Minted Lamb Casserole with fluffy dumplings is a fantastically comforting dinner that’s filled with flavour, nutrition, and warmth. Perfect for busy midweek dinners or using up leftover lamb.
I love little more than a big comforting casserole. They are so filling, and slow cooking means that your house smells amazing and your lamb is tender and delicious. Perfect.
Adding mint sauce, which always complements lamb magnificently, just gives this casserole something a little different without the need to go hunting through your spice rack or seeking out unknown ingredients.
This Lamb Casserole with Mint is fabulously simple, gorgeous, and a big hit with the family.
It’s also great for using up leftover roast lunch lamb if you have any. Just chop it into chunks and stick to this recipe for minted lamb casserole as it is.
Why I Love This Minted Lamb Stew
Yeah, that’s right, I said lamb stew. Same thing? Who knows?! Either way, I love this easy lamb casserole recipe because:
- Lamb and mint is always good. I love an excellent minted lamb recipe.
- You can make it a slow cooker minted lamb stew.
- It’s got dumplings, but honestly, any excuse for a crusty loaf too!
- Lamb and mint casserole is super comfort food. Warming, delicious, filling and easy.
- Lamb casseroles are super nutritious. You can add extra or different veggies.
- This is a super easy lamb casserole recipe.
- Whether you make lamb casserole in the oven or on the hob, it will smell incredible.
- You can serve it with mashed potatoes if you don’t want to put potatoes in the one pot.
Ingredients for this Slow Cooked Lamb Casserole
Lamb casserole recipes (or stew recipes!) typically have lots of ingredients in common, as well as things that you can change, so please add your favourites! I Use:
Cooking Spray – Olive oil or another cooking oil is fine too.
Diced Lamb
Pinch Salt and Black Pepper
Garlic – You can use a teaspoon of garlic puree if you prefer. One of my favourite cheats!
Red Onion – Finely Chopped.
Chantenay Carrots – I’m obsessed with chantenay carrots, but you can slice normal carrots up if you prefer.
Potatoes
Swede – When I was a kid, I hated Swede. If yours do, skip it!
Lamb Stock – You can use beef or vegetable if you don’t have lamb stock.
Mint Sauce – Use finely chopped fresh mint if you prefer, but jarred is easy and tastes fabulous.
Horseradish
And for the dumplings, I use:
Self Raising Flour
Suet
Water
You could add a glug of red wine to the casserole if you wanted to, but this isn’t a lamb and red wine casserole, and I think it’s a bit weird with the mint myself. I’ve never made my old-fashioned minted lamb casserole with dumplings.
How to Cook Lamb Casserole
I think I love casseroles so much because they are so very simple.
You chop and peel, fry onions and garlic, brown lamb in the same pan, add stock and veg, and simmer away. The only difference here is that instead of herbs and flavourings, you add mint sauce.
Sometimes when you make a casserole, you need to either toss the meat in flour or add flour while you cook to thicken the sauce.
But, because this minty lamb casserole contains potatoes, the starch they release as they cook tends to thicken it up really well, and the slow bake certainly helps.
What is the Best Cut of Lamb for Casserole?
I use really basic diced lamb, the lamb that’s left from Sunday lunch, or even frozen lamb when I make my Minted Lamb Casserole with Dumplings.
Lamb can be expensive, so I tend not to be fussy. The good news is, slow-cooked in a yummy gravy like this. Any lamb is going to be tender and delicious.
Really you can make a Lamb and Mint Casserole with any diced lamb, whether it’s from the shoulder or the leg.
What Can You Season Lamb with?
This Lamb Casserole with Mint Sauce is brilliant because all of the flavour comes from the mint sauce, which is just basic supermarket jarred mint sauce you’d have on your Sunday dinner.
I season my lamb with a little salt and pepper, and I add a tbsp of horseradish to the sauce, but this isn’t essential at all.
Does Lamb Get More Tender the Longer You Cook It?
Yes, lamb gets more tender the longer you cook it until it falls apart in your mouth. Slow-cooked lamb is absolute heaven.
Can You Overcook Lamb Casserole?
Yes, you can overcook a lamb casserole. But only really if it dries out.
The lamb never gets too soft, and it’s fine to use leftover lamb that’s already been cooked once.
The only thing to check is that there’s enough liquid. As long as you start with enough stock to cover the lamb and veg, you should be fine.
But check occasionally, and if you are worried, simply pour in a little more water.
How to Make Dumplings
British Dumplings are not the same as Chinese Dumplings.
A British Dumpling is basically a ball of suet and flour that’s poached in liquid, typically a stew or casserole. They are doughy and fluffy and the perfect way to soak up a lamb casserole recipe with mint.
I’ve always been a bit scared of dumplings in casserole. I don’t think I’d ever had them until husband cooked them.
But dumplings with suet are gorgeous and so simple. You basically just make a ball with suet, flour, and a little water and pop it on top of your casserole for 30 minutes to cook.
The key to making a fluffy dumpling is not adding too much water. Start with 3 tbsp of cold water, and then just add tiny bits more if you need to.
Your dumpling dough should form a ball but not be sticky.
Another common mistake that people make when making suet dumplings is overmixing the dough. If you work it too much, they won’t be light and fluffy. They’ll be heavy and dense.
Just mix the ingredients together lightly and gently form a ball. Be gentle with your dumplings.
Cooking Dumplings
If you want your dumpling to be soft and fluffy, place a lid on your casserole or cover lightly with foil.
If you prefer a fluffy centre but a slightly browned and crunchier edge (my preference), cook uncovered.
Either way, just gently rest them on your casserole so that the bottom half sinks in a little, but don’t push them down so that they are covered.
I’ve heard some people ask if dumplings float when they are cooked, but with suet dumplings, they never sink. They always just sit on the top.
Another option is buying “dumpling mix”. It’s available in most big supermarkets and is basically the flour and suet already mixed together in the right quantities. You still have to add water, so it’s not that much different.
How Can You Tell if Dumplings Are Cooked?
This Easy dumpling recipe is ready in 30 minutes. Without a lid, they’ll be slightly browned around the outside, but if you’ve cooked them covered, they’ll still be quite pale.
If you have any doubts, check that your dumplings are cooked by carefully breaking the largest one open. The centre should be fluffy and light, not wet and doughy.
Can You Add Flavour to Dumplings?
I like a basic dumpling, to be honest. But you can add a little salt and pepper and maybe a tbsp of parsley for extra flavour.
What to Serve with Minted Lamb Casserole
I often serve casserole with mash or bread. But minted lamb casserole with mash might be a little much if you have potatoes and dumplings in the casserole.
You don’t really need anything with this easy-minted lamb casserole. You’ve got meat, veg, and dough. It’s perfect, just as it is.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you enjoy this easy minted lamb casserole with dumplings, you might also like:
- Chorizo and Butterbean Stew
- Leftover Roast Lamb Stew
- Leftover Roast Pork Stew
- Minted Lamb Hotpot
- Leftover Lamb Hotpot
- Pork and Apple Casserole
- Sausage and Chorizo Casserole
Minted Lamb Casserole with Dumplings
Ingredients
For the Lamb and Mint Casserole:
- Cooking Spray (or a splash of oil)
- 500 g Diced Lamb
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
- 1 Red Onion (Finely Diced)
- 500 g Chantenay Carrots (Topped, tailed, and scrubbed)
- 700 g White Potatoes (Peeled and chopped into large chunks – something like Maris piper)
- 500 g Swede (Peeled and chopped into large chunks)
- 1 Lamb Stock Cube
- 3 Tablespoons Mint Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Horseradish
For the Dumplings:
- 150 g Self Raising Flour
- 75 g Suet
- 3 Tablespoons Cold Water
Instructions
To make the Minted Lamb Casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 140 degrees (fan-assisted).
- Gently heat 10sprays of cooking spray or 1tbsp of oil on the hob in a large ovenproof dish.
- Fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant.
- Add the lamb and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir until lightly browned.
- Tip in the carrots, potatoes, and swede.
- Pour over enough water to cover.
- Sprinkle in the lamb stock cube, and stir through the mint sauce and horseradish.
- Stir thoroughly and bring to the boil.
- Remove from the heat and place in the oven.
- Cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
To make the Dumplings:
- Mix the suet and flour in a mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the centre and add 3 tablespoons of cold water.
- Carefully mix into a firm, but pliable dough, adding a little more water if you need to.
- Roll into 6 balls.
- Once the casserole has cooked for 2 hours and 30 minutes, remove from the oven and stir well.
- Gently place the dumplings on top, pressing lightly so that the bottom half sinks into the casserole slightly.
- Cook for a further 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Less lamb is fine – use what you’ve got!
- Chantenay carrots can be swapped for chopped big carrots.
- 500g is roughly half a large swede.
- The dumpling recipe makes 4 large, 6 medium, or 8 small. If you are making them smaller, they won’t need as long to cook – try 20 minutes.
- If your casserole is dry at any point (especially when you add the dumplings, as they absorb liquid) stir through a cup of water.
- If you like your dumplings very light and fluffy, cover the cooking dish with a lid, or foil once they’ve been added to the casserole. If you want the outsides to be slightly browned, bake uncovered.
- I use a cast-iron dish like this (affiliate link).
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
