Gennaro's Classic Italian Lamb Stew
by Jamie Oliver
This classic Italian lamb stew is inspired by Gennaro Contaldo's favourite homecoming meal, filmed on the beautiful island of Malta. Tender pieces of lamb are slowly braised with aromatic vegetables, tomatoes, red wine, and fresh herbs until meltingly soft. Adapted here for the slow cooker, it's the perfect hands-off recipe for a comforting winter warmer. Serve it with crusty bread or creamy mashed potatoes for a truly satisfying supper
Watch: Gennaro's Classic Italian Lamb Stew
Original recipe video — click to play
Original method: Approximately 2-2.5 hours slow-cooked on the hob or in the oven
Ingredients
Main
- 800 g lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks, bone-in or boneless
Shoulder works best for slow cooking as it becomes beautifully tender
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 sticks celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
Hardy herbs can go in from the start
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 150 ml red wine
A good Italian red such as Chianti works well. Reduced from approximately 200ml for slow cooker.
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 standard tin
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 150 ml lamb or chicken stock
Reduced from approximately 200ml for slow cooker
- 400 g potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks(optional)
Optional — traditional in some versions of this stew
- to taste sea salt
- to taste black pepper, freshly ground
To finish
- 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Stir through or scatter over just before serving
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(optional)
Drizzle over to finish
A good drizzle of quality oil adds a lovely finishing touch
Method
- 1
Season the lamb chunks generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
~2 mins - 2
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Brown the lamb pieces in batches on all sides until deep golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the browned lamb to your slow cooker pot.
~10 minsTip: Browning adds crucial flavour and colour to the finished stew — don't skip this step.
- 3
In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to colour. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
~7 mins - 4
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes, scraping up any caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato purée.
~2 minsTip: Deglazing the pan captures all the lovely flavour from browning the lamb.
- 5
Transfer the vegetable and wine mixture to the slow cooker pot with the lamb. Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaves. Add the potato chunks now if using. Give everything a good stir to combine.
~3 mins - 6
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours, until the lamb is beautifully tender and falling apart.
Tip: The stew is ready when the lamb pulls apart easily with a fork.
- 7
Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid and switch to High for the last 30 minutes to allow it to reduce slightly.
~5 mins - 8
Ladle the stew into warm bowls. Scatter over the freshly chopped parsley and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with crusty bread or creamy mashed potatoes.
~2 mins
Nutrition
Detailed nutritional information is coming soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamb shoulder is ideal for slow cooking as the connective tissue breaks down over the long cooking time, resulting in incredibly tender, flavourful meat. Lamb neck fillet or leg can also work, but shoulder gives the best results. Bone-in pieces add extra flavour to the sauce
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