How to Make Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks
Slow-cooked lamb shanks are succulent, flavoursome and literally fall off the bone. Smothered in tomato sauce which simmers away for hours, this recipe uses fragrant herbs which infuse the shanks. And when cooked with time they become so moist and tender the whole family will devour them.
Don’t be overwhelmed by how long they take to cook as there is very little work to do – you just need quality ingredients and patience! Recreate this heavenly recipe at home and understand with every single bite why this is my 1-year-old son Sebastian’s absolute favourite dish!
Watch the Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks video recipe
How to make Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks Like an Italian
Vincenzo’s Plate tips
Cook it evenly!
Make sure to use a cast iron pan for this recipe, so everything cooks evenly.
Keep an eye on it
Keep a close eye on the lamb shanks; they may take less time to brown depending on how hot your pot is.
SAVE some for later
This recipe will make extra sauce. Freeze it and use it for future recipes!
Sear the lamb shanks
Before slow-cooking the lamb shanks, it’s best to sear them on all sides in a hot pan.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Cutting board
- knife to chop the vegetables
- Large cast iron Dutch oven with lid
- Tongs
- wooden spoon
- Ladle for serving the sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Top-quality lamb shanks
- 1 Large carrot, chopped
- ½ Onion, chopped
- 1 Celery stick, chopped
- Fresh parsley
- 250 ml Vegetable stock, 1 cup
- 2 bottles Tomato passata, about 1.4L
- Salt and pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, EVOO
Instructions
- Slow cooked lamb shanks start with a delicious base – my soffritto! Add extra virgin olive oil to a cast iron Dutch oven on medium heat to medium-high heat, covering the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the soffritto, aka the onion, celery, and carrot, to the hot oil and stir using a wooden spoon so the vegetables are covered in oil. Cover, and cook for five minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir the delicious smelling soffritto again, then start to cook the lamb shanks, adding in one at a time.
- Brown the lamb shanks for five minutes on each side, using tongs to turn them over.
- Turn them once again, making sure they start to change colour and leaving them for another couple of minutes on each side.
- Add the vegetable stock in once the lamb shanks are golden brown on all sides.
- Cover the pot and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Next, remove the lid and add both bottles of passata to the pot. Once empty, add a small amount of water to each bottle then shake to remove all the excess sauce before adding this into the pot.
- Season with as much salt and pepper as you like and switch the stove to low heat.
- Stir until well combined, making sure the sauce covers the lamb.
- Cover the pot and cook on low heat for three hours; this will make super tender, slow-cooked lamb shanks.
- Stir the sauce every 30 minutes and flip the lamb shanks, so they don’t stick until your slow-cooked lamb shanks are ready to eat.
- E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Video
How to Serve
Cover the bottom of a serving plate with spoonfuls of the delicious tomato sauce, making sure you get all the delightful, cooked vegetables. Add the moist lamb pieces to the plate and make sure to cover them with even more of the wonderful sauce.
Garnish with fresh parsley for a pop of green colour. Grab some slices of fresh sourdough bread so you can soak up this fantastic sauce or plate it alongside some potato mash.
Don’t forget to save the extra sauce; you can use it for so many recipes.
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