Easy Lamb Stew

A red pot of ready to serve lamb stew garnished with herbs on a wooden table.

Celebrate St Patrick's Day and every day with lamb stew! This one-pot meal, full of tender lamb, smoky bacon, and hearty veggies in a flavorful broth, is a tried and true recipe you'll keep coming back to!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2 30

Total Time 2 45

Servings servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

6 strips bacon diced
3 pounds lamb shoulder cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2-3 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 large onion diced
5 cloves garlic minced
4 cups beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves minced, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1.5 pounds gold potatoes cut into cubes
4 large carrots chopped
1 cup green peas frozen and thawed
Fresh thyme or parsley for garnish optional

Instructions

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add the diced bacon and cook over medium-high heat until crispy. Leave the bacon grease in the pot and place the cooked bacon to a plate.
6 strips bacon
Pat the meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle each piece with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. (I like to massage it into each piece).
3 pounds lamb shoulder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper
Then sprinkle the lamb with flour and toss until coated completely.
¼ cup all-purpose flour
In the same dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and sear each of the lamb pieces for about 2-3 minutes each side. Don't overcrowd the pot. Cook batches if necessary. Add another tablespoon oil to the dutch oven between with each batch as needed. Place the cooked lamb pieces on a plate and set aside.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
In the same pot, add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until it is translucent.
1 large onion
Add in the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
5 cloves garlic
Next, add in the broth, wine, tomato paste, thyme leaves, and bay leaves and stir.
4 cups beef broth, 1 cup dry red wine, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, 2 bay leaves
Place the seared lamb and bacon back to the pot and bring to a boil.
Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes until the meat begins to get tender.
After 1 ½ hours, add the potatoes and carrots and cover with the sauce.
1.5 pounds gold potatoes, 4 large carrots
Cover again and simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Stir in the green peas and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes.
1 cup green peas
Garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if desired.
Fresh thyme or parsley for garnish
Enjoy over mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles. If serving it over mashed potatoes, you can leave out the added potatoes. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes

Use any wine like merlot, cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir.

You can also swap the red wine for Guinness beer or other dark ale to make this an Irish Lamb Stew.

To thicken the stew, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water, stir it into the sauce and cook until it thickens.

To thin the sauce, stir in ¼ cup of beef broth at a time until desired consistency.

If you can’t find lamb shoulder, you can swap it for lamb stew meat, lamb legs or shanks. You can use bone-in or boneless. The bone-in meat will fall off the bone when it's finished cooking.

Skim any fat or foam that floats on top when cooking to make it a less oily sauce.

Allow to cool and store leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Nutrition