This slow cooker lamb kebab is so easy to make and tastes like perfection when wrapped up in home-made flatbreads.
So, what can I say about this dish? It. Is. Glorious. Simple as that! We come back to this recipe time and time again, not only because both me & The Hungry Hungry Husband sneakily love a good doner kebab (although perhaps the word “good” is sometimes questionable…), but also because it’s so quick to prepare before you let the slow cooker take over and work its magic. Mostly, it’s really satisfying being able to produce something this good when the actual “involvement time” is next to nothing.
I nabbed the idea from a website called “Mortgage Free in Three” when I was searching for cheap packed lunch recipes and it looked so wonderfully easy that I couldn’t not try it. Unfortunately this site no longer appears to exist so it’s a good job you can find a version of the recipe here instead! (The Pinterest account is still up & running though if you want to check that out.) And, let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Plus, it really is a cheap meal: with salad and home-made flatbreads it comes in at a measly £5.36 for 8 packed lunch servings! Good value and great taste — my favourite kind of meal!
Lamb mince — 500g (I use the 20% fat variety — you can use one with less fat in for lower calories, but it tends to be slightly more expensive)
Onion — ½ a medium-sized, red or white
Garlic — 1 clove
Chilli powder — ½ teaspoon
Mixed dried herbs — 1 & ½ teaspoons (anything works here, but I like ½ tsp each of basil, oregano & Herbes de Provence)
Salt & pepper — for seasoning
Cabbage/lettuce/onion/cucumber/tomatoes/fresh chillies, whatever you have in the fridge! — for the salad (my nutritional info below contains savoy cabbage & lettuce)
Mayonnaise & chilli sauce (like sriracha) or chilli jam — for the dressing (my nutritional info contains both)
Flatbreads/pitta breads/wraps (to serve) — 1 for each lunch serving needed (not included in my nutritional info)
Put all the kebab ingredients into a bowl (500g lamb mince; ½ finely diced onion; 1 clove minced garlic; ½ tsp chilli powder; 1½ tsp mixed dried herbs; s & p) and combine together thoroughly
Shape into a flattish patty, put in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6–8 hours (or high for 4 hours)
In the morning, finely slice the lamb doner meat and add to a flatbread/pitta bread/wrap with your salad of choice and some mayo & chilli sauce
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Full Instructions
Prepare the doner kebab meat:
500g lamb mince; ½ medium-sized onion (very finely chopped – see photo in gallery); 1 clove garlic (crushed or finely chopped); ½ tsp chilli powder; 1½ tsp mixed dried herbs; salt & pepper
Turn the slow cooker onto low
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and combine together very thoroughly
The mince should stop looking like strands of meat and more like a smooth paste — take a look in the gallery above for an example *tip* you can squish it through your hands for this, or a potato masher works really well
Shape this into a flattish patty that’s same size and shape as your slow cooker
Cook the doner meat:
Lay the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker, put the lid on, and leave to cook for 6–8 hours (or 4 hours on high if you’re tight on time) *tip* it will probably only take 6 hours, so check it then if you can and turn the slow cooker off if the meat is no longer pink inside, but 8 hours is fine if you want to leave it cooking overnight
When done, turn off the slow cooker, take the meat out, and leave to cool before storing in the fridge in an airtight container
Prepare your salad:
Whatever you have in the fridge, suggestions include: cabbage (finely shredded); lettuce (finely shredded); onion (raw, thinly sliced); cucumber (thinly sliced strips); tomatoes (thinly sliced); chillies (thinly sliced or whole, if you’re brave; just like my dad used to get — shout out to Bahar Kebab House in Worthing!)
While the doner kebab meat is cooking, slice and chop whatever salad ingredients you’re using
Transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed
In the morning:
Take your meat — and your sharpest knife! — and cut very thin strips so that it resembles proper Turkish doner kebabs
Lay the strips of meat in your flatbread with plenty of your ready-prepared salad and drizzle over some mayonnaise and chilli sauce (like sriracha) or chilli jam *alternative* chuck everything together into a pitta bread
Roll up the flatbread and wrap it in some foil for a very convenient lunch
If you love a takeaway kebab house doner, like me, then this is the perfect packed lunch recipe for you! This "fakeaway" doner kebab is so easy to make and super cheap – lamb kebabs with salad, dressing and home-made flatbreads, all for under 70p each! *From The Hungry Hungry Husband and Mortgage Free in Three*
Course Lunch
Cuisine Mediterranean, Turkish
Prep Time 10minutes
Cook Time 4hours
Total Time 4hours10minutes
Servings 8kebabs
Calories 169kcal
Cost 67p per serving
Ingredients
500glamb minceI use the 20% fat variety – you can use one with less fat in for lower caloriesbut it tends to be slightly more expensive
½medium-sizedonion (red or white)very finely chopped
1clovegarliccrushed or finely chopped
½teaspoonchilli powder
1 & ½teaspoonmixed dried herbsanything works here but I like ½ tsp each of basil, oregano & Herbes de Provence
mayonnaise & chilli sauce (like sriracha) or chilli jamfor the dressing
flatbreads/pitta breads/wraps1 for each lunch serving needed
Instructions
Prepare the doner kebab meat:
Put the lamb mince; onion, garlic, chilli powder, mixed dried herbs and salt & pepper into a bowl and combine together very thoroughly — the mince should stop looking like strands of meat and more like a smooth paste
Shape this into a flattish patty that's same size and shape as your slow cooker
Cook the doner meat:
Lay the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker, put the lid on, and leave to cook for 6–8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high if you're tight on time)
It will probably only take 6 hours, so check it then if you can and turn the slow cooker off if the meat is no longer pink inside, but 8 hours is fine if you want to leave it cooking overnight
When done, turn off the slow cooker, take the meat out, and leave to cool before storing in the fridge in an airtight container
Prepare your salad:
While the doner kebab meat is cooking, slice and chop your salad ingredients then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed
In the morning:
Take your sharpest knife and cut very thin strips of the meat so that it resembles proper Turkish doner kebabs
Lay the meat in your flatbread/wrap/pitta bread with plenty of ready-prepared salad and drizzle over some mayonnaise and chilli sauce (like sriracha) or chilli jam and then just wrap in foil
Final thoughts from The Hungry Hungry Husband?
“All the joys of a kebab without the misery of the morning after!”