Easy Lamb Stew for Your Family | The Nourished Child MS, RDN

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Easy Lamb Stew for Your Family

Broaden your soup and stew offerings with this rich, tasty, easy lamb stew recipe.

Have you ever made a lamb stew? 

I love lamb. We make a leg of lamb every now and then.

Sometimes we roast a bone-in leg of lamb in the oven.

Similar to my low and slow roasted pork shoulder recipe that everyone loves.

At other times, we get a boneless leg of lamb, marinate it and throw in on the grill.

Grilled leg of lamb is one of my favorites!

Personally, I didn’t eat lamb growing up. As such, I always had a negative impression of it.

Even though I’d never tasted it…

Go figure.

I wasn’t really a picky eater, but I simply wasn’t interested and my mother didn’t serve it.

It wasn’t until adulthood when I had a properly cooked leg of lamb at an extended family event that I quickly came to like and appreciate its flavor.

Easy Lamb Stew recipe

Ground Lamb is the Secret to this Stew for Kids

Lately, my grocer has been carrying ground lamb.

I’ve made ground lamb burgers which were a huge hit with my family. I thought next time I’d make them into lamb sliders, maybe with a bit of tzatziki sauce.

Doesn’t that sound delicious?

There are many delicious dishes you can make with ground lamb.

For instance, tacos, meatballs, pizza, hand pies, Shephard’s pie, and more.

Most recently, I was inspired to make this lamb stew recipe.

I’ve never had a dish like this, but for some reason, it sounded really good.

Hearty.

Satisfying.

Perfect for a cold winter’s night.

How to Cook Ground Lamb

Cooking lamb, especially ground lamb, is very similar to cooking beef. The real key to cooking it is not to over-cook it.

I think this is where the reputation of lamb having a gamey flavor is rooted.

When we make a leg of lamb on the grill or roast it in the oven, I make sure to check the temperature and pull it out when it registers 145 F.

Then I let it rest, covered with tin foil, and let the juices stay in the meat.

Personally, I think lamb tastes best when it’s medium-rare. That’s how I like my beef cooked too.

So, put your ground lamb into a skillet and saute it like you would ground beef.

Ground lamb can be fattier, so drain the fat before you add it to any ground lamb recipes.

How to Make Ground Lamb Stew

Some cooks will use red wine in their recipe for lamb stew. I chose to use a can of beer instead. 

A good recipe for stew will start with a flavor base. You want to build flavor from the bottom up.

Be sure to saute your onions and garlic, tossing them with other vegetables until vegetables are tender.

This will produce a delicious flavor base.

I used olive oil as my fat of choice, but you could use butter or canola oil if you prefer. 

While I chose to use ground lamb for this stew, you could use lamb shoulder, cutting it into one inch chunks, just like I do for slow cooker beef stew.

As you start out with this recipe, make sure you are stirring occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.

What Does a Lamb Stew Taste Like?

First, I have to say the smell this stew creates in your home is impressive.

I’m not sure if it’s the lamb itself, the herbs, or the can of beer.

It fills the house with a flavor that says I’ve been cooking all day and it’s time to eat right now.

The flavor is rich.

Lamb stew was a brand new entree for my family. It was certainly different and memorable.

We all loved it and couldn’t stop talking about how good it was! (not to mention how easy this stew recipe was to make!)

The Best Side Dish for this Lamb Stew Recipe

I served this lamb stew recipe with crusty bread. So simple!

You might also like:

10 Must-Have Winter Fruits and Vegetables

Stovetop Croutons

Super Simple Caesar Salad

We didn’t have much for leftovers, so I didn’t freeze any of it, but I bet it would freeze well.

If you are looking for a one-pot meal that isn’t too labor intensive, will help your kids try new food and expand your family’s usual meal or soup repertoire, give this hearty, easy lamb stew a try! 

An easy lamb stew recipe

Easy Lamb Stew

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A simple, hearty lamb stew made with ground lamb and vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 leek, white and light green part, sliced
  • 1-1 1/2 # ground lamb
  • 2 potatoes, cubed into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 carrots, sliced into thick coins
  • 1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1, 12-ounce bottle of dark beer (ie, Guinness or Bass ale)
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or more to taste)
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

Over medium-high heat, place the onions, garlic, leeks and lamb in a large Dutch oven and saute until lamb is cooked through.

Add potatoes, carrots, canned tomatoes and cook, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the meat and vegetables and stir, allowing the flour to cook and brown.

Pour beer into the pan and deglaze the pan, scraping the bits and pieces off the bottom of the pan.

Add broth and herbs, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Bring to a boil, uncovered. Turn the heat down low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

The stew is done when the potatoes are fork-tender.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 860mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g

This is an estimation of nutritional content.

Need More Help with Family Meals?

I’ve got other fast and nutritious dinner recipes available in my handy e-book: Fuel Up! Dinner Recipes for Young Athletes.

Even though it targets the young athlete, I raised all my kids on these recipes.

Also, check out my article: 50 Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas for Your Family or my workshop Eat in Peace.

Eat in Peace Workshop with Jill Castle, MS, RDN
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Want Some Mealtime Inspo?!

Check out PrePear! It will help you meal plan, come up with new recipes, create your own cookbook of recipes, and even create a grocery list and order items off the app!

This post was originally published in December 2015 | Updated December 2020.

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