Good Old-fashioned Leftover Lamb Stew

 Easy, delicious and quick, this good old-fashioned leftover lamb stew is a rich, economical and filling dish that makes a perfect week-night supper. 

Leftover Lamb Casserole

A little lamb goes a long way in this frugal but tasty peasant casserole, so it is an excellent way of using up leftovers. Using pre-cooked lamb means that an easy one-pot casserole doesn’t have to cook for hours, making it suitable for an after-work supper. If anything, this tasty dish is even better the next day, so you can make enough for two meals or prepare one in advance. 

My easy lamb casserole is a classic Northern European style recipe. Hearty and filling, it uses hard fat (dripping, lard, butter, or most economically, fat skimmed from roasting joint) rather than olive oil.

This is a fantastically adaptable dish – perfect for using up all the vegetables at the bottom of the fridge, as well as any leftover roast potatoes or gravy from your roast dinner.  

How to Make Leftover Lamb Stew 

Step 1 – First, assemble the ingredients. Heat oven to 180°C (Fan) / 350°F (Fan) / Gas Mark 5.

Step 2 – Prepare the potatoes by chopping larger new potatoes in half, or if using older, larger potatoes, peel and chop into 2 cm pieces. Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes. Then drain and set aside. 

Step 3 – Put the fat in a shallow oven-proof dish with a lid. Set it on the stove to melt the fat, on a medium to low heat.

Step 4 – Fry onion and celery for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt to draw out the liquid. Crush the garlic into the mixture and stir in. Cook for a few minutes so that the onion is translucent.

Step 5 – Add lamb, carrots, and stir in.

Step 6 – Add the herbs and flour. Stir in well, so that the fat is all absorbed. If there is flour left over that hasn’t combined with any fat, add a little more fat. Then cook flour for a further 4–5 minutes.

Step 7 – Slowly add the stock, stirring the whole time. Scrape the bottom of the dish with a wooden spoon to make sure nothing’s stuck.

Step 8 – Add potatoes on top, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with a lid, and place in the oven.

Step 9 – Cook for 30 minutes.

Step 10 – If the sauce needs thickening, take a tablespoon of cornflour in a small dish, and add a tablespoon of the sauce. Stir in until well mixed, and add to the casserole.

Step 11 – Finally, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. It’s ready to serve!

Hints & Tips

• If you have it, add leftover gravy to the stock. Alternatively, you can use wine or beer.
• Mix up the vegetables – use more carrots or celery – add in other root vegetables such as diced parsnips, turnip or swede.  
• Use gluten free flour if intolerant.
• I made my leftover lamb stew with new potatoes, cutting the larger ones in half. If using older, larger spuds, peel and chop into 2–3 cm cubes.
• You can use leftover roast potatoes, add for the last 15 minutes of cooking to reheat. 
• Add some preserved lemon for the last 10 minutes of cooking to add zip and lightness to the dish. 

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5 from 9 votes

Old-fashioned Leftover Lamb Stew

A real hearty, Northern European, peasant stew. Potatoes and carrots make a traditional, economical dish that's a great way of using up leftover lamb. Easy and adaptable. 

Servings: 4

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp lamb fat ( (from the roast), lard, or butter)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 sticks celery (diced)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 250 g cooked leftover lamb (cut into 2 cm cubes. Discard bits of sinew and gristle.)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp dried herbs (thyme or oregano)
• 500 g potatoes (halve larger new potatoes, or peel and chop larger spuds)
• 250 ml stock (lamb, chicken or vegetable)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp cornflour (if needed)
• juice of half a lemon.

Instructions

• Heat oven to 180°C (Fan) / 350°F (Fan) / Gas Mark 5.
• Prepare the potatoes by chopping larger new potatoes in half, or if using older, larger potatoes, peel and chop into 2 cm pieces. 
  
• Parboil the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  
• Put the fat in an oven-proof flat casserole dish with a lid. Set on a medium low ring on the stove to melt the fat.
  
• Fry onion and celery for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt to draw out the liquid. Crush the garlic into the mixture and stir in. Cook for a few minutes, stirring until the onion is translucent.
  
• Add lamb and carrots and stir in. Cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add flour and herbs. Stir in well, so that the fat is all absorbed. If there is flour left over that hasn't combined with any fat, add a little more fat. Cook flour for a further 4–5 minutes.
• Slowly add stock, stirring well as you do so. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to make sure nothing’s stuck.
• Place potatoes on top of stew, and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Cover with the lid and place in oven. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft
  
• If the sauce needs thickening, measure the cornflour into a small dish. Add a tablespoon of the liquid and mix well. Add more liquid if necessary, and stir to make a smooth paste. Add to the stew to thicken the sauce.
  
• Finally, just before serving, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. This adds zing and really brightens the dish.
  

Notes

• If you have it, add leftover gravy to the stock. Alternatively, you can use wine or beer.
• Mix up the vegetables - use more carrots or celery - add in other root vegetables such as diced parsnips, turnip or swede.  
• Use gluten free flour if intolerant.
• With made this it with new potatoes, cutting the larger ones in half. If using older, larger spuds, peel and chop into 2–3 cm cubes.
• You can use leftover roast potatoes, add for the last 15 minutes of cooking to reheat. 
• Add some preserved lemon for the last 10 minutes of cooking to add zip and lightness to the dish. 

Nutritional Information 

• This recipe is 3 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Old-fashioned Leftover Lamb Stew

Amount Per Serving

Calories 229 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 43mg14%

Sodium 332mg14%

Potassium 797mg23%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 5310IU106%

Vitamin C 18.2mg22%

Calcium 99mg10%

Iron 7.7mg43%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main

Cuisine: Traditional British

Keyword: Leftover lamb, leftover lamb stew

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More delicious leftover lamb recipes: my Leftover Lamb Tagine with Apricots Recipe and Leftover Lamb Curry. 

Or, for an equally British side dish to the stew, there’s my fully loaded dirty chips.