Slow-cooker lamb shanks in a rich red wine gravy are a wonderful alternative to a roast. The slow cooker produces meltingly tender meat while the red wine gravy becomes thick, glossy and full of flavour from the cooked vegetables. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes for a comforting meal.
Picture a perfectly cooked lamb shank resting on a mound of silky mashed potato, drenched in a deep red wine gravy with tender vegetables alongside. It’s a dish that looks impressive but is surprisingly easy to prepare.
This slow-cooker lamb shank with red wine gravy is one of my favourite recipes — delicious, reliable and flexible.
Why I love this recipe
Beyond the excellent taste, there are several practical reasons to make this dish:
- Easy to prepare – Trim and brown the shanks, chop a few vegetables, add stock and wine, then let the slow cooker do the rest.
- Versatile – The vegetable mix is flexible. Use carrots, onions and celery as a base, or add mushrooms, peppers or green beans depending on what you have.
- Elegant enough for guests – It presents beautifully and, because most of the cooking is hands-off, you can relax when company arrives.
- No-fail – Slow cooking gently breaks down the meat so even inexperienced cooks achieve tender results.
- Energy-efficient – A slow cooker uses less electricity than an oven and won’t heat your kitchen as much.
- One-dish main – The vegetables cook with the lamb, so aside from mashed potatoes you don’t need many extra sides. A green vegetable on the side (peas, broccoli or green beans) is a nice addition.
What you will need
Equipment
You’ll need a slow cooker, a sharp knife and chopping board, a frying pan to brown the shanks and a saucepan for the gravy.
Ingredients
Full ingredient quantities and the printable recipe are provided in the recipe card below.
The quantities below are for two people; scale up as needed by adding more shanks and increasing vegetables and liquid.
Lamb shanks – Allow about 225 g (8 oz) per person; the bone makes the portion look larger than it is.
Vegetables – Sliced onion, diced carrot and celery form the flavour base. Aim for roughly one cup of prepared vegetables per person. Onions are recommended for their contribution to the stock.
Red wine – Use a good, drinkable full-bodied red (I used a Shiraz). If you prefer not to use wine, replace it with extra stock.
Garlic – Fresh minced garlic works best, but jarred crushed garlic is acceptable.
Tomato passata – Smooth strained tomato adds body. Canned tomatoes can be used if passata isn’t available.
Stock – Vegetable stock keeps the dish’s flavours focused on lamb. Use a stock cube dissolved in hot water if needed. The total liquid (wine, passata and stock) should be about 2 cups.
Cornflour – For thickening the gravy if it needs it (cornstarch in the US).
Salt – To season.
Sunflower oil – For browning the shanks.
What to do
Preparation is quick — about 20 minutes — then the slow cooker takes over.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb shanks on all sides using tongs, 5–7 minutes. This step builds flavour.
Slice the onion, dice the carrots and celery, arrange them in the slow cooker and sprinkle over the minced garlic.
Place the browned shanks on top of the vegetables.
Dissolve a vegetable stock cube in 1 cup boiling water, then stir in the passata, red wine and the salt.
Pour the liquid over the meat and vegetables so they are mostly submerged.
Cook according to your slow-cooker settings:
- High: 4–5 hours
- Medium: 5–6 hours
- Low: 6–8 hours
The lamb is done when the meat has shrunk back from the bone and pulls apart easily with a fork.
Make the gravy
You can finish the gravy in two ways depending on whether you want to serve the vegetables with the meat or separately.
Option 1: Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, reserving the vegetables to serve on the side. Reduce the liquid over medium heat until slightly concentrated, or thicken with a cornflour slurry.
Option 2: Transfer the gravy with the vegetables into a saucepan and thicken together for a chunky, vegetable-rich sauce.
If thickening in the pan, mix 1–2 tablespoons cornflour with 2 tablespoons cold water to make a slurry, then drizzle it into the simmering gravy and stir until the sauce thickens.
Serve
Pile mashed potatoes onto each plate, top with a lamb shank and spoon over plenty of red wine gravy. Serve reserved or cooked vegetables alongside.
For extra greens, add a side of peas, steamed broccoli or sautéed green beans.
Cook it in the oven
You can also braise this in the oven. Use a large lidded casserole instead of the slow cooker.
Layer the vegetables and browned shanks in the casserole, add the liquid, cover and cook at 180°C (355°F) for about 2½ hours until the meat is tender.
Check halfway and add a little extra stock if the casserole looks dry. Finish the gravy the same way as for the slow cooker.
Freezing and storage
Cooked lamb shanks freeze well. Cool completely, place in a lidded container, pour over the gravy and freeze.
Defrost in the fridge, then reheat gently in a saucepan until piping hot.
Store cooked shanks and gravy in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Save for later
Pin or bookmark the recipe card below so you can find this dish quickly when you want to cook it again.
Related recipes
If you like lamb shanks, you might also enjoy other lamb recipes listed below.
-
Lamb Shanks with minted gravy
-
Pressure cooker lamb shanks in a rich tomato gravy
-
Slow cooker lamb ragu
-
Minted roast leg of lamb
📋The recipe
Slow-cooker lamb shanks in red wine gravy
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Frying pan
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 445 g lamb shanks
- 1 medium onion, finely sliced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ cup / 120 ml red wine
- ½ cup / 120 ml tomato passata
- 1 cup vegetable stock (made from a cube if needed)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1–2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) for thickening
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil for browning
Instructions
- Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb shanks thoroughly on all sides, 5–7 minutes.
- Slice the onion and dice the carrot and celery. Place the vegetables in the slow cooker and sprinkle over the minced garlic.
- Put the browned shanks on top of the vegetables.
- Dissolve the vegetable stock cube in 1 cup boiling water, then stir in the passata, red wine and salt.
- Pour the liquid over the meat and vegetables. Cook on your slow cooker setting of choice:
- High: 4–5 hours
- Medium: 5–6 hours
- Low: 6–8 hours
The lamb is ready when the meat pulls away from the bone and is easily pierced with a fork.
- To make the gravy, either:
- Strain the cooking liquid, reserve the vegetables, and reduce the liquid over medium heat until slightly thickened, or use a cornflour slurry; or
- Transfer the gravy and vegetables to a saucepan and thicken together. Mix 1–2 tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp cold water, drizzle into the pan over low heat and stir until thickened.
- Serve the lamb shanks over creamy mashed potatoes and spoon over plenty of gravy. Add a green vegetable on the side if you like.
Notes
Freezing and storage: Cool cooked shanks, place in a lidded container, pour over the gravy and freeze. Defrost in the fridge and reheat in a saucepan until piping hot. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Unless stated otherwise, a cup refers to the US cup (240 ml).
Nutrition
Nutrition calculated with an online tool and is for guidance only.
If you try this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a rating or a comment. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.