker Lamb Stew is the perfect comfort food for cold and dreary days. Tender chunks of lamb cooked with vegetables, capers and olives make this the perfect one-pot lamb stew recipe.
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This is a truly hearty lamb stew that can be served straight from the slow cooker! It is packed with vegetables such as potatoes (or swede for a low carb version), aubergines and tomatoes, while anchovy paste, olives and capers bring on the FLAVOUR!
I love cooking with lamb as it can stand up to strong flavours and spices without losing its own unique taste. And there’s nothing like slow cooking to bring out the best in lamb!
What cut of lamb is best for stew
Diced lamb shoulder, neck fillet, shanks or breast are all perfect for slow cooking. Use diced lamb steaks if you want a leaner stew, as I have done here.
You can even cook a big cut of lamb such as a half leg or shoulder whole, as long as it fits into your cooker. Shred the lamb when it is fork tender and add the shredded lamb back into the sauce so it absorbs all the yumminess!
How to Make Slow Cooker Lamb Stew
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
STEP 1 Heat the oil in a casserole dish or in your slow cooker if it allows for searing. Add the onion, olives and capers.
STEP 2 Add the diced lamb, anchovy, garlic and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes until the lamb colours a little and onion has softened.
STEP 3 Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, potatoes or swede, aubergine and stock. Stir in seasoning and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring halfway through if you can remember.
STEP 4 Discard the bay leaves, taste and check the seasoning. Garnish with plenty of chopped parsley and lemon zest and serve with my crusty bread and a bold red wine.
Should I brown the lamb first?
I always think that browning the meat before adding to a stew adds loads of flavour. In this recipe you CAN skip it if you are short on time.
Simply add all the ingredients in your slow cooker – making this an easy “dump and start” recipe.
LAMB STEW TIPS AND FAQs
Avoid a watery stew! The slow cooker doesn’t allow for any liquid evaporation so you will need to add a small amount of stock or red wine. Cover the cooker with a clean linen towel before adding the lid to eliminate extra moisture.
Season carefully. Flavours tend to become more pronounced as the stew cooks in your crockpot. Add a little salt and pepper at the start then adjust the seasoning just before you serve.
Storing and freezing? Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze this stew for up to three months. Make sure you reheat the stew until piping hot all the way through before serving.
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Slow Cooker Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion , diced
- 2 tbsp green olives , chopped
- 1 tbsp capers or more if preferred
- 900 g (2 lbs) diced lamb I used leg steaks
- 2 tsp anchovy paste or 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic paste or 4 minced cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 small swede (rutabaga) or 3-4 potatoes, cubed
- 1 aubergine (eggplant) cubed
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) lamb stock or red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley , chopped to garnish
- lemon zest , to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a casserole dish or in your slow cooker if it allows for searing. Add the onion, olives and capers.
- Add the diced lamb, anchovy, garlic and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes until the lamb colours a little and onion has softened.
- Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, potatoes or swede, aubergine and stock. Stir in seasoning and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring halfway through if you can remember.
- Discard the bay leaves, taste and check the seasoning. Garnish with plenty of chopped parsley and lemon zest and serve with my crusty bread and a bold red wine.
Video
Nutritional Info
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Shaun says
Ah, comments. Found it. We did the lamb stew. Omitted the Aubergine because I loathe them unless in Mousakka, which I make and adore. Stew was great but what was greater still was using Pataks Madras and Vindaloo in the remaining sauce and it was the best I have had so now we make the stew with this excessive, rich sauce and use it for curry. Thank you. Going to try more if your recipes when we get home to France.
Faye says
Loved it! Couldn’t get capers in my Sainsbury’s local so I added sun dried tomatoes instead. They didn’t have swede either, so I used a carrot and a parsnip. At the end I thickened the sauce with some gravy granules and it was really lovely. I used lamb neck fillets chopped up because I wanted a fatty cut, and I’m not bothered about calories. My slow cooker runs hot, so I cooked this on low for about 6 hours and it was moist and tender but not over-cooked. Great recipe – thank you!
HappyHunny says
Absolutely delicious ! However, I wasn’t able to follow the recipe in full.
I didn’t have capers / anchovy paste / olives > which I assume gives the dish an incredible taste. Also, I added carrots, then realised carrots weren’t listed. So with all of those changes, I can still say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, plus have enough to freeze which is helpful as I’m disabled. I am ordering those missing ingredients with my next grocery delivery, and I won’t add the carrots.
Thank you so much Lucy.
HappyHunny