Packed full of flavour and with meltingly tender lamb, this Easy Peasy Lamb Curry is super quick and easy to prepare – then leave your oven (or slow cooker) to do all the hard work! Perfect for busy days, when you still want to eat well.
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My favourite kind of cooking
My absolute favourite kind of cooking is the type where you just throw a few simple ingredients in a pot, then put it in the oven and – over the course of a couple of hours – the oven magically turns those simple ingredients into something far greater than the sum of its parts.
And this is exactly the case with this recipe. Just a few simple ingredients are transformed by the magic of a few hours in your oven into a truly delicious curry, featuring meltingly tender lamb and a sauce with a gorgeous depth and complexity – the kind that only a long slow cook can give you!
My easiest ever lamb curry
This curry really is incredibly easy peasy to make… All you need to do is gently fry onions, followed by garlic, chilli flakes and spices. Then add the passata, coconut milk, salt, pepper, diced lamb and chopped peppers. Bring to the boil, then transfer to your oven for 2½ hours. Finally, stir in fresh coriander and serve!
Of course, if you prefer, you can make this Easy Peasy Lamb Curry in your slow cooker. Instructions for oven and slow cooker are given in the recipe card below.
(Wondering why I don’t brown the lamb? See my Easy Peasy Lamb Stew recipe for an explanation!)
What to serve with lamb curry?
Serve this Easy Peasy Lamb Curry with all your favourite curry accompaniments such as basmati rice and/or naan bread, pickles and chutneys. (I love lime pickle and mango chutney with this curry!)
Or why not pair with one of my easy peasy homemade pilau rice recipes?
- Easy Peasy Pilau Rice
- Easy Mushroom Pilau Rice
- Vegetable Pilau Rice
- Fruity Pilau Rice (Shown in photos)
Alternatively, if you are looking for a lower calorie and/or lower carb accompaniment, why not try my Plain Cauliflower Rice or Pilau Cauliflower Rice?
Easy Peasy Lamb Curry with Fruity Pilau Rice
What to drink with lamb curry?
Lamb curry needs a robust and fruity red to stand up to its bold flavours. Good options include Southern French reds from the Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon regions, and similar Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre blends from other countries – like South Africa or Australia. Alternatively Rioja, Douro reds and Zinfandel should also work well.
What to do with leftover lamb curry?
This is one of those many, many recipes that actually tastes BETTER the next day, so it’s a great make ahead option!
Put any leftover (or ‘made ahead’) lamb curry in a lidded container and place in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply tip the curry into a saucepan with a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively reheat this Easy Peasy Lamb Curry in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
Easy Peasy Lamb Curry with Fruity Pilau Rice
Can you freeze lamb curry?
Absolutely! In fact, I recommend you make double the quantity and freeze half for some time in the future when you are super short on time, but still want to eat well!
Simply put the cooked and cooled lamb curry into a lidded container and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Peasy Lamb Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 cm ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 400 ml passata (or chopped tinned tomatoes)
- 200 ml coconut milk (I use light coconut milk)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 600 g diced lamb (I find diced lamb shoulder works best, but diced lamb leg works fine too, if that’s all you can get hold of or if you prefer a less fatty cut)
- 1 red (bell) pepper chopped into bitesize pieces (See Note 1)
- 1 green (bell) pepper chopped into bitesize pieces (See Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) roughly chopped – plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
- Place the oil and sliced onion in a flameproof, ovenproof pan (see Note 2). Cook gently with the lid on for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and garam masala, and gently fry, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
- Add the passata, coconut milk, salt, pepper, diced lamb and chopped peppers. Stir and bring to the boil.
- Put a lid on the pan and place in your preheated oven (see Note 2).
- Cook the curry in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it’s not getting dry. (If it gets too dry, simply add a splash more water and stir, before replacing the lid and returning to the oven.)
- (Alternatively transfer the curry to your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.)
- Remove from the oven and stir in the fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Garnish with extra fresh coriander leaves and serve with pilau rice and naan bread.
Notes
- Do not cut the peppers up too small or they will almost dissolve into this curry – keep the pepper pieces a bit chunky!
- I use a Le Creuset-style cast iron casserole dish*, (AKA dutch oven) which can go on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have a pan that can go on the hob and in the oven, simply start this curry in a regular saucepan and then tip it into a (lidded) ovenproof dish to go into the oven.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Jenny says
A great recipe to make over the school holidays. Quick and simple to prepare and slow cooked it in the oven when I took my daughter out to the park.
Delicious and enjoyed by the whole family
Thank you for the recipe.
(I did cheat even further by buying a frozen bag of diced stewing lamb).
Eb Gargano says
Aw yay – that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀 (And a bag of diced stewing lamb is not cheating in my book – just smart time saving!)
Madhavi says
What can substitute coconut milk with as we r not used to it and don’t like it’s taste
Eb Gargano says
You could simply substitute with stock or water before it goes into the oven, to provide enough cooking liquid. If you still also want a creamy taste, then you could add a little yogurt or cream in right at the end – around 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂