This Greek lamb stew is pure comfort in a bowl - tender chunks of lamb, meltingly soft aubergines and a rich tomato and red pepper base, all gently simmered with warming spices and finished with zingy feta.
It’s the kind of dish that feels just right whether it’s a chilly winter evening or a breezy summer night. The ingredients are simple but full of character, and the slow-cooked flavours only get better with time (pro tip: it freezes well, so stash some away for later, or make a double batch so you've got a full meal to pull out for guests at a moment's notice).
We like to serve it with nutty bulgur wheat, but some crusty bread to mop up the sauce would also make a great option. Either way you’ve got a year-round favourite that’s as soothing as it is satisfying.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
427
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
250 g diced lamb leg
1 onion, finely chopped
1 aubergine, cut into 2cm pieces
2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato purée
300 ml chicken stock
50 g pitted black olives
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 courgettes, halved lengthways and cut into 5mm thick slices
200 g bulgur wheat
50 g feta, crumbled
Small handful dill, chopped
Directions
Step 1Heat the oil in a large pan or casserole (that has a lid) over medium-high heat and brown the lamb pieces all over. Transfer to a bowl. Add onion to pan/casserole, lower heat and cook gently for 5-10min until softened. Add the aubergine and peppers and cook for a further 5min until starting to brown.
Step 2Stir in the garlic, fry for 1min, then return lamb to the pan with the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, stock, olives, oregano, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and some seasoning. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 45min.
Step 3Uncover, stir in courgettes, then re-cover and simmer for a further 30min. Remove the lid and simmer for 15min more, until lamb is tender and sauce has thickened.
Step 4During the final 15min of cooking, bring the bulgur wheat and 400ml water to the boil in a medium pan and cook over low heat for 10-12min, until water has been absorbed and the bulgur wheat is tender.
Step 5Check seasoning of stew, scatter over feta and dill and serve with bulgur wheat.
Freeze ahead:
Prepare to end of step 3. Cool, transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, defrost in fridge, reheat in a pan until piping hot and complete recipe.
What can I use instead of chicken stock?
Vegetable stock would be the next best option, and just water will do in a pinch - there's plenty of other flavours in the stew.
I don't like black olives, can I leave them out?
The olives add a lovely salty, bitter zing to balance the dish, but you could use milder green olives if you like, or if you prefer to leave them out altogether you could throw in a handful of tangy capers instead.
Per Serving:
Calories: 427
Protein: 26g
Fat: 16g
Sat fat: 6g
Carbs: 50g
Sugars: 13g
Fibre: 11g
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The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
