Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole. Crock Pot or Oven, you choose! All fresh ingredients, and so delicious! Comfort food at it's best

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole. Crock Pot or Oven, you choose! All fresh ingredients and so delicious!

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole! This recipe is so delicious and full of flavor!

I'm very lucky to have had a grandmother who was Welsh, and also one who was Chinese. That way I grew up with influences in two completely different styles of cooking, and of course my family favourites are certainly varied!
This recipe for grandma's meat and dumpling casserole is one I remember with great fondness.


My grandmother would make up a big pot, with a cheap cut of lamb (that is the national meat of Wales!) , pile in loads of carrots, swede, turnip, mushroom, and then top the casserole with these dumplings. They would start off their life as golf ball sized blobs floating on the top of the casserole, and then 2 hours later, they would have expanded nearly double in size.

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My gran would traditionally use suet fat to make these dumplings, and in many countries, this is still readily available to buy. However, I have experimented and come up with an alternative to suet, which is as close as I can get to my gran's dumplings, taking into account a swap for the suet.


If you have never had British Dumplings, please please try them! If you enjoy casseroles and heart warming food, I am sure you will enjoy this recipe.


This casserole uses a cheap cut of beef or lamb. When cooked in this way, it will become incredibly tender. It is traditional to serve this with some mashed potato, although you really don't need it...the dumplings are very filling! I served mine with some couscous, as I find mashed potato too much for me to eat!

Let's get straight to the recipe and please enjoy our grandma's meat and dumpling casserole.

You will need

an oven-proof pot/casserole dish with a lid deep enough to hold all the ingredients and liquid. (like a Dutch Oven) or you can use your slow cooker

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole. Crock Pot or Oven, you choose! All fresh ingredients and so delicious!

Ingredients

The casserole

1 lb or 500 g cheap cut lamb or beef cubed
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks
swede/rutabagas/turnip/ other root vegetables, Whole baby onions if you like them!
a handful of mushrooms (whole or cut smaller)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ Tablespoons flour
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
1 Tablespoon balsamic Vinegar
1 stock cube dissolved in 2 ½ cups / 500 ml boiling water
1 teaspoon thyme/rosemary/tarragon - you choose your favorite.
Salt & Pepper to season
Fresh parsley for garnish.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole ingredients

The Dumplings

1 & ½ cups or 200 g Plain, All-Purpose Flour
1 & ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup, 3.5 oz, 100 g Crisco /suet, grated or shredded. ( I use Atora Shredded Suet)
If using Crisco, Please freeze it until it is hard enough and then grate it using the large holes on your grater (so it's shredded).
Pinch of salt
5 - 8 Tablespoons cold water.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole showing package of suet, Atora

NOTE. If using crisco for the dumplings, please remember to place your crisco in the freezer in plenty of time for it to freeze hard, so that you can grate it.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole. Crock Pot or Oven, you choose! All fresh ingredients and so delicious!

Instructions

Set your oven to 170 C , Gas 3, 325 F
1. In the same pan you will use for the oven, add the olive oil, chopped onion, mushrooms and fry until translucent.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole showing mushrooms and onions in pan to saute

2. Add the meat and fry until brown to seal the juices. Add the flour and combine it all.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casseroleshowing meat cut to small bite size pieces

3. Add your other vegetables. They should all be bite sized pieces.

4. Add the remaining flavors (tomato puree, balsamic, herbs etc), and dissolve your stock cube in the stated amount of boiling water. Then add it to the pan. Leave to simmer on a very low heat whilst we make the dumplings.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole adding broth and herbs to the pan to slowly simmer

Now we make those delicious dumplings!
1. In a bowl, sieve the flour, salt, pepper & baking powder. Add the suet or grated crisco.

2. Using a flat bladed knife (if you use your hands you will melt the fat with your own heat!) mix everything together.

3. Adding 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time, continue using the flat bladed knife, to combine everything, cutting through the mixture, be patient, and add a little more, combine, add a little more, and after 6 or so tablespoons of water, the dough should come together.

Do the final bit with your hand, the dough should not stick to the bowl or your hands, but be comfortable to touch. Shape into 8 - 10 golf ball sizes and place in the casserole dish, spread them around.

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole showing dumpling shape and size

Place the lid on the casserole pan and put in the oven for 2 hours and enjoy the smells whilst it's cooking!

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole showing dumplings added to casserole

For Slow Cooker

Place everything except the dumplings in the slow cooker and cook on Medium for 6 hours, then 45 minutes BEFORE serving, place your dumplings in the cooker on top of the casserole (let them float)
When it's ready, serve on it's own or with some mashed potato or cous cous. Delicious! Please Enjoy a taste of my grandma's meat & dumpling casserole!

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole showing dumplings cooked and increase in size

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Crock Pot or Oven - you choose. Meat & Dumpling Casserole! It uses all fresh ingredients and check out those dumplings! Yummy fluffy bites of heaven!

Recipe Card

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole. Crock Pot or Oven, you choose! All fresh ingredients and so delicious!

Grandma’s Meat and Dumpling Casserole

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Grandma's Meat and Dumpling Casserole. Crock Pot or Oven, you choose! All fresh ingredients, and so delicious! Comfort food at it's best

Ingredients

The casserole

  • 1 lb or 500 g cheap cut lamb or beef cubed
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks
  • swede/ rutabagas / turnip/ other root vegetables, Whole baby onions if you like them!
  • handful of mushrooms, whole or cut smaller
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons flour
  • 2 Leaves Bay
  • 2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
  • 1 Tablespoon balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 in stock cube dissolved 2 ½ cups / 500 ml boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon thyme / rosemary / tarragon - you choose your favourite.
  • Salt & Pepper to season
  • Fresh parsley for garnish.

The Dumplings

  • 1 cups & ½ or 200 g Plain, All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon & ½ baking powder
  • If using Crisco, Please freeze it until it is hard enough and then grate it using the large holes on your grater (so it's shredded).
  • Pinch of salt
  • 5 - 8 Tablespoons cold water.

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 170 C , Gas 3, 325 F
  2. In the same pan you will use for the oven, add the olive oil, chopped onion, mushrooms and fry until translucent.
  3. Add the meat and fry until brown to seal the juices. Add the flour and combine it all. Add your other vegetables. They should all be bite sized pieces.
  4. Add the remaining flavours (tomato puree, balsamic, herbs etc), and dissolve your stock cube in the stated amount of boiling water. Then add it to the pan. Leave to simmer on a very low heat whilst we make the dumplings.
  5. Now we make those delicious dumplings!
  6. In a bowl, sieve the flour, salt, pepper & baking powder. Add the suet or grated crisco.
  7. Using a flat bladed knife (if you use your hands you will melt the fat with your own heat!) mix everything together.
  8. Adding 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time, continue using the flat bladed knife, to combine everything, cutting through the mixture, be patient, and add a little more, combine, add a little more, and after 6 or so tablespoons of water, the dough should come together. Do the final bit with your hand, the dough should not stick to the bowl or your hands, but be comfortable to touch. Shape into 8 - 10 golf ball sizes and place in the casserole dish, spread them around.
  9. Place the lid on the casserole dish and put in the oven for 2 hours and enjoy the smells whilst it's cooking!
  10. For Slow Cooker - Place everything except the dumplings in the slow cooker and cook on Medium for 6 hours, then 45 minutes BEFORE serving, place your dumplings in the cooker on top of the casserole (let them float)
  11. When it's ready, serve on it's own or with some mashed potato or cous cous. Delicious! Please Enjoy a taste of my grandma's meat & dumpling casserole!

Notes

  • If using crisco for the dumplings, please remember to place your crisco in the freezer in plenty of time for it to freeze hard, so that you can grate it.
  • For Slow Cooker - Place everything except the dumplings in the slow cooker and cook on Medium for 6 hours, then 45 minutes BEFORE serving, place your dumplings in the cooker on top of the casserole (let them float)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 697Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 404mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 6gSugar: 9gProtein: 44g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate

Did you make this recipe?

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12 thoughts shared

  1. Have you ever made Bisquick dumplings? Are these similar?

    I cannot wait to try this. My son is always begging for Chicken N Dumlings and I bet he will love this even more!
    thanks!
    Robin in Dallas

  2. Comment author image

    Susan Skidmore

    says:

    5 stars
    Yum! Made this yesterday yum, yum. Made the dumplings with lard, they tasted so good. Smashed them open in my bowl and let them soak up the juices. Yum, yum, yum.. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Have being doing my family tree and recently found Welsh ancestry. So this recipe is quite the find. Thank you again.

  3. Comment author image

    Susan Skidmore

    says:

    5 stars
    Yum! Made this yesterday and the dumplings are great, made them with shortening, mashed the cooked dumplings open and soaked up the juice…yum, yum,yum! Thanks for the recipe and just discovered my Welsh ancestry so this is a great find. Thanks.

  4. Hi,

    I managed to get a few boxes of Atora and some Homepride SR flour (very expensive).
    Can I use the American self raising flour in this recipe?
    Thanks!

      1. Hi Susan, be sure to freeze it first and then grate it so it grates easier when it’s frozen! Pop it back in the freezer once grated until you’re ready to use!
        It’s a lovely recipe so hope you enjoy!