You’re going to love this meaty, flavour-packed Lamb Orzo Stew with Feta, Tomatoes and Peppers. Sunshine in a slow cooker!
Packed with those unmistakable Greek style flavours, this delicious Lamb Orzo Stew sprinkled with feta cheese is a little something extra for your midweek meals.
There really is nothing better than being able to serve up a hearty stew that still feels like you’re basking in the Mediterranean sunshine rather than hiding under blankets.
Slow cooked lamb, with the orzo cooked straight in the slow cooker, complete with your vegetable portions. What more could you want? Oh yes. Cheese on top of course!
This is part of my Summer Slow Cooker Series. You can catch them all over on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok too.
You’ll love this recipe because:
✅ An easy stew that’s a little bit different
✅ Packed with flavour
✅ Great for leftovers
FAQs about this Lamb Orzo Stew Recipe
Can I use an alternative to the orzo?
If you can’t find orzo, you could try any dried pasta of your choice. Just cook it separately in a saucepan before adding to the slow cooker.
Would any other vegetables work in this dish?
Yes, you could try adding any veg of your choice. Green sliced green beans added towards the end of the cooking time would be great.
Is this OK to use as leftovers?
Yes! In fact, these flavours actually get better with time! The stew will keep in the fridge for 3 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Do I have to use all of these herbs and spices?
There are a lot of flavours in this dish but it needs it. Sometimes slow cooking can reduce flavours and make them a bit more bland, so trust me on this. However, do adjust anything you’re not a fan of, and please try not to use herbs that have been in the back of the cupboard for years as they lose their flavour over time and you might wonder why your stew is lacking something!
Why is my finished dish a bit sticky?
This can happen when the orzo is cooked for a little too long, or depending on the brand of orzo, OR if your lamb hasn’t given out much liquid as it cooked. If you want a more ‘saucy’ texture, just add a little boiling water or stock at the end of the cooking time and stir thoroughly.
Is this an authentic Greek recipe?
This is a Greek style recipe, with flavours I’ve loved from my trips there. It’s loosely based on the Greek dish Giouvetsi (Youvetsi) you can read more about the authentic version of this dish here on MyGreekDish.
Can you recommend a slow cooker?
The one I love (which can be used on the hob too) is the Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow Cooker as it’s really light. If you have an induction hob, I would recommend the Lakeland Digital 6.5l Slow Cooker.
Fancy more Fakeaway Slow Cooker recipes?
- Slow Cooker Lamb Curry – a weekend favourite
- Easy Lamb Koftas with Tzatziki – Sharing plate winner
- Lamb Shoulder with Mint Glaze – Sunday slow cooker special
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
I’d love to know how you got on and what you thought of it if you make this recipe. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ by the recipe. Also, if you’d like to show me a photo by tagging me on Instagram (@tamingtwins) I LOVE to see your creations.
Greek-Style Lamb Orzo Stew {Slow Cooker Recipe}
Ingredients
To slow cook:
- 600 g Lamb steak Cubed
- 1 Onion Diced
- 2 Garlic cloves Crushed
- 2 x 400 g Tinned tomatoes
- 2 Lamb stock cubes (No need to disolve!)
- 3 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 tsp Dried thyme
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin
- Salt and pepper
To add:
- 400 g Dried orzo
- 3 Red peppers Sliced
- 100 ml Boiling water
To serve:
- 1 Lemon Juice
- 100 g Feta Crumbled
- 10 g Fresh mint Finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the slow cooker to medium.
- Place the lamb cubes into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes, stock cubes, oregano, thyme, fennel, cumin, salt and pepper, and stir well.
- Place the lid on and cook for 3.5 - 4.5 hours on HIGH (or 6-8 hours on LOW).
- When the lamb is just tender, tip in the dried orzo (see notes), peppers and water stir through. Cook for a further 45 minutes.
- When the orzo is just cooked, squeeze over the lemon juice, sprinkle over the feta and mint and serve.
Notes
If you can’t find orzo, you could use any dried pasta of your choice and cook separately in a saucepan before serving. Veggies:
You could add some sliced green beans to the slow cooker towards the end of cooking time. Leftovers:
This Greek Lamb keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge (or 3-4 months in the freezer) and tastes even better as the flavours develop!
Helen layton says
Could you do this with a lamb shoulder if you cubed the meat ?
Alison Jagger says
I’ve just made it with shoulder and it was delicious!
Melanie Sheppard says
How much water do you dissolve the stock cubes in?
Sarah Barnes says
You don’t 🙂
Anna Phillips says
Made this for tonight’s dinner and it was delicious. Easy and a nice summery taste for a slow cooker casserole style meal!
I added mushrooms too which was nice.
Sarah says
Delicious! All the family loved it- including 2 year old granddaughter. Highly recommended! 😋
Rebecca says
Delicious! Made lunch in the garden with family – so nice having the slow cooker on and not be slaving at the stove. Good enough for socialising!! Also I swapped the lamb for beef as Waitrose had run out and couldn’t get it anywhere! but still tasted delicious x
Sherean says
Ordered lamb mince by mistake. Still tasted delicious & whole family approved Used a slow cooker liner (by toastabags from Home Bargains) which prevented orzo from sticking and made clearing up a breeze!
Lorri says
Tried this last night and we loved it, thanks. I’m thinking adding roasted vegetables would be tasty and make the meat go even further!
Maria says
Delicious, everyone loved it. So simple to make with lovely flavours
Eleanor says
We have just had this for dinner and it was absolutely devine! Sarah you are becoming quite the celebrity in our house!! This is probably the 10th recipe of yours that we have done and every single one is amazing !! Thanks again for making the family think I’m a brilliant cook
Charmaine Lewis says
Beautiful really loved this recipe – so easy to make!
Angela says
Made this last night and it was an instant hit. I halved the recipe to serve 3 and it worked nicely. It tasted amazing and was quick to throw together at lunchtime. My favourite type of dinner; minimal prep, one pot, and has the family’s approval!
Laura says
Would this work in a dump bag? 🙂
Lorraine says
Second cook from this website – raging success, absolutely lovely.
You have transformed my feelings towards my slow cooker which I was very ambivalent about before
Jo says
Delicious. I used a shoulder joint and cut in up. Amazing meal for an autumnal evening too, not just for summer.
This is my third taming twins recipe in a week and planning the slow cooker fakeaway veggie enchiladas for this coming Friday.
Sarah Rossi says
Thanks so much Jo, hope you love the enchiladas too!
Em says
Had this last night made with beef mince due to lamb mince beeding a bank loan to buy!
Flipping delicious, super quick and eaten by everyone!
Win win, keep them coming Sarah I feel like masterchef lol
Laura Fisher says
I made this with diced beef instead as a little easier on the budget and was delicious! Even my 9 year old who complained about the smell of it and said it looked disgusting wolfed it down and had seconds. I left out the peppers as not many fans of peppers in my house. I did find I had to add more water as it became very thick whilst the orzo was cooking, but I assune this is because the beef doesn’t release as much liquid/fat as lamb. My other half is a vegetarian so I also made him some using Quorn beef, and veg stock but reduced the cooking time for his and he said it was amazing.
You could skip the feta if you’re not a fan, but personally I think the feta finishes it off perfectly.