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The lamb morsels in this Lamb Stew just melt in your mouth and so do the potatoes. This recipe is uncomplicated (a one-pot meal!) and it simmers in the oven for awhile so every bite is completely delicious. The lengthy (and care free) baking time creates a most satisfying broth consistency. Even if you have no clue what the old days were like, this lamb stew will take you there!
My 2 and 8-year old kiddos both loved this lamb stew (which shocked me because they love their usuals like Mom’s meatball soup and borscht). They both asked for refills! I was beaming of course because this lamb stew recipe is loaded with healthy ingredients and my family was was gobbling it up with such satisfaction. It’s a winner, especially for special occasions, like Easter!
Ingredients for Lamb Stew Recipe:
This hearty lamb stew is a meal in itself and so satisfying! This lamb stew recipe is a close relative to our beef stew recipe (a reader favorite!). We turned it into a one-pot recipe so it is easier and a little heartier with more potatoes. We also experimented making it gluten free and we were all so impressed with the results.
Gluten Free Substitution: I have tested this with this gluten free flour and it worked wonderfully.
How to Make Easy Lamb Stew:
1. In a large dutch oven pot, saute chopped bacon over medium heat until golden brown and fat is released. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
2. While bacon cooks, season trimmed and chopped lamb pieces with 1/2 Tbsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour. Toss to combine and coat the meat in flour. Cook the lamb in 2 batches in hot bacon grease over medium heat until browned (3-4 minutes per side) then remove to the same plate with bacon.
3. Add diced onion and sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups wine, scraping the bottom to deglaze. Add thickly sliced mushrooms, bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes uncovered. Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Return bacon and lamb back to the pot then add 4 cups broth, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme and 2 bay leaves. Add potatoes and carrots then stir to combine (potatoes should be mostly submerged in liquid. Bring to a boil then cover with lid and carefully transfer to preheated oven at 325˚F for 1 hour and 45 minutes. When done, potatoes will be easily pierced and lamb will be very tender. For a lower fat stew, spoon out any excess oil at the surface of the stew.
Serve with soft crusty bread to soak up that broth which is loaded with amazing flavor!
Explore our Most Popular Stew Recipes:
- Beef, Rice and Tomato Stew (Kharcho)
- Red Borscht (a beef and beet stew)
- If you love lamb, don’t miss our Lamb Chops
Lamb Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz bacon, (4 strips, chopped into 1/4" strips)
- 2 lbs boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 Tbsp sea salt for the lamb plus 1 tsp for stew
- 1 tsp black pepper for lamb plus 1/2 tsp for stew
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour*
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups good red wine, *
- 1 lb button mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth or stock
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 lbs small yellow potatoes, halved or quartered into 1" pieces
- 4 medium carrots, 10 oz, peeled and cut into 1/2" thick pieces
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a 5Qt dutch oven, saute chopped bacon over medium heat until browned and fat released. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a large plate.
- While bacon cooks, season lamb pieces with 1/2 Tbsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour and toss to coat. Cook lamb in 2 batches in hot bacon grease over medium heat until browned (3-4 min per side) then transfer to the plate with bacon.
- Add diced onion and sauté 2 min. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups wine, scraping the bottom to deglaze. Add sliced mushrooms, bring to simmer then cook uncovered 10 min. Preheat Oven to 325˚F.
- Return bacon and lamb to pot and add 4 cups broth, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme and 2 bay leaves. Stir in potatoes and carrots, making sure potatoes are mostly submerged in liquid. Bring to a boil then COVER and carefully transfer to preheated oven at 325˚F for 1 hr and 45 min. When done, potatoes and lamb will be very tender.**
Notes
** For reduced fat stew, spoon out any excess oil from the surface when it comes out of the oven.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Q: Are you cooking up any special Easter recipes?
Is lamb typically on the menu for you? I’d love to hear about your Easter dinner traditions!
Excellent! I added a tiny bit of whole grain mustard after taste testing for a little extra “zing”, per my husband’s request… it was delicious!!
Hello, I hope you are well. This is a wonderful recipe. Can it be cooked solely on the stove and not in the oven? Thank you.
Hi Laramy! Here is what one of my viewers said, “I did everything on stove top (after step 4, I simmered the stew for 1.5 – 2hrs) and it still came out perfect, meat falling off the bones etc.” I hope you love the recipe!
Is it possible to make this without alcohol?
Yes, just use broth in its place.
Oh, also, I made everything yesterday up to the point of bringing it to a boil. Refrigerated it over night, which made it easier to skim the grease off the top. Then I added the carrots and potatoes brought to a boil stove top and finished in the oven according to the recipe. To thicken it up a bit, I made a paste of 3 tablespoons of softened butter and 3 tablespoons of flour, stirred into stew 15 min before taking out of oven
Have made this stew several times, it is by far the most loved stew recipe by everyone in my family!
Made it for the first time last night and it came out great. The gravy was very broth like. Is that what was intended? I’d like to try thickening it up with a roux, but not sure where in the process to insert it. When I make a basic roux (onion, celery, carrot and flour) I freeze it on wax paper so I can use it later. If you think that’s the way to thicken it, when would you add it? (we serve it over egg noodles, that’s why I would like it thicker).
Hi Vern, you can definitely thicken it if you would prefer. One of our other readers said they thickened this stew on the stove by using a mixture of 2 TBSP flour to 2 TBSP of water. Hopefully, this helps.
This is my go-to recipe for lamb stew. Consistently delicious! Timing is perfect for tender meat and perfectly cooked vegetables. My family’s favorite! Thank you for sharing! 🥰
So happy you love the recipe, Jocelyn! You’re very welcome!
Just make this today, never used lamb in my stews before and it tasted so good 🤤 think it will be lamb stews instead of beef from now on after doing this
This is my go to winter stew ! I’ve made it so much I don’t even need the recipe . Only change I make is to not include the bacon itself . I do use some of the grease . And I add the potatoes in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking otherwise they get too mushy , but dang ! This is an awesome stew !
My husband is allergic to bacon. Will omitting this compromise this dish or is there a substitute I could try? Thanks.
Hi Karen! Can he have turkey bacon? It works as a great alternative to add some of that smokey bacon flavor.
Delicious! I will definitely make this again. I did add a slurry to make it a little thicker, as my husband likes.
I guess I’m a bit disappointed because it really just made beef stew out of lamb. The lamb’s flavor did not stand out. Not saying it wasn’t tasty but the red wine and the beef stock bade it more like a Beef Bourguignon.really wanted the lamb to be the star of the show.
Hi Kristina, I would say lamb is the star of the show here – did you use less of it in the recipe?
This looks fantastic! I’m going to make it tonight as written so we will see. Has anyone ever tried to make this in an instant pot? I have an idea of the procedure, but I just wondered if anyone has tried it.
I have not personally tried it but let’s see if others can share it with us. I’m sure it will work just fine and it could help speed up the process.
Caryn, scroll down to my comments back in July 2024. I used an Instant Dutch Oven (7qt). It works great, and…in fact…am making this for dinner tonight. Hope my comments help!
Good recipe but,
“Prep Time” of only 20 minutes is impossible
Hi John, I appreciate the feedback. Prep time does not include timings of cooking, so it’s just the time it takes to chop things. I increased it to 30 minutes which probably is more practical, especially if making this for the first time.
Super tender and delicious. I used white sweet potatoes and they came out so yummy in the stew!!
This stew is delicious and by far our absolute favorite! There is something about the lamb that makes this stew so much more tasty than the same recipe substituting beef. If you’ve never eaten lamb, this recipe is an excellent introduction. We make this recipe at least once a month and especially when we have company in town.
Thank you so much for your awesome review, Kelly! I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog!
This recipe is amazing! You could add tomatoes, corn, cabbage, green beans, and/or chick peas and it would still be beyond amazing! Thank you so much! This is going to be added to my soup rotation for the cold season!
Wow! Fantastic recipe. My whole family loved it!
Used welsh lamb, added celery and rosemary.
The longest bit was searing the lamb, but it paid off. Now on the ‘best of’ list of favourites 😁
I would like to cook this in a slow cooker. Is it possible and what would you recommend as the setting?
Hi Rosemary! I haven’t tried this in a slow cooker, but one of my readers, offered some good insights. She wrote: “I always make my beef stew in the slow cooker- it should work with lamb also. At step 4- transfer everything into the slow cooker and set it to high until it starts boiling and then put it on low until the meat is tender and potatoes cooked.” I hope that helps!
I want to make this for a family dinner. I could only find Simple Truth packaged lamb stew meat cut into pieces. I’m afraid that it might be tough. Have you tried this?
Hi Lori. No, I haven’t tried that specific brand.
I just made this recipe last night with that exact stew meat. It was delicious and tender and less prep than cutting up a large piece of meat. Only thing I will say is the size of the pieces isn’t as uniform as I would like, so don’t rush the browning process and rescue smaller pieces first if need be. Otherwise highly recommend! Recipe is a keeper.