Braised lamb shanks with orzo
Serves: 4 generously
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Braised lamb shanks with orzo
These Greek-inspired lamb shanks are bursting with sunshine flavours and would make a tasty alternative to a traditional Sunday roast
Serves: 4 generously
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
845Kcal
Fat
32gr
Saturates
13gr
Carbs
67gr
Sugars
13gr
Fibre
10gr
Protein
66gr
Salt
1.3gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 small lamb shanks, about 450g each
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried), plus extra leaves to serve
- 400g baby aubergines, cut in half lengthways (or 2 aubergines, roughly chopped)
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into thick slices
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500ml chicken stock (made using 1 stock pot or cube)
- 300g orzo pasta
- 75g feta, crumbled
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large lidded casserole and brown the lamb shanks for 6-8 minutes or until they are golden all over. Transfer the lamb to a plate and add the remaining oil to the casserole. Fry the onion, cinnamon sticks and bay leaf for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the garlic and oregano and cook for a further minute. Add the aubergines and peppers and continue to cook for another 6-8 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Return the lamb shanks to the casserole and add the chopped tomatoes and stock. Season well and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and stir through the orzo and 200ml boiling water. Re-cover and return to the oven for around 30 minutes, or until the orzo has cooked and absorbed most of the liquid.
-
Season to taste and serve sprinkled with the crumbled feta and extra oregano leaves.TipYou can stretch this recipe to serve 6 simply by adding another 2 browned lamb shanks – as long as your casserole will hold them all.
