Basic Lamb Stew With Vegetables

Lamb stew
Bill Arce/Getty Images
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 80 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 4 servings

This basic stovetop lamb stew recipe is a comfort-food delight for a cold winter night. Pair it with biscuits or Irish soda bread for a hearty meal.

Make it with shoulder chops by cutting the meat into pieces but stewing it with the bones for the most flavor. This is an economical choice as lamb shoulder chops are often the least expensive lamb cut, while they also have more flavor than leg meat cuts such as shanks and loins.

The stew features lots of vegetables including bell pepper, onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes. You can include rutabagas or turnips as well. While the bell pepper is not a typical winter vegetable, it adds to the dish. If you don't like bell pepper or prefer only seasonal vegetables, you can leave it out.

If you want the potatoes to hold up in the stew, use a waxy potato like Yukon Gold. If you don't mind the potatoes falling apart and helping thicken the stew, you can use the typical russet potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lamb shoulder chops

  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

  • 3 small carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 medium onion, quartered

  • 2 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

  • 1 small green bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch strips

  • 1/2 cup diced rutabaga, optional

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 3 tablespoons cold water

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Trim the fat from the lamb chops, then cut the meat into 1-inch pieces. Place the meat and bones in a stockpot or Dutch oven; barely cover the meat with about 1 1/4 cups water. Cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes (do not boil).

  3. Add the potato, carrots, onion, celery, green pepper, and optional rutabaga with salt and pepper to the meat in the Dutch oven.

  4. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until meat and vegetables are tender.

  5. Using tongs, remove the bones to a bowl and discard.

  6. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat.

  7. Mix the flour and cold water. Stir the mixture into the stew. Return to heat. Cook, stirring until the stew is thickened.

  8. Add the chopped parsley and taste and adjust the seasonings.

  9. Serve the stew hot.

You'll want some biscuits, rolls, or bread to sop up the stew. It's also nice to start with a green salad. Good wines to pair with lamb stew are those that are simple red blends that aren't too tannic. Or, you can pair it with a British pale ale.

Refrigerate any leftovers and use within three to four days. The stew reheats well in the microwave for lunch or dinner. If you don't think you can finish the leftovers in that time, freeze the stew in an airtight container. Frozen stew will maintain the best quality for four to six months.

Variety Is the Spice of Life

If lamb isn't your cup of tea, but you like the idea of a body-and-soul-warming dish, try one of these variations.

  • Pork stew can be made by substituting 1 pound of bone-in pork shoulder for the lamb, using medium-dry hard cider in place of the water (and to drink along with the finished dish), and adding three sprigs of fresh sage. The cooking time will have to be increased in step 2 from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
  • If you fancy chicken stew, use bone-in chicken thighs in place of the lamb, dry white wine in place of the water, and add three sprigs fresh thyme.
  • Basic beef stew would be made with 1 pound of bone-in beef chuck, three fresh or dried bay leaves, and brown ale, Guinness, or stout in place of the water. Increase the cooking time in Step 2 from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
280 Calories
6g Fat
30g Carbs
26g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 280
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 73mg 24%
Sodium 793mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 5g 16%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 26g
Vitamin C 34mg 171%
Calcium 61mg 5%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 1052mg 22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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