You will love this one-pot Mediterranean Lamb Stew. It is a homely and comforting meal, full of the sunny flavours of the Mediterranean. For this recipe we use cubed boneless lamb shoulder with fragrant herbs, tomatoes, red peppers, eggplant and olives. Cooked slowly and gently, the lamb develops a rich flavour and becomes meltingly tender. It is certain to become a regular on your meal plan.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It is an easily made meal that needs little more than crusty bread served alongside to enjoy the delicious pan juices.
- I'm sure that you will agree; a one pot meal is always a good idea. One pot means less washing up!
- You can easily customise the ingredients in this dish to suit your taste.
- It is a versatile meal; you can increase or decrease the amounts depending on the number you are serving.
- You can make Mediterranean Lamb Stew ahead of time. In fact, make it the day before you plan to serve it, and the flavours will have developed further.
- As it cooks away on the stove, you can relax or spend time with your friends and family.
Recipe Inspiration: Mediterranean flavours are what I grew up with, and this delicious recipe has been inspired by my comforting Beef Stew. I am always after recipes that can be prepared in advance, and this is ideal!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Stewing lamb - the best cuts of meat for a stew are those that benefit from long, slow cooking, such as the shoulder, shank or neck. If you prefer a leaner cut, you could use lamb leg.
- Olive oil - for the best flavour, we use extra virgin olive oil, it is an essential ingredient in the much-acclaimed Mediterranean diet.
- Brown/yellow onion - the onion that is most often used, but you can use a white or red onion if you prefer.
- Garlic - our preference is for fresh garlic cloves; the flavour is superior to the jarred varieties.
- Tinned crushed tomatoes - this is a pantry staple. The tomatoes can be used in sauces, soups and stews. We sometimes add cannellini beans, another pantry staple, to the tomatoes to make Mediterranean Baked Beans, a quick and easy meal.
- Chicken stock - use homemade or good quality commercial stock.
- Red wine - adds rich flavour and colour to the stew.
- Fresh rosemary and dried oregano - true Mediterranean flavours that complement the other ingredients of the dish.
- Dried chilli flakes - add some gentle spice - or more if you prefer.
- Red capsicum/bell peppers - our preference is red peppers; they are sweeter than green and add great colour. When selecting peppers, they should have bright colour, be firm and feel heavy for their size. Avoid any that feel soft or are wrinkled. We love to use them to make Roasted Red Peppers.
- Eggplant/aubergine - this is one of my favourite Mediterranean vegetables. It can be used in so many ways, such as my Eggplant Involtini or Baba Ganoush. When selecting eggplant, look for fruit with smooth, shiny, unblemished skin. They should feel heavy for their size and feel firm to the touch. This is a sign that the flesh is in good condition. They bruise easily so handle them carefully.
- Castelvetrano olives - these delicious Sicilian olives have a mild flavour and a meaty, crunchy texture. for the safety of everyone's teeth, we use pitted olives. Use the best quality you can find.
- Baby spinach - this is a great way to add some greens to a dish for colour and nutrients.
- Parsley - for the best flavour, our preference is the flat-leaf Italian variety.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - it is essential that food is properly seasoned. Check before serving that the seasoning is to your taste, adding sea salt, freshly ground black pepper or dried chilli flakes. Without it, your dish may be bland.
Variations:
Chicken stock - if you don't have chicken stock, you can use beef or vegetable stock.
Herbs - if you prefer, you could use fresh thyme.
Vegetables - some sliced zucchini/courgette would be a good addition.
How To Make Mediterranean Lamb Stew:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 - Brown the meat:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-based pan. In three batches, brown the meat for several minutes on all sides.
2 - Sauté the onions:
Turn the heat down to low, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, then add garlic and cook, ensuring the garlic doesn't burn.
3 - Start building the stew:
Return the cooked lamb, including any juices, to the pan. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, red wine, rosemary, oregano and chilli flakes. Stir well.
Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and lower the heat. Cook until the meat is almost at perfect tenderness.
4 - Add the vegetables:
Add the capsicum and eggplant, stir well and cover again. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
5 - Add the remaining ingredients:
Add the olives and parsley. Check the seasoning, adding extra salt, pepper or chilli flakes if necessary.
6 - Serve:
Turn into a serving dish or serve, family-style, at the table in the pan in which it was cooked. Add the feta, lemon and mint topping.
Hint: like many stews, this Mediterranean Lamb Stew tastes better the day after it is made as the flavours have had time to develop.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Don't use expensive cuts of meat or lean meat as it is not suited to slow cooking and will become tough and dry. Choose a cut of meat suited to long, slow cookery. The best cuts of meat for a stew are those that benefit from long, slow cooking, such as the shoulder, shank or neck. If you prefer a leaner cut, you could use lamb leg.
This is an important step. The caramelisation which occurs by browning the lamb cubes adds depth and rich flavour to the casserole.
You certainly can. In fact, the flavours will be even better as they have had time to develop. As soon as the stew is cool, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Don't add the feta until you have reheated the stew and are ready to serve.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within three days. Refrigerate any leftovers as soon as possible. It is not safe to leave the casserole at room temperature for more than two hours. Re-heat well before serving.
Yes, you can. Put the casserole in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to three months. It is best to defrost in the fridge overnight and heat thoroughly before serving.
Top Tip:
Don't discard your parsley stems; they have great flavour and are ideal to add to soups, stews or stocks. I finely chop them and add them to pasta sauces too, like my Spicy Tuna and Tomato Pasta.
Serving Suggestions:
From the inviting aroma to the robust flavour, this hearty Mediterranean Lamb Stew carries the promise of comfort and warmth. It is, simply, wonderful, old-style comfort food. There are so many ways to enjoy the Stew. It is a delicious meal on its own, but also works well with:
- Crusty bread for mopping up the deeply flavoured juices.
- Buttered noodles - boil the pasta of your choice until it is al dente, toss in a bowl with some butter, salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Delicious!
- Creamy Polenta.
- Baked Mashed Potato.
- Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi or Semolina Gnocchi.
If you like Mediterranean foods as much as I do, I am certain that you will love this easily prepared Lamb Stew. This is food that will warm and satisfy you.
Alex xx
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Mediterranean Lamb Stew
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Lamb Stew:
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) stewing lamb - we use shoulder cut in 3 cm (1 inch cubes) See Note 1
- 1 teaspoon coarse cooking sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
- 3 tablespoon olive oil See Note 2
- 1 large brown/yellow onion - cut into small cubes
- 4 cloves garlic - roughly chopped
- 800 g (28 oz) tinned crushed tomatoes
- 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock See Note 3
- 125 ml (½ cup) dry red wine - I use Shiraz See Note 4
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary - finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes - optional
- 2 large red capsicum/bell peppers - cut into 3 cm (1 inch) pieces
- 1 medium eggplant/aubergine - cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes
- 90 g (½ cup) Sicilian green olives - pitted
- 70 g (2 cups) baby spinach - firmly packed
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley - roughly chopped
- sea salt and black pepper - to taste See Note 5
For the Topping:
- 200 g (7 oz) Greek feta cheese - crumbled
- 2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves - firmly packed and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Buy pre-cut meat or, cut a piece of shoulder (or other cut that suits this recipe - See Note 1) into 3 cm (1 " cubes).Pat the cubed meat dry with paper towels. This will help the meat to form a nice brown crust when seared. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, over medium-high heat, in a large, heavy-based Dutch Oven or saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. The oil should not smoke. You will notice that the oil is hot and ready to use when it begins to shimmer.
- Add ⅓ of the lamb to the pan. Brown the meat for several minutes on all sides. Remove the meat to a plate and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining lamb, adding more oil if necessary.
- Turn the heat down to low. Add a little extra oil if necessary. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the garlic and cook a further minute and stir again to ensure the garlic doesn't burn.
- Return the cooked lamb, including any juices, to the pan.Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, red wine, rosemary, oregano and chilli flakes. Stir well.
- Bring to a simmer, cover the pan, lower the heat so the meat barely bubbles, and cook for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until the meat is almost at perfect tenderness. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the capsicum and eggplant, stir well and cover again. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir halfway through and add a little water if necessary.
- Add the olives and parsley. Check the seasoning, adding additional salt, pepper or chilli flakes to taste.
- Turn into a serving dish or serve, family-style, at the table in the pan in which it was cooked.For the topping, combine the feta, mint and lemon zest. Add to the top of the stew when serving.
Notes
- Stewing lamb: we have used pre-cut lamb shoulder. Choose a cut of meat that benefits from long, slow cooking, such as the shoulder, shank or neck. If you prefer a leaner cut, you could use lamb leg.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each tablespoon listed.
- Stock: I have used chicken stock, but vegetable, lamb or beef stock are all suitable.
- Red wine: I prefer a dry red wine for this recipe, such as a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. Choose a red wine that you enjoy drinking. If you would prefer to omit the wine, just switch out for more stock.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking - we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Proper seasoning is essential for a delicious dish that is well flavoured.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The feta topping is best added just before serving.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within three days. Refrigerate any leftovers as soon as possible. It is not safe to leave the stew at room temperature for more than two hours. Re-heat thoroughly before serving.
- Freezing: Put the stew in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to three months. It is best to defrost in the fridge overnight and heat thoroughly before serving.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
christine roth says
Excellent Stew! I never follow a recipe fully- self prescribed chef here ; )
The only change I made was I added tomato paste to give the broth a little more depth. Many layers of flavor and the lamb was so tender. This will definitely be on our rotation this winter!
Alexandra Cook says
Thank you so much, Christine! I am thrilled you will be making this again 🙂
Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Alex xo
Lucy says
Really good, delicious recipe, as always, Alex!
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. They are fool proof, tasty and comforting for the whole family to enjoy.
Alexandra Cook says
Hi Lucy,
Thank you so much! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Alex xo
Nikki says
yum! sound delicious, I will be making this soon. thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Alexandra Cook says
I look forward to hearing what you think, Nikki! 🙂
Alex xo
Mark James says
yummy. Alex marry me!
They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach!
Eat this and you can be the Mother to my children. Hahahaha
Alexandra Cook says
Haha, thanks, Mark.
So happy you love this recipe! 😀