This slow cooker lamb stew recipe with roasted hatch chile peppers is a hearty, spicy stew that goes beautifully over rice. You get tender lamb meat with a spicy kick makes this a satisfying dinner. If you don’t like spice, I include a non-spicy version too!
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(This post was sponsored by Veetee Dine In Rice but all raving opinions are my own.)
If you have been reading along with me the past few weeks, I have been talking about school starting. I always worry that our family will be too busy to enjoy family dinners together. This new hearty slow cooker stew is the perfect meal for busy weeknights. It is comforting on cold winter days, and it tastes delicious packed in a thermos for lunch.
This easy lamb stew with hatch chile peppers cooks up in your slow cooker during the day, and it is ready when you get home! It is an original recipe I created for fun. If you love lamb, you also will want to try these delicious, juicy Lamb Sliders.
Why we love this lamb stew:
Have you seen the new pre-cooked rice by Veetee Dine In yet? This GMO-free rice is heated in your microwave, and they are ready in just 2 minutes. No more waiting for the water to boil; these make it much easier on busy school nights!
- This is an amazing stew that is one of the best stew recipes. This one-pot meal tastes even better the next day!
- Since we are in hatch chile season, I wanted to create a recipe with roasted chiles. I include both spicy and mild versions of this recipe.
- Lamb has a meaty flavor that I knew would absorb the spiciness of the hatch chiles.
- I used my slow cooker so that I could cook everything on low heat all day, making the meat soft and tender.
- This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
If you love slow cooker meals as much as we do, you are going to love these gluten free slow cooker recipes.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Lamb – You can buy lamb in any grocery store or hit your local butcher for the best lamb shoulder cut. I like shoulder cuts, but any cut of lamb will work well. I avoid using lamb with bones to keep it simple.
- Beef Broth—I recommend using low-sodium broth, but regular is fine. If you can find lamb stock, that is also good. Do not use chicken stock.
- Onions – I like to use sweet yellow onions.
- Roasted Hatch Chile – These are spicy peppers if you do not want your lamb stew recipe to turn out spicy, substitute roasted red pepper or green bell peppers.
- Garlic – You can use fresh garlic cloves that are minced or jarred minced garlic.
- Root Vegetables – This is optional, but You can add root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, and potatoes if you like. Sweet potato is another good root veggie to add, and the end result is amazing because the sweetness blends nicely with the spice from the hatch chiles.
Tips for Roasting Hatch Chiles:
If you have never roasted hatch chiles before, it is really easy.
- Light up your grill on medium heat.
- Toss the washed chiles onto the grill.
- Allow the chiles to char and roast.
- Remove the chiles from the grill and allow them to cool.
- Put on rubber gloves and then peel the charred peels off. Take out the seeds, and they are ready to be used in any recipe!
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
I call this a dump-and-go recipe because it is so easy to prep on a busy morning. If you buy lamb stew meat, there is very little prep work needed for this slow cooker meal because it is already cut up for stew.
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Step 1: The first step is to cut the lamb shoulder into one or two-inch cubes. Add the chunks of lamb, chiles, onion, beef broth, and spices to the crockpot.
Optional: If you would like the outside of the meat to be brown, you can brown the outside of the lamb stew meat on the stovetop in a large skillet with olive oil. Cook on medium-high heat for 1 minute on each side of the meat. I did not do this, but many do prefer browning the meat first, so I wanted to give that option.
This Veetee Dine-In rice is cooked to the perfect consistency without any mushy rice! Because our whole family is gluten free, we eat rice 2-3 times per week. Creating easy recipes that can be served on top of rice is always fun.
Step 2: Cover the slow cooker and cook the lamb stew at a low temperature for 6 hours. This slow cooking time really helps slow-cook flavor into your stew. If you are in a hurry, cook on the high setting for 4 hours.
Some slow cookers have a setting where the temperature starts out high, then automatically switches to low after two hours.
Step 3: If you like a thick sauce, take a little of the liquid from the slow cooker and add it to a small bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch. Whisk to blend. Pour the mixture into the stew and mix well to thicken the sauce.
Step 4: Serve the stew hot over rice.
The slow cooker lamb recipe cooks up and stays moist and delicious. Serve with any type of green salad to make it a meal. Serve with gluten free crusty bread like my gluten free breadsticks or my gluten free yeast rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Lamb shoulder is very moist and great for a lamb stew. If you have a different cut of lamb, like the loin, that is fine because this recipe slow-cooks in the Crock Pot all day, which really helps tenderize the meat. I used a package of lamb stew meat, which many grocery stores carry.
If you don’t like spicy foods, you can definitely make this lamb stew without the hatch chiles. For a non-spicy pepper flavor, you can use bell or roasted red peppers.
This lamb stew will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store it in an airtight container.
You can easily freeze this lamb stew recipe. Place the cooled stew in either a freezer-safe container or a zipper bag. It will keep fresh for up to 4 months in the freezer.
More Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Slow Cooker Lamb Stew With Hatch Chiles
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add 2 pounds lamb shoulder, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup roasted hatch chiles, 1 thinly sliced yellow onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup beef broth, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon sea salt into a crockpot.
- Optional: If you would like the outside of the meat to be brown, you can brown the outsides of the lamb stew meat on the stovetop in a large skillet with olive oil. Cook on medium-high heat for 1 minute on each side of the meat. I did not do this, but many do prefer browning the meat first so I wanted to give that option.
- Cover the slow cooker and roast the lamb stew at a low temperature for 6 hours. This slow cooking time really helps slow cook flavor into your stew. If you are in a hurry, cook on the high setting for 4 hours.
- If you like a thick sauce, take a little of the liquid from the slow cooker and add it to a small bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of corn starch or potato starch. Whisk to blend. Pour the mixture back into the stew and mix well to thicken the sauce.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you would like to make this recipe not spicy, substitute the hatch chiles for either roasted red peppers or bell peppers.
- Lamb shoulder is very moist and is great for a lamb stew. If you have a different cut of lamb, like the loin, that is fine because this recipe slows cooks in the Crock Pot all day…which really helps tenderize meat. I used a package of lamb stew meat, which many grocery stores carry.
- This lamb stew will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store it in an airtight container. You can also freeze this lamb stew recipe. Place the cooled stew in either a freezer-safe container or zipper bag. It will keep fresh for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Tried this recipe?
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This post was updated from an older August 2016 post with more information and recipe details.
It says “add all ingredients”… but don’t add the cooked rice. You don’t even need rice — you can put this over mashed potatoes too — its got gravy!
Yes, very good point. We also have tried it over mashed potatoes and it was really good!
This is delicious! I just had it for Sunday dinner and my only wish is that the sauce/liquid were thicker. Any advice/thoughts?
Thank you so much, Renee. To thicken the sauce, I would recommend whisking in cornstarch or tapioca flour when it is done. Thank you so much for coming to say you loved this.