Lamb meatball cawl
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Stuart West
Lamb meatball cawl
Often considered the national dish of Wales, cawl is traditionally made with lamb neck, but here chunky lamb meatballs add a lovely juicy twist
Serves: 4
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
645Kcal
Fat
34gr
Saturates
11gr
Carbs
51gr
Sugars
14gr
Fibre
10gr
Protein
32gr
Salt
0.6gr
Esther Clark
Esther is a food writer and stylist based in London. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany before eating her way around the rest of Italy. At home she doodles little food illustrations and loves to eat crispy roast chicken, sandwiches stuffed with pickles and scoops of creamy pistachio gelato.
See more of Esther Clark’s recipes
Esther Clark
Esther is a food writer and stylist based in London. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany before eating her way around the rest of Italy. At home she doodles little food illustrations and loves to eat crispy roast chicken, sandwiches stuffed with pickles and scoops of creamy pistachio gelato.
See more of Esther Clark’s recipes
Ingredients
- 500g lamb mince (we used 20% fat mince)
- 80g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 medium egg
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ x 30g pack parsley, leaves finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 300g swede, chopped into 2cm pieces
- 2 large carrots, cut into 2cm slices
- 400g potatoes, chopped into 3cm chunks
- 2 large leeks, cut into 2cm rounds
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 800ml lamb stock (made using 1½ stock pots or cubes)
- 3 rosemary sprigs and 2 bay leaves, tied as a bouquet garni
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the meatballs and chill in the fridge overnight before frying. The cawl will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen. Defrost fully before reheating until piping hot.
- Tip the lamb mince into a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, half the parsley, the black pepper and a big pinch of salt. Squish everything with your hands for around 5 minutes then divide into 8 large meatballs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large casserole. Fry the meatballs over a medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, turning regularly with tongs until evenly golden brown. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate.
- Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the onion, swede, carrots, potatoes and leeks and fry for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and return the meatballs to the pan with the herbs. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the swede is cooked through.
- Serve in shallow bowls topped with the remaining parsley. This is delicious served with buttered soda bread, for dunking.
