• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peter's Food Adventures
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • about
  • travel
  • Follow and Share!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • about
    • travel
  • Follow and Share!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

    Author: Peter Kolesnichenko · Published: Mar 12, 2023

    Jump to Recipe

    Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is easy to make, tender and flavorful. Stuffed with garlic and fresh rosemary, served with roasted vegetables. A popular Sunday Roast, Easter Lunch or dinner that you can enjoy any day of the week!

    Slow Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, perfect for a Sunday Roast, an Easter Lamb lunch, or for dinner tonight. Roast Lamb with pierced with fresh rosemary and garlic, roasted with vegetables.
    rosemary onions and garlic on a tray
    rosemary pierced leg of lamb

    Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is Australian as Apple Pie is to Americans. Many people consider Roast Lamb as the Australian National Dish, and for good reason. The Aussie lamb is absolutely delicious, a family favorite Sunday Roast dinner.

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • Flavorful - stuffed with garlic and rosemary to maximum taste
    • Feeds a crowd - a whole leg roast feeds a family and more
    • Forgiving - you can't screw this up, if not tender enough, just put back into oven for another 45 minutes - fool proof and tender!
    • Traditional - perfect Easter Lamb recipe, Sunday Roast dinner tradition

    Ingredients You'll Need

    • large lamb leg - at room temperature
    • garlic heads - you'll need 4 heads for this recipe!
    • fresh rosemary
    • onions
    • salt and pepper
    • beef broth
    • red wine

    Bone-In vs Boneless Lamb Roast

    Bone-In Lamb Roast - lamb leg on the joint is the tastiest cut of lamb for roasting. Lamb tastes better as the flavors of the bone get transferred to the meat. However this method takes longer to cook.

    Boneless Lamb Roast - faster method to cook lamb leg as the lamb roast weighs less and cooks quicker without the bone. It's rolled and tied into an oval shape, an easy carve roast.

    Slow Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, perfect for a Sunday Roast, an Easter Lamb lunch, or for dinner tonight. Roast Lamb with pierced with fresh rosemary and garlic, roasted with vegetables.

    How to Cook Leg of Lamb

    Slow Roasting Leg of Lamb takes times, up to 5 hours if necessary. Don't rush this recipe, plan ahead as it's meant to be fully cooked, and fall apart tender. This lamb recipe is for a 5½ lbs (2.5kg) bone-in lamb leg.

    1. Room Temperature - remove lamb from fridge and bring to room temperature
    2. Season - rub salt and pepper all over the lamb leg
    3. Stuff - make small but deep incisions with a knife all over the lamb leg and stuff each hole with small pieces of garlic and fresh rosemary
    4. Arrange Pan - place whole garlic heads, rosemary and quartered onions into roasting pan, sit lamb on top of the onions and garlic heads
    5. Liquids - pour the broth and wine into pan
    6. Roast - cover with foil and roast at 150°C/300°F for about 4 hours until it starts to come off the bone. Remove foil and roast to crisp up for another 30 minutes
    7. Rest - loosely cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes

    Covering the roasting pan with foil makes for juicy cooking environment. Take off the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking, to brown the lamb. Otherwise it looks a bit steamed and not golden brown.

    Lamb Gravy From Pan Juices

    Slow cooked leg of lamb in red wine makes a delicious lamb gravy. It's the sauce that finishes off the meal!

    1. Strain - separate the pan juices and solids, and skim any extra fat away, add extra beef stock or water if needed
    2. Heat - pour into saucepan on medium-high heat
    3. Thicken - make a slurry of ½ teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water. Whisk in the slurry and cook for a few minutes until it thickens
    4. Adjust - add extra broth (or a splash of boiling water) to thin the gravy or extra cornstarch slurry to thicken if necessary, and season
    Slow Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, perfect for a Sunday Roast, an Easter Lamb lunch, or for dinner tonight. Roast Lamb with pierced with fresh rosemary and garlic, roasted with vegetables.

    Recipe Tips and FAQs

    • Plan ahead - this recipe can take 6 hours to slow roast, start early enough to ensure you eat dinner on time!
    • Room Temp - take the lamb leg out of the fridge an hour before roasting to bring up to room temperature
    • Herbs - substitute rosemary with oregano or thyme, or use dried herbs
    • Lamb Shoulder - this recipe works great with lamb shoulder as well
    • Roasted Garlic - don't waste the roasted garlic heads, squeeze out the garlic and serve alongside your lamb

    Slow Lamb Roast Guidelines

    • 4 lb (2kg) lamb roast - cook for 4.5 hours plus browning for 30 minutes
    • 5 lb (2½ kg) lamb roast - cook for 5 hours plus browning for 30 minutes
    • 6 lb (3kg) lamb roast- cook for 5½ hours plus browning for 30 minutes

    What to make with Roast Lamb Leftovers?

    If you happen to have leftover Slow Cooked Lamb, you probably want to change up how you enjoy your leftovers.

    • Lamb Sandwiches - slice the lamb to make sandwiches for lunch the next day
    • Shepherd's Pie - finely chop up the lamb to make a Shepherds Pie
    • Australian Meat Pie - nothing beats roast lamb in a pie
    • Pita Kebab - shred the lamb and place it inside a pita bread to make a kebab, drizzling it with a Yogurt Garlic Sauce
    • Easy Pizza - use as a meat topping with grated cheese, lamb, red onion, olives and feta

    Reheating Lamb Roast

    Reheating lamb can be tricky as it often dries out! I always pour the leftover gravy over the lamb to keep it moist. You can heat in microwave as well.

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
    2. Sprinkle beef stock or leftover gravy over the leftover lamb. Cover with foil and place into oven.
    3. Heat for about 20 minutes until heated through. Serve immediately.
    Slow Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, perfect for a Sunday Roast, an Easter Lamb lunch, or for dinner tonight. Roast Lamb with pierced with fresh rosemary and garlic, roasted with vegetables.

    Serving Vegetables with Lamb

    Cooking vegetables and lamb in the same pan will save time. However, it can make the greener vegetables mushy and they will lose color and crispness (root veggies will be ok). Cook vegetables separately, and serve on a platter when serving. Here are some great vegetable side dish suggestions.

    • Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
    • Honey Roasted Carrots
    • Garlic Butter Green Beans
    • Crispy Moroccan Roasted Potatoes
    • Garlic Roasted Asparagus
    • Roasted Broccoli Parmesan
    • Truffle Mashed Potatoes
    • Grilled Zucchini

    You will love this Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb recipe, fork tender and tasty. For a faster lamb roast recipe, check out my Instant Pot Greek Lamb Roast, which can be even made after work for a weeknight dinner. You can't go wrong with lamb! Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

    Slow Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, perfect for a Sunday Roast, an Easter Lamb lunch, or for dinner tonight. Roast Lamb with pierced with fresh rosemary and garlic, roasted with vegetables.

    Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

    Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb recipe, perfect for a Sunday Roast, an Easter Lamb lunch, or for that special dinner tonight. Roast Lamb with pierced with fresh rosemary and garlic, roasted with vegetables.
    5 from 32 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Resting Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 hours hours 55 minutes minutes
    Course: Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: Australian
    Keyword: slow roast lamb, slow roasted leg of lamb
    Servings: 6 people

    Equipment

    • roasting pan

    Ingredients

    • 5½ lbs (2.5kg) lamb leg at room temperature
    • 4 heads of garlic with tops sliced off
    • fresh rosemary
    • 2 onions quartered
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 2½ cups beef broth
    • 1 cup red wine
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb

    • Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F fan forced oven
    • Season with salt and pepper by rubbing it into the lamb. Make small but deep incisions in the lamb leg and stuff with small pieces of garlic and rosemary.
    • Place onions, 3 garlic heads and fresh rosemary in a roasting pan. Place the lamb leg on top of the onions.
    • Pour the broth and wine into the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and roast for 5 hours.
    • Remove foil and cook for another 30 minutes until it browns nicely. Remove lamb from pan, loosely cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes.
    • Transfer to serving platter and serve with vegetables.

    How to make Lamb Gravy

    • Strain the pan juices, and skim any extra fat away. Heat on a saucepan on medium-high heat.
    • Make a slurry of ½ teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water. Whisk in the slurry and cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
    • Add extra broth to thin the gravy or extra cornstarch slurry to thicken if necessary. Serve with your roast lamb.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @petersfoodadventures or tag #petersfoodadventures!

    ©PetersFoodAdventures.com *originally posted April 2019, updated March 2023

    Roasted Lamb
    Roast Lamb

    More Main Course

    • boiled bbq ribs
      Boiled Bbq Pork Ribs
    • serving slow cooker ribs
      Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe
    • medium rare sliced tomahawk steak
      How to Grill a Tomahawk Steak
    • seafood lasagna
      Seafood Lasagna

    Primary Sidebar

    Peter's Food Adventures - where you'll find Russian recipes, Slavic and International favorites with some fun travel and cooking videos. A Russian Food Blogger.

    Hi, I'm Peter!

    Are you looking for a little inspiration in the kitchen? Let me show you how to create tasty meals for your family!

    Food is the ingredient that brings people together. I love authentic foods, and have a very multicultural food background. I am genuinely happy to share the recipes of foods that make me and my family happy. And hopefully yours too. 

    Learn more about me →

    As Featured On

    As Featured On various magazine brands

    Popular Recipes

    • A Hungarian classic summer dish - paprika peppers with with ground beef, rice and paprika spice. Cooked in a delicious tomato passata sauce. Summer comfort food - Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (töltött paprika)
      Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (töltött paprika)
    • Sharlotka Apple Cake
    • Creamy Chicken Stroganoff recipe with mushrooms, perfect for dinner tonight. Classic Russian comfort food, creamy and delicious, like babushka made! Beef Stroganoff with Chicken!(Бефстроганов из курицы)
      Chicken Stroganoff
    • Greek Meze Plates

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Intellectual Property

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Peter's Food Adventures

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    825 shares
    • 155