Description
A hearty and aromatic slow cooker lamb tagine featuring tender lamb shoulder cooked with warm spices, sweet potatoes, dried cherries, and fresh coriander. Perfectly paired with fluffy couscous, this comforting North African-inspired stew is slow-cooked to develop rich flavors and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 900g lamb shoulder, neck or leg, cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 sweet potato, cut into chunks
- 30g dried cherries
- ½ bunch coriander, chopped
- Couscous, to serve
Spices and Seasonings
- 2 tsp ras-el-hanout
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 chicken or lamb stock cube or stock pot
- ½ tsp honey
Instructions
- Brown the lamb: Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the lamb chunks in batches until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned lamb pieces to the slow cooker.
- Sauté the onion: In the same pan, fry the chopped onion for about 5 minutes until it softens slightly, releasing its sweetness.
- Add carrots and spices: Add the carrot chunks, ras-el-hanout, and ground cumin to the pan. Stir everything together well to coat the vegetables in spices.
- Incorporate tomato purée, stock and water: Stir in the tomato purée, crumble in the stock cube or pot, and add 250ml water. Swirl everything to combine and scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
- Transfer to slow cooker: Pour the contents of the pan into the slow cooker with the browned lamb. Add the sweet potato chunks, dried cherries, honey, and an additional 500ml water.
- Slow cook the tagine: Cook on low heat for 8 hours or on high heat for 4 hours, until the lamb is tender and flavors are well blended.
- Finish with coriander and serve: Stir in the chopped coriander just before serving. Serve the lamb tagine hot alongside fluffy couscous.
- Storage: Allow the tagine to cool completely before freezing any leftovers for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Using lamb shoulder is ideal because it becomes tender and flavorful with slow cooking.
- Ras-el-hanout is a North African spice mix; if unavailable, you can substitute with a blend of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and paprika.
- Adjust the water quantity if you prefer a thicker or thinner stew consistency.
- Couscous can be prepared according to package instructions, often by soaking in boiling water or steaming.
- This dish freezes well and is perfect for make-ahead meals.
- For a richer flavor, brown the lamb well and deglaze the pan thoroughly before transferring contents to the slow cooker.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours (low) or 4 hours (high)
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Moroccan/North African
Keywords: slow cooker lamb tagine, lamb stew, Moroccan tagine, slow cooked lamb, comfort food, easy slow cooker recipe
