I love a good casserole and have amassed quite a collection of cast iron casserole dishes in various sizes and colours. When I was at University and in a house–share for a year the oven became known as “Helly’s Casserole Cupboard”, such was my love for casseroles! Long slow cooking transforms the cheaper, but flavour filled cuts of meat, into a meltingly soft and tender dish, which is both frugal and satisfying.
A long slowly cooked casserole is a classically northern European dish – in the winter the stove or fire would be lit all day to heat the home, leading to our tradition of slowly cooked & simmered dishes.
Ideally when making a casserole you need to cook in bulk, smaller quantities do not seem to work as well, and start to dry out. When you cook choose a casserole dish that is heavy and has a well fitting lid, and use the smallest one possible for the quantity. I find that most casseroles improve with a night in the fridge and then reheating. Of course, when you cook in bulk you can fill the freezer and reheat for a delicious meal with minimal time and effort involved.
This dish was commissioned by Simply Beef & Lamb as part of their #LivePeasant campaign, to encourage cooks to make simple, slowly cooked, one pot dishes and then to savour the flavour of the cheaper, but delicious cuts of meat, which are so perfect for slow cooking. I have followed the traditions of delicious European peasant cookery and added some frugal beans to bulk out my casserole further. They pair well with the earthy flavours of the cumin and coriander seeds I used to flavour the dish.
Love Lamb? Then try my Lamb Keema Tacos!
- 1 tbs dripping
- 500 g stewing lamb - cut into 2 1/2cm cubes
- 1 onion - peeled and diced
- 1 carrot - peeled and diced
- 2 sticks celery - finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp cumin - ground
- 1 tsp coriander seed - ground
- 1/2 tsp - hot paprika or chipotle powder
- 1 tbs flour
- 1/2 small glass red wine
- 500 ml lamb or chicken stock
- 2 x 400g cans of beans - rinsed and drained - I used black eyed beans and borlotti
-
Melt the dripping in a heavy casserole and add the lamb in batches and fry until starting to brown. Once browned remove the lamb from the casserole put onto a plate.
-
When all the lamb has been browned add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté until soft. Add the cumin, coriander and paprika and cook for another few minutes stirring all the time until fragrant.
-
Return the lamb to the pot, stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes.
-
Add the wine and stock, then stir in the beans*, adding a little more liquid so all the ingredients are covered.
-
<span data-mce-bogus="1" class="mceItemHidden"><span></span>Put the lid on the casserole and cook slowly at 170C / Gas 3 for 2 and a half to 3 hours until the lamb is tender and you have a thick sauce.</span>
-
Serve topped with lots of chopped parsley.
*If your tinned beans are very soft then add them for the last hour of cooking time - brands vary widely.
You could easily double the amount of added vegetables too.
Freezes well.
GET EASY, TASTY RECIPES FOR FREE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE!
Simply Beef & Lamb support the Quality Standard mark and Red Tractor scheme for both English and Welsh lamb & beef, so when you see it you know that there is a guarantee of quality of the meat, and also animal welfare.
For more #LivePeasant inspiration you may also like
- Camilla’s One Pot Minced Beef Hotpot
- Kavey’s Beef Goulash
- Michelle’s Comforting Lamb and Pearl Barley Stew
- Michelle’s Laal Maas
This recipe for a Lamb & Bean One Pot Casserole was commissioned by Simply Beef & Lamb. All opinions our own.
Elizabeth
This sounds utterly fantastic! Loving your adaptations to the original recipe too. Delicious!
Helen
There is nothing like a slowly cooked casserole.
Kavey
I really must do a stew like with our homegrown borlotti beans from last autumn, we dried them and haven’t used them all yet.
Helen
That sounds delicious Kavey!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Haha, I like ‘Helly’s Casserole Cupboard’. I really love a good casserole too, should make them more often though!
Helen
The Helly’s Casserole Cupboard was amusing, bu the cleaning off less so.
Katie Bryson
What a gloriously comforting looking dish Helen, and the flavours sound delicious. I love cooking a stew in advance and giving it the night in the fridge before reheating the next day. Like you say it definitely intensifies the flavours.
Helen
It certainly was comforting, I left 3 portions for Ed in the freezer when I was skiing and they all vanished!
Patricia Lewis
Sounds like a great casserole for cold day comfort. Very hygge.
Helen
Hygge is my favourite thing!
Meredith Fletcher
Tasty looking stew. Thanks for the idea!
Helen
Very tasty and comforting!
corina
IT sounds very tasty! Perfect for when the weather is still a little cool too.
Helen
It was perfect Corina. So delicious.
Melanie Peterson
It looks a delicious and warming one pot casserole. I like the simplicity!
Helen
We discovered it was even better after having been frozen.
Erica Price
That does look tasty. I do think lamb goes well with beans and pulses.
Helen
It was excellent! And nicely frugal too.
Joanna
Yum my husband would love this stew. We love to have stews and casseroles.
Helen
it is one of the nicest stews I’ve made for ages.
laura dove
Ooh we are big lovers of lamb in our house and this looks fab! One pot recipes are a winner for me too, less washing up!!
Helen
I am ALL for less washing up, even though I have a dishwasher.
Dean of Little Steps
Not a big fan of lamb, but this looks really good :)
Helen
YOu can try it with beef – it really is not that lamby!
emma t
The last time I ‘ate’ lamb casserole I was 2 years old. I refused to eat it and my mum tipped it over my head. I’m not a fan of lamb despite me having a sheep farmer as a brother in law.
I love bulking out food with beans and pulses…just a shame the OH moans and isn’t a fan of them
Helen
Oh I think that would put me off for life, what a shame. This would work really well with beef too.
Grant R
Similar in principle to Lamb Tagine. Slow cooked lamb, left marinated in amazing flavours and tender beyond imagination. Delicious!
Helen
We did enjoy it and all the leftovers in the freezer vanished when I went skiing
Rachel
My mister really dislikes lamb, but am wondering if it is served to him like this, it might change his mind because it looks absolutely amazing and hey if he hates it, more for me x
Helen
I think that well butchered meat might change his mind, as it makes such a massive difference to the final taste, but this would work well with beef too.