Slow Cooker Lamb Stew

5 from 4 votes

Slow Cooker Lamb Stew is a set and forget family dinner. Simply brown the lamb and onions, throw everything into the slow cooker.

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Total Time4 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: slow cooker lamb stew

Servings:

Calories: 382kcal

1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 kg grams/ 2 pounds lamb meat diced into chunky pieces, Note 1
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup diced onion approx 1 medium onion
6 potatoes medium to large size, not peeled, sliced into chunky pieces, Note 2
2 carrots peeled and chopped into chunky pieces
1 red capsicum seeded and roughly chopped into pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 litre/ 4 cups/ 32 oz litre chicken stock
400 grams/ 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes Note 3
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Note 4
¼ cup plain flour Note 5
2 bay leaves dried, remove before serving

Brown the lamb: add the oil, diced lamb, salt and pepper to a large sauté pan. Sear at high heat for 3 to 5 minutes to brown the edges. Then remove from pan.
Sauté the onions: without rinsing or cleaning the pan add the diced onion and fry of for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Vegetables: starting with the potatoes add the vegetables to the slow cooker. In layers place the chopped potatoes, carrots, capsicum and sliced mushrooms.
Liquids: add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.
Flour, meat and onions: next add the plain flour, browned lamb and sautéed onions to the slow cooker. Take a wooden spoon and stir till all ingredients have combined.
Cook: place the 2 bay leaves on top of the combined stew, pop the lid on the slow cooker and turn the setting to low (cook for 8 hours) or high (cook for 4 hours).
Serve and enjoy: once cooked, remove the slow cooker lid, discard the bay leaves and turn the heat off. Use a ladle to portion the lamb stew into bowls, garnish with finely chopped parsley and cracked black pepper (optional). Provide fresh bread for dunking.

Note 1 - Lamb: the recipe calls for 1 kilogram or 2 pounds of lamb. If you are looking to reduce the cost of the dish, you can cut the amount of meat in half and add 1 cup of peeled, cube sweet potatoes instead. It won't be as meaty, however, will reduce the overall cost of the recipe. If you are using a smaller sauté or fry pan, you may need to brown the lamb in 2 batches.
Note 2 - Potatoes: for Australia use washed white potatoes, in the USA use Yukon gold or russet potatoes.
Note 3 - Diced tomatoes: opt for a brand which has no additional herbs, salt or pepper. Plain is best. You can use crushed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes, they have a slightly less chunky texture.
Note 4 - Worcestershire sauce: this is a great ingredient used in stews and marinades to give a little oomph to the flavour of the dish. You will find it in the sauces aisle in the supermarket. Typically it is known as a condiment, not a sauce.
Note 5 - Plain flour: we use this in the recipe to thicken the liquids. The recipe states to add it to the browned lamb and onions, stir to combine and cook the dish with it from the beginning. The 2nd option you have is to remove ⅓ cup of liquid from the stew 30 minutes before the end of the cook time, whisk the flour into it (this is called a slurry) and add that back to the slow cooker. Stir to combine it, then continue cooking for the final 30 minutes.