My easiest ever lamb stew! This Easy Peasy Lamb Stew takes just 15 minutes prep time and only uses 1 pan, but produces fabulous results every time. Plus, get lots of ideas for adapting this basic lamb stew recipe to make it even more delicious!
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Comfort food at its finest!
This slow cooked lamb stew is one of my favourite easy peasy recipes. So quick and simple to make (just 15 minutes prep time!), then the oven does all the hard work… the long slow cook results in wonderfully tender lamb with a rich and deep gravy – pure comfort food!
Super Simple Lamb Stew
Everyone needs a really easy peasy lamb stew in their repertoire, and this is mine!
All you need to do is gently soften diced onions, then add mushrooms and fry over a high heat until browned. Next, add the garlic, followed by the lamb, then a simple gravy made from a stock cube and cornflour (AKA cornstarch in the USA), plus herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then put a lid on the pan. Place it straight into your preheated oven and slow cook for 2½ hours.
To brown the lamb or not?
There is a huge debate over whether or not you need to brown the lamb for a slow cooked lamb stew. To find out whether this step is strictly necessary, I have done multiple tests both ways and lots of research!
One theory is that the lamb needs to be browned to ‘seal in the juices’ before it goes into the stew… but that is actually a myth. Browning the meat before putting it in a stew actually makes the meat LESS juicy.
The other reason people brown lamb before putting it in a stew is to give the stew more flavour. But honestly, after several experiments I have come to the conclusion that it really makes very little difference to the flavour and texture of the lamb in a slow cooked stew. (Though it obviously makes a BIG difference with something fast-cooked, like a lamb steak!)
And just in case you think something might be wrong with my tastebuds… I used to be a wine buyer – tasting wine on a daily basis. My tastebuds even have qualifications! As a result of all that training and practice, I have hypersensitive tastebuds that can taste really subtle variations… if I can’t taste the difference, there really is no difference!
And I am in great company, Jamie Oliver did the same experiment and came to the same conclusion. In Jamie’s Dinners*, he writes “I experimented with two batches of meat – I browned one and put the other straight into the pot. The latter turned out to be the sweeter and cleaner-tasting, so I’ve stopped browning the meat for most of my stews these days”
This is great news as it means your lamb stew takes even less time to prepare!
To brown the mushrooms or not?
One thing that DOES make a big difference, however, is browning the mushrooms. This improves both the flavour and the texture of the mushrooms, which is why I fry the mushrooms properly before adding the rest of the ingredients. Don’t be tempted to skip this step!
Make it your own!
I have pared this recipe back to the absolute essentials to make it super easy and quick to prepare. But if you have more time on your hands, there are lots of things you can do to jazz it up.
My two favourite additions are bacon and wine. Either or both add a lot of extra flavour to this stew.
I recommend adding the bacon in at the same time as the mushrooms as, like the mushrooms, bacon really benefits from being browned over a high heat. (Yes, I’ve done that experiment too!) For best results, I recommend using bacon lardons – which are chunkier that diced regular bacon. 200g / 7oz is a good quantity for this amount of stew.
I recommend adding the wine in just before the gravy, bringing the stew to the boil and then adding in the gravy. Use 250ml / 1cup red wine and reduce the amount of gravy by the same amount.
If you want, you can also add other vegetables (carrots, parsnips, swede and potatoes all work well). I recommend you cut your veg into bitesize pieces and add them into the stew about an hour before the end of cooking to ensure they don’t go too mushy.
What to serve with lamb stew?
I recommend serving this lamb stew with mashed potatoes and a selection of your favourite veggies. But it also works very well with baked potatoes, or if you want to keep things super simple, just serve with some crusty French bread!
What to drink with lamb stew?
Lamb stew is very wine friendly, and it works well with lots of different wines (though only red wines!)
Good options include Côtes-du-Rhône (or other Syrah / Grenache based wines), Bordeaux reds, Rioja and similar Spanish reds, and Chianti.
However, I definitely do not recommend pairing lamb stew with white or rosé wines!
What to do with leftover lamb stew?
If you end up with leftovers, this lamb stew keeps very well in the fridge and is very easy to reheat. Simply place the cooked and cooled stew in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, tip into a saucepan with a splash of cold water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or until the stew is piping hot all the way through.
You can also reheat this in the microwave, if you prefer.
Can you freeze lamb stew?
The dish can absolutely be frozen! In fact, it’s a really great option for filling the freezer. (Top tip – make double and freeze half!)
Place the cooked and cooled stew in an airtight container in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Peasy Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms quartered (See Note 1)
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 800 g diced lamb shoulder
- 1 beef or lamb stock cube (I use Knorr Lamb Stock Cubes)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (AKA cornstarch in the USA)
- 900 ml boiling water
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste (See Note 2)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
- Place the olive oil and diced onions in a flameproof, ovenproof saucepan (See Note 3.) Gently fry the onions for 5 minutes, with the lid on, until softened but not brown. Stir occasionally.
- Turn up the heat to high and add the chopped mushrooms. Fry the mushrooms for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. (See Note 4.)
- Turn the heat right down and add the garlic. Fry for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally, then add the lamb. (See Note 4.)
- Meanwhile, mix together in a jug the crumbled stock cube, 2 tablespoons cornflour and a little cold water to make a paste, then add the 900ml boiling water and to make a simple gravy.
- Add the lamb gravy, thyme, bay, salt and pepper to the pan, stir and then turn up the heat. Bring to the boil, then put a lid on the pan and place it straight into your preheated oven. (See Note 3.)
- Cook the lamb stew in the oven for 2.5 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the stew is not getting too dry. (If it is, add a little more boiling water and return to the oven.)
- Serve the stew with mashed potatoes and all your favourite vegetables!
Notes
- I recommend cutting the mushrooms into roughly equal sized chunks – depending on the size of your mushrooms this may mean halving, quartering or cutting into eighths.
- Because there is already salt in the stock cube, I only add black pepper here.
- 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 stew in a regular saucepan and then tip it into an ovenproof dish to go into the oven.
- After much experimentation I have come to the conclusion that it does not make a difference whether or not you brown the lamb before such a long slow cook (so I don’t do it!) but it makes a big difference to the mushrooms (which is why I fry the mushrooms properly before adding the rest of the ingredients!)
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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*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!
Jack Hay says
Hi Eb
As you know, a great fan. Some lovely recipes in my Notes.
Tried this lamb stew (for four) so as to have two meals for two.
Very disappointed with taste (bland) on first attempt, but on our second version added a small glass of red wine, a pinch of chilli flakes, a teaspoon of mustard and some extra stronger stock, with a tablespoon of sour cream. What a difference! It was delicious. Now in my Notes.
I think the original recipe has far too much fluid and does lack taste.
Just some rare advice for my favourite recipe expert…
Kindest…
Jack
Eb Gargano says
Hi Jack – thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry you found it bland. My aim here was to make a super simple back-to-basics – maybe even slightly old fashioned lamb stew – as pared down as possible to make it as easy as possible to make. And to allow the flavour of the lamb to shine through, as the main flavour. But I totally accept that that style of lamb stew will not be to everyone’s tastes! Sorry I disappointed you on this occasion. But great to hear about your tweaks and how much you loved your adapted version! Eb 🙂
Alastair says
I love your site, thank you!
Eb Gargano says
Great to hear! Thank you 😀
pauline thompson says
The EASY peasey Lamb Stew was delicious alsways thought Lamb shoulder would be very fatty
I was wrong didnt have a large pan (apart from Pressure Cooker) so used the slow cooker which made the lamb so tender it last over two days,
Would deffinately do this again
Thanyou
Pauline
Eb Gargano says
Yay! That’s so great to hear 😀 Thank you for this lovely review! Eb 🙂