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–+ servings
a white bowl of cooked Greek lamb shanks served topped with crumbled feta and fresh oregano

Slow Cooker Greek Lamb Shanks

Robyn
These slow cooker Greek lamb shanks are cooked with Greek spices and tomatoes until meltingly soft and tender, then pasta is added to create a rich comforting lamb dish that only requires one pot!
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine Greek
Servings 4 people
Calories 363 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 onion, finely diced ($0.45 / £0.10)
  • 2 lamb shanks (approx 800g / 28oz) ($11.60 / £8.75)
  • 2 cloves garlic, one crushed and 1 sliced into slivers ($0.26 / £0.05)
  • ½ tablespoon oil - olive oil or vegetable oil ($0.08 / £0.04)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano ($0.09 / £0.03)
  • 2 sprigs rosemary ($1.00 / £0.20)
  • 400g (14 oz) tinned / canned chopped tomatoes ($0.75 / £0.32)
  • 420ml (1 ¾ c) stock or water ($0 / £0)
  • 1 bay leaf ($0.10 / £0.03)
  • salt ($0.01 / £0.01)
  • black pepper ($0.02 / £0.01)
  • 150g (¾ c) orzo / risoni ($0.99 / £0.57)
  • 100g (3.5 oz) feta cheese ($1.75 / £0.65)

Instructions
 

  • Place the chopped onion in the slow cooker.
  • Mix the crushed clove of garlic with the oil, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.
  • Gently rub the seasoned oregano oil all over the lamb shanks.
  • Using a sharp knife, make incisions all over the lamb shanks.
  • Thinly slice the other clove of garlic and take the leaves off the rosemary (if using dried rosemary see tip below). Place a piece of garlic and push inside an incision and then push a piece of rosemary into another incision. Repeat until all the garlic and rosemary have been used.
  • Place the lamb in a large frying pan over a high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown all over (this takes around 10 minutes). Don't move the lamb around too much when it's in the pan as the garlic and rosemary can come out.
  • Once golden, place the lamb shanks in the slow cooker with any bits of garlic and rosemary that are left in the frying pan.
  • Add the tomatoes, water or stock, and bay leaf and cover with the lid.
  • Cook on a low heat for 7 ¼ hours.
  • Sprinkle over the orzo/risoni, stir to make sure the pieces of pasta are coated in the tomato sauce then place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook for 35-45 minutes until the pasta is tender.
  • Remove the lamb shanks to a plate or board and seperate the meat from the fat and bones.
  • Return the lamb to the pasta and stir well to combine, then sprinkle over feta and serve straight away.

Video

Notes

Estimated costs: Australia $17.10. Per serve = $4.28
UK £10.76. Per serve = £2.69
America - I am yet to calculate the estimated ingredients costs to make this recipe in the US. If you would find it useful please contact me and I'll get calculating :) 
Lamb shanks – this cheaper cut of lamb is a tough bit of meat that requires long, slow cooking, making it perfect for cooking in the slow cooker.
Onion – brown onion or red onion.
Tinned / canned tomatoes – I often use chopped tomatoes when making recipes like this and my one pot pasta as there are no large lumps of tomato which can put younger eaters off. You can use tinned plum tomatoes and leave them whole or chop up with a spoon before adding to the slow cooker.
Dried oregano – Greek dried oregano if you have it, or normal dried oregano if not.
Fresh rosemary – if you don’t have fresh rosemary use 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary instead.
Pasta – orzo pasta or, as I have found that incredibly hard to buy in Australia, risoni. It's not Greek! but is still delicious.
Water – you can also use stock, which will give a richer flavour, but watch the salt levels in the dish, especially if you are using bought stock as it can easily make the dish far too salty.
Feta cheese – this is for sprinkling over at the end. If you don’t have or like feta cheese, I have also used bocconcini / mozzarella and it was very tasty (not at all Greek though!)
Brown the lamb shank to a golden brown before you add it to the slow cooker. This golden layer adds a tonne of flavour to the finished dish.
If using dried rosemary rather than fresh rosemary, add it to the oil with the dried oregano.
When you add the pasta, make sure that all the pieces of pasta are submerged in the sauce to allow them to cook properly.
To use up the rest of the feta cheese: make this Turkish yogurt sauce (which also goes well with lamb), sprinkle over a carrot salad or I love sprinkling a little feta over roast pumpkin soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 29gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 510mgPotassium: 559mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 235IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 191mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Greek lamb shanks, slow cooker Greek lamb, slow cooker lamb shanks

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