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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!
After my oven mangled the leg of lamb I mad for Christmas day, I was left with all variations of lamb: raw, almost raw, almost medium … all the way to well done. It’s pricey meat, so I had to find a way to use what I was left with. Yours was the most intriguing recipe for lamb stew, and that’s how I got here … but I had to adjust your recipe from the get (sorry) although I stayed close to it by cooking the raw and almost raw in the bacon grease longer than I cooked the other bits. As a seasoned home chef, I made a few other changes (added 1-1/2 c. Sauvignon Blanc, along with 1-1/2 c. Malbec (I use this combo when braising lamb shanks and love the flavors … I added a bit more flour too). I also used chicken stock because I didn’t have beef stock on hand. And, as always with lamb, I added both thyme and rosemary.
Hubby’s happy, I’m happy, and the neighbors who stopped by for “leftovers” were also happy. Thanks for pointing me in such a great direction!
I’m so so happy that worked out for you Robin!! Thank you for that amazing feedback!
Thanks Natasha. I wound up adding some Pomi diced tomatoes (about 1.5 c., which was a bit too much so I added in some fatty pieces of lamb which I’d ruled out because I wanted the lamb flavor to offset that “too much tomato” problem. In the end, it’s tasty indeed … and ut;s HIGHLY recommended to serve with a good bread to dip into the groovy gravy 🙂
This was SO, so delicious (and so easy). I just made a double batch on the stove since I don’t own a dutch oven but it turned out wonderfully. I’m obsessed (and so, so full).
Sounds like you found a new favorite!! Thank you for sharing your great review!
First of all, you need to remind some of these people, who are deathly afraid of alcohol,that the minute you boil anything containing booze of any kind the alcohol is gone out into the air!
For me it is a frightful waste of wine!
Also I have made a similar stew with bear meat, but the meat of a spring bear is far to mild, so it is definitely better to stick with mutton for this type of stew.
Hi Dave, you are correct and thank you for sharing!! 🙂
Thank you for sharing that with us, Dave! Thank you for that great review!
I first tasted lamb stew in Ireland; the second time was this past October in Iceland. I came home determined to find a good recipe for this wonderful, hearty meal. This was my first attempt at preparing lamb stew; I failed at finding a good recipe… I found a DELICIOUS recipe! It’s a bit time-consuming, but it’s so worth it! My husband devoured it! I have a new dish to add to our mealtimes! Thank you!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles!
I first made this last July and have made it several times since then, including yesterday. I have a Ukrainian husband who is a meat and potatoes guy. He absolutely loves this recipe – so does our daughter who can be picky. It has become one of our favorite recipes. Thank you!
I love that your entire family can enjoy that! Thank you for the wonderful review, Jill!
I made this to use up part of a roast that was too large. This was amazing and I will definitely make again! I will say prep time was considerably longer than 20 minutes for first time making it.
Hi Dawn! I’m so glad you loved the lamb stew!! 🙂
What would you recommend as substitute for the pork bacon?
Hi Mike, it would still work without the bacon, you could just use a light (not extra virgin) olive oil to saute the lamb instead. It may need slightly more salt if omitting the bacon.
Wonderful dish. Cut the recipe in half and it came out great. I love dill so I added a pinch. Thanks. I will be making it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Just enjoyed your lamb stew on a chilly football evening. Simply delicious, nothing but compliments. Kathy
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
THIS WAS AMAZING! I made this last night, with no alterations to how the recipe is written. SO MUCH FLAVOR! Really yummy, and I’ll make it a staple this fall/winter.
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Mary!! Thank you for the amazing review!
Living in the UK I constantly get confused when it says ‘cups’! How many mls in a cup please ! Many thanks. Glynis 🍰
Hi Glynis! The conversions are included within the printable version. Simply click on “Metric” and that will covert the measurements for you 🙂
Many thanks … ☕
Glynis, when not baking you can use any regular size coffee mug as a measurement. When baking it would be 250 ml cup. When precise baking it is always better to weigh it in grams.
240 ml is equal to 8 oz liquid using glass measuring cups.
I just made this, it’s absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much for this simple, delicious and relatively easy recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha, I was thinking about substituting fresh rosemary for the thyme. Would that work? I’m trying this tomorrow with home grown lamb from a friend.
Hi Jackie. Rosemary has a very different and overpowering flavor profile that may over power the rest of the dish. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that change!
Made this tonight for myself and my husband. It was so good and hearty! It will be now a staple in this household. Thank you for sharing. Tomorrow I’ll be attempting your spinach artichoke dip for friends.
Can you let this simmer on the stove instead of putting it in the oven? Would it still cook for and hour or so?
Hi Alyssa! I haven’t tried it that way but it should work! Several of our readers have reported success using stove top only. Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Thomas! I appreciate your insights. I agree, we look for nitrate free uncured bacon and also organic potatoes and as far as the animal fat, I agree, animal fat is good for you, but we prefer not to have an unpleasantly thick layer of fat at the top – it is more preference than anything else.
Why trim? You lose the flavorful fat. full of heart protective Om3, long chain fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. Did the self-appointed, corrupt, fully- funded by Big biotech, pharma etc`Am. Heart Assn. tell you otherwise?
Potato healthy? It’s the highest of any vege in solanine glyco alkaloids. These cause Rheumatoid Arthritis, belonging to the deadly nightshade family, the atropa belladonna. US Agric. Dept Study 1974. Those with severe arthritis get a ‘burn’ within 20 minutes of consuming the unhealthy potato. I use sweet potatoes, but they only need 6 minutes.. chucked in at the end. Recipe excellent!! Talking of healthy ingredients is a minefield if one relies on the Mainstream’s disinfo food groups, RDAs etc.
Why trim? You lose the flavorful fat. full of heart protective Om3, long chain fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. Did the self-appointed, corrupt, fully- funded by Big biotech, pharma etc`Am. Heart Assn. tell you otherwise?
Potato healthy? It’s the highest of any vege in solanine glyco alkaloids. These cause Rheumatoid Arthritis, belonging to the deadly nightshade family, the atropa belladonna. US Agric. Dept Study 1974. Those with severe arthritis get a ‘burn’ within 20 minutes of consuming the unhealthy potato. I use sweet potatoes, but they only need 6 minutes.. chucked in at the end. Recipe excellent!! Talking of healthy ingredients is a minefield if one relies on the Mainstream’s disinfo food groups, RDAs etc.
I made this tonight and I must say, this is the best lamb stew I have ever made! I used bone in stew meat which I think added to the flavor. Even my boyfriend who claims to be a stew hater loved it, had seconds, and wants the rest for lunch tomorrow ha ha. Thank you Natasha for the recipe! Delicious! Will be making it again, for sure.
Wow! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Betsy!
Made this tonight, and it was the BEST stew I’ve ever made. I ordered my lamb because I couldn’t find any and it came bone in instead of out so I cut all the meat away which lead to a more veggie full stew… But the flavor of this made it worth it. So amazing!
Sounds like you found a new favorite Brittani! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha. Made this yesterday and used my slow cooker instead of in the oven. Reduced the liquid by about 1.5 cups and it turned out amazing. The bacon and the wine really did add that flavour which I could never get when I used to try making stews. Now I can say I know how to make a good stew .. thanks so much for the recipe!
You’re so welcome Renee! Thank you for sharing your changes with us!
Could I ask how long you left this In the slow cooker please and also what temp thank you’
Hi Tiffany. I left it on low for about 4 hours. Added the veggies in the last 2 hours of cooking.
Could one substitute beer for the wine, and if so, the same amount?
Hi Beverly, I honestly have not tried that but I have come across several Guinness beer lamb stew recipes online and I think it would be worth experimenting. If you try it out, I hope you let me know how it goes 🙂