Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb, spiked with lemon, rosemary and garlic, is the perfect answer to an easy mid-week meal. Just add some simple sides and dinner is done.
*This post first appeared over at Eazy Peazy Mealz, where I am a guest contributor
Total Time Investment: 8 hours, 10 minutes
When The Princess was small, I would listen to the mothers of older children talk in raptures about their slow cookers. They spoke about the joy of dumping dinner in the slow cooker early in the morning and coming home to a hot dinner. They eagerly swapped recipes, and discussed ideas that worked and those that didn’t. I would listen on with disinterest … I had no need of such contraptions.
Then The Princess grew up, and now I am the proud owner of not one, but three slow cookers in varying sizes. There are days when I cannot even imagine getting dinner on the table at a reasonable time without using at least one of them, and I now actively participate in all conversations relating to slow cooker recipes. Whilst I typically use the slow cooker for one pot meals like curries, stews or soups; meals that require little more than some rice or a loaf of bread to complete the meal, I was very interested to discover recently that at least three of my friends used their slow cooker to cook a leg of lamb.
A good roast takes time to cook, and time is usually the enemy when it comes to putting dinner on the table during the week. For this reason, I normally only cook a roast for dinner on Sunday evening. The idea of quickly throwing a seasoned lamb leg in the slow cooker on a busy morning has turned this thinking on its head.
I typically flavour oven-roasted lamb with lemon, rosemary and garlic, a combination that translates perfectly to the slow cooker. I also like to tuck small pieces of anchovies in with the garlic and rosemary. As I know anchovies can be polarising, I have left them out of this recipe. The anchovies melt into the lamb as it cooks, seasoning the meat, so if you love them add them in.
Once cooked, shred the meat and serve it in the juices that render out of the lamb during the cooking process. Add some simple sides, such as mini rosemary roasted potatoes and roasted broccoli, and dinner will be done. I can’t think of anything easier.
My friends like to serve their slow cooker leg of lamb with stacks of pita bread, a tub of hummus and some easy salads, which would make an ideal meal for a warm summer evening. Any leftover meat can be repurposed into other meals, such as shepherd’s pie, or even just tucked into sandwiches or salads for lunches. Who said slow cookers were pointless?
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Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb: How To Get Ahead
Whilst it doesn’t take long to season your lamb leg, you can readily spike the leg with the seasonings the night before. Just place the seasoned leg into the slow cooker insert, and pop the whole insert into the fridge. In the morning, place the insert into the slower cooker, turn it on and walk away. Dinner done.
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Ingredient Substitutions for Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb
I typically use a bone – in leg of lamb for this dish, however there is absolutely no reason why you could not use a boneless leg of lamb if you prefer.
There are times during the year when my lemon tree is being unco-operative, and I cannot access fresh lemons. When this occurs, I leave the lemon out and season with just rosemary and garlic.
If you are a fan of anchovies, tuck a few slivers into the slits in the lamb as you season it. The anchovies melt into the lamb as it cooks, adding subtle flavour to the lamb.
Frequently Asked Questions about Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb
How long does it take to cook a lamb roast in the slow cooker? A two kilogram lamb roast will be ready to shred in eight hours in the slow cooker placed on LOW. Larger roasts may take slightly longer. The cooking time can be shortened slightly by bringing to lamb roast to room temperature first before placing it in the slow cooker.
Can I add vegetables to the slow cooker? Absolutely. Just add your desired vegetables to the bottom of the slow cooker, then place the lamb roast on top. I would recommend sliced onions, and chopped potatoes and carrots.
Do you need to use water in the slow cooker? No. You do not need to add additional water as the leg of lamb will release liquid as it cooks. The liquid will flavour any vegetables placed in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Do you need to sear the meat before adding it to the slow cooker? The leg of lamb can be added directly to the slow cooker, however searing the leg of lamb first before cooking will provide additional flavour to the dish. See my slow cooker tips for maximising the flavour in your meal.
One year ago: Mini Vegan Pavlovas
Two years ago: Coconut Macadamia Granola
Three years ago: Gluten Free Fig & Pumpkin Seed Bars
Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below.
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Easy Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb with Rosemary & Garlic
Ingredients
- A 1.5 - 2kg leg of lamb
- 4 cloves garlic finely sliced
- A large handful of rosemary leaves picked
- Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 lemon halved
Instructions
- Using a small, sharp knife make small deep incisions all over the leg of lamb.
- Take a piece of garlic and a few rosemary leaves and push them into an incision in the lamb.
- Continue pushing garlic and rosemary into the remaining incisions.
- Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the lamb leg.
- Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Place the leg in the slow cooker.
- Squeeze the lemon over the lamb, and drop the lemon shells into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cook the lamb on Low for 8 - 10 hours or on High for 4 - 5 hours, or until the lamb easily pulls away from bone and can be shredded.
- Serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Update notes: This post was updated on 16th May 2018 to add in frequently asked questions, and to reorder the text to make it easier to read.
Tania, this looks amazing! I can’t say I’ve ever had lamb, but now my mouth is watering…Pinning it now so I can track it down later!
Lucky you Chelsea 😀 We lived on it when I was a kid so I don’t eat a lot of it these days. This is a great easy way to cook it, as the lamb just falls apart. And it gives you lots of leftovers for other meals.
wow, my friend, those are shredding real nice!! I’m pinning so I can make it for my husband!
This is the only way I really like lamb Camila. Cooked so it shreds to pieces. I hope your husband likes it as much as mine.
Oh my that sounds heavenly… I cook lamb shanks in the slow cooker whenever I can get them but I bet this is a real treat, it looks glorious!
My husband thinks it’s a treat Brian 😀 Strangely, I have never cooked shanks in the slow cooker. I will have to give them a go.
You really must they are wonderful, bottle of wine, obscene amount of garlic, some sprig of rosemary and some stock or water to just cover then walk away. Reduce the cooking liquid to make a sauce whilst flashing under the grill to crips up… Soooooo simple and sooooo tasty!
OK, so I am not a huge lamb fan and that description is making my mouth water. I can see that working with mounds of fluffy mash. The weather is finally starting to cool down here so I am absolutely going to give this a try.
This looks like an amazing hearty meal…I’ll make this for dinner soon! 🙂
It’s great with just a simple salad or some roasted vegetables Wajeeha. So easy to do. I hope you like it.
What a treat for during the week! We sometimes have lamb for Sunday lunch, it’s a real family favourite. I love the idea of adding anchovies, I’m definitely going to try that. Great recipe, thank you x
Absolutely try the anchovies if you love lamb Michelle. They are really good with the lamb and you can’t taste them at all.
I think that flavoring your recipes with lemon, rosemary and garlic is a perfect way to add some incredible taste. And just like you I used slow cooker for mostly soups and stews 🙂
They work well with lamb Helena. And I am trying to expand my slow cooker repertoire 😀
This is now on high rotation for my household. Today I’ll do two, one for the fridge for meals for the week and the other one to portion and freeze for ready to go meals. I find that the meat to veggie ratio is really high if using a full leg, can’t fit enough veggies in to balance so will try with a half leg. Note: I’m cealiac and also have trouble with corn, dairy, egg, soy so can be really limited. This is an awesome dish for people with lots of allergies.
Oh yay Craig! That is great to hear. I love your strategy for turning it into many meals. Thank you very much for sharing.
This was my first attempt at a roast and it turned out perfectly. Thank you! A super easy and stress fee recipe that I will use again with confidence.