This tummy warmer, time-saver Slow-cooked Lamb Shank Stew recipe is the perfect winter recipe.

Not only can you make this in your slow-cooker, but it’s excellent to refrigerate or freeze for leftovers night or if you want to create meals in advance.

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Winter is an excellent time of year in our house for cooking up all sorts of soups and stews. And this recipe is great for our busy schedules.

Oh, and not to mention, the kid’s faces light up when I make this for dinner, especially when I serve it with my homemade mini dinner rolls.

This recipe ideally serves four people, but it also comes down to portion size. We have three children, so it does feed all five of us, plus a little left over.

How to make this Slow-cooked Lamb Shank Stew recipe

A slow-cooker or crockpot is needed for this. I can fit it all in my Phillips all-in-one cooker, which is 6 litres.

Ingredients

Lamb Shanks
Carrots
Celery
Butternut Pumpkin
Onion (brown or red)
Garlic Cloves
Tomato Paste
Worcestershire Sauce
Crushed Tomatoes
Beef Stock
Dried Thyme
Dried Bay Leaves
Water
Salt and Pepper
Cornflour or Cornstarch

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Method

Dice the butternut pumpkin into 1 1/2 to 2 cm pieces and the carrots into 1/2 cm bits.

Finely dice the onion, celery and garlic cloves, then place everything into the slow-cooker.

Combine the tomato paste, liquid beef stock, water, and thyme in a separate bowl or jug. Then set aside.

Place the lamb shanks on top of the chopped-up veggies, pour the crushed tomatoes over the top, and then the liquid. Add the bay leaves. Put on the lid and set to cook for 6 hours on low.

Note: if you use the Philips all-in-one cooker, ensure you have the top set to vent.

Tip: don’t worry if your lamb shanks are not fully covered in the liquid. I’ll cover this further down.

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Two and a half hours into the cook, you can stir the stew; this helps if you have a slow-cooker like mine. It allows you to rotate the lamb shanks that are not fully covered.

Note: If your slow-cooker allows the lamb shanks to be covered from the start, you can skip this step if you want.

When you have an hour left, remove the lamb shanks from the slow-cooker. Give them a few minutes to cool so you can easily hold them.

Cut away all the meat from the bone, and break it into bite-sized pieces. Place the meat back into the slow-cooker and dispose of the bones.

Stir the meat through, and let it cook for the last hour.

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Combine cornflour and a teaspoon of cold water into a small bowl when your stew is ready. Pour the mixture into the stew and stir well until the liquid is thicker.

Because it is already hot, you do not need to cook it longer to thicken the stew, but you may need to let it sit covered for a few minutes.

Remove bay leaves.

Serve with crusty-style bread or rolls.

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Time-Saver Tips for Slow Cooking

Although, using a slow-cooker can be a helpful appliance in the sense of set and forget. Some things can help make it much more manageable again.

Pre-prepare ingredients the night before. If you are a busy person, especially in the morning, it can be helpful to have everything prepared the night before, such as cutting up the veggies and soaking dried soup mixes/barley.
Cook in advance. If the meal you are making can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, then making that meal well in advance can be a massive time saver. It’s also handy if you are going away and want to have meals prepared for loved ones that are still at home.

Have you tried these recipes?

There are lots of different types of meals that you can make in your slow-cooker, here are just a few that we have on Just So Yum!