Hearty Lamb Stew is the kind of stick-to-your-ribs dinner perfect for cold weather! With chunks of tender lamb, Yukon gold potatoes, and veggies in a thick red wine sauce, it’s full of rich flavor. You’ll love the way it smells as it simmers for hours.
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Why You’ll Love This Lamb Stew Recipe
- An Easy Introduction to Lamb. Whether you’re new to eating lamb or cooking lamb, lamb stew is a great place to start. The lamb does not tasty gamey and is just one element of many (and there’s bacon!). It’s a good way to give lamb a try without fully committing to Lamb Chops or a Rack of Lamb.
- Hearty and Filling. With lamb, potatoes, and veggies, this lamb stew recipe is the kind of dinner you crave on chilly evenings. Like Beef Stew, it’s cozy and satisfying, the culinary equivalent of putting on your favorite over-sized sweater.
- Makes a Big Batch. This lamb stew makes plenty, which means you can cook once and have dinner for days, or stash some in the refrigerator for work lunches. (It’s also one of those recipes that tastes just as good as it did on Day 1 when you reheat it!)
How to Make Lamb Stew
The Ingredients
- Lamb. Boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder—these tough, marbled cuts become meltingly tender as the stew slowly cooks for hours.
- Flour. This helps the lamb get a nice crust when seared, and it also thickens the stew.
- Bacon. Thick-cut bacon adds a fantastic smokiness to this lamb stew.
- Onion and Garlic. The aromatics that help form the base of flavor.
- Tomato Paste. For some umami depth.
- Dry Red Wine. Cabernet Sauvignon or Cotes du Rhone are great choices, or use extra beef stock to make this lamb stew without wine.
- Beef Stock. Using beef stock instead of chicken gives this stew a richer flavor.
- Fresh Thyme. Tie it into a bundle so removing all the sprigs is easy once the stew is done cooking.
- Baby Gold Potatoes. Or Yukon gold potatoes.
- Carrots. I like using full-size carrots because they’re more flavorful than baby carrots.
- Unsalted Butter. This adds richness and glossiness.
- Red Wine Vinegar. A bright pop of acidity enhances the overall flavor.
- Frozen Green Peas. Not a pea fan? Try green beans instead.
- Fresh Parsley. To finish with some color and fresh flavor.
The Directions
- Coat the Lamb. Season it with salt and pepper, then toss it with flour.
- Cook the Bacon. Crisp it up, then transfer it to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Sear the Lamb. Add a single layer of lamb to the bacon grease and brown on all sides. Transfer to the plate with the bacon and brown the rest of the lamb.
- Cook the Onion and Garlic. Add the onions to the pot and cook until they’re softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Darken the Tomato Paste. Stir it in and cook it for about a minute, or until it darkens. This brings out its flavor!
- Deglaze. Pour in the wine and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer. Add the lamb and bacon back to the pot, along with the stock, thyme, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and potatoes.
- Bake. Transfer the pot of lamb stew to a 350 degree F oven for 1 1/2 hours. Mash the remaining flour with the butter, stir it into the stew, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vinegar, peas, and parsley, then season to taste and ENJOY!
What to Serve with Lamb Stew
- Bread. Sop up the rich juices with Crock Pot Bread or Rosemary Olive Oil Bread.
- Salad. For a light side dish, try this Beet Salad Recipe.
- Rice. Serve your stew over Instant Pot Brown Rice.
- Other Grains. Hearty farro or wheat berries would also be fantastic with lamb stew.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Pat the Lamb Dry. This helps the flour and seasonings adhere better, and it also allows you to get that perfect sear in the Dutch oven.
- Brown the Lamb in Batches. Speaking of that perfect sear! Another key to getting nicely browned lamb is giving it ample space. You will likely have to cook the lamb in batches to accomplish this, but if you crowd it all in, it won’t cook evenly and it will steam instead of brown.
- Deglaze the Pot Completely. Don’t leave any browned bits on the bottom! That’s all FLAVOR and it’s better incorporated into the stew than stuck onto the pot. I like to use a flat bamboo or wooden turner (also known as a flat spatula), which makes it easier to get all that browned stuff off because it’s wider than a wooden spoon.
Lamb Stew
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Tender lamb and veggies are simmered in a rich red wine sauce to make this lamb stew recipe a hearty one-pot meal perfect for chilly days!
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper divided
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour divided
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon cut into ¼-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon canola oil as needed
- 1 large yellow onion ¼-inch diced
- 6 cloves minced garlic about 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cotes du Rhone
- 4 cups beef stock
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme tied into a bundle
- 1 ½ pounds baby gold potatoes halved, or quartered if large; or Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces, no need to peel
- 1 pound medium carrots peeled and cut into diagonal 1-inch pieces, halved if large, about 6 carrots
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Position oven racks such that you can fit a large Dutch oven or similar overproof pot with a lid inside. Preheat to 350°F.
- Pat the lamb dry and transfer to a large bowl. Toss first with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then sprinkle ¼ cup of the flour over the top and toss once more to coat. Set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or similar over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the bacon is crisp and the fat has rendered, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a large plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Increase the pot heat to medium high. Add part of the lamb cubes to the pot in a single layer, ensuring they do not touch. Brown on all sides, then transfer to the plate with the bacon. Repeat with the remaining lamb, cooking it in batches (I needed 3 batches total). Each batch should take around 5 minutes. If at any point the pot becomes dry, add the canola oil as needed. Discard any excess flour at the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, stirring to scrape up any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Let simmer until reduced by about approximately half, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Return the lamb and bacon to the pot, along with any juices that have collected on the plate.
- Add the beef stock, thyme bundle, and the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Let the stew simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the potatoes and carrots.
- Cover the pot and bake until the vegetables and lamb are super tender, about 1 ½ hours.
- In a small bowl, mash the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with the butter. Stir into the stew and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to thicken it further. Stir in the red wine vinegar.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the peas and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired; depending upon the saltiness of your beef stock, you may need a few big pinches of salt.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate lamb stew in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat or gently in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze lamb stew in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Note that the potatoes will be a bit mealy after freezing, but since they’re not a main ingredient here, it’s not super noticeable.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 6)Calories: 686kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 58gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 170mgPotassium: 1955mgFiber: 9gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 13856IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 7mg
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I made this stew for dinner tonight for the first time. It is fabulous. Great for a cold winter night! Lamb legs were on sale, so I had the butcher cut a half a leg into stew meat; it was so tender that no knife was needed to cut the meat, and it was so lean that I did not have to cut off any fat. Will definitely make this again.
So happy to hear, thank you Katrina!
Hi! This looks so good! Can I make it using gluten free flour?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried it but I think it would work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Omg! My boyfriend is Irish and I wanted to cook a nice dinner for him since it’s our anniversary. The stew was just so nice! So full of flavor and the meat was as soft as butter! I added some mushrooms and celery. If an Irish man says this stew was nicer than his grandma, then it must be! Thanks for the recipe!
Makes me so happy to hear! Thank you Megan!
Absolutely loved this recipe. It was stewpendous. Me and my boyfriend love it so much, the only thing we did differently was not use bacon since we had a very fatty piece of lamb and used some chili and coriander at the end since we like a little bit of heat.
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Rebecca!