Moroccan Lamb Stew
This Moroccan Lamb Stew is a delicious recipe with warming spices, chickpeas, carrots and figs for a quick, hearty and extra fiber meal.
Lamb stew has that rich heartiness with deep and well-developed flavors that taste as you have cooked it for hours. My version takes only a few minutes of hands-on time and 30 minutes on the stove top, making it a shortcut version without sacrificing any of the flavors. No special tagine pot needed!
Certainly, Your house is going to smell amazing! From the delicious aromatics, spices, lamb, herbs and citrus you are going to have your family asking every minute, “When is dinner ready?” The lengthy (and care free) cooking 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!
Ingredients for this Moroccan Lamb Stew
Firstly, the aroma of this Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew will capture your senses. One bite of the spiced and you will know that this is a must go for seconds type of meals. From one side, you have the warming spices of turmeric, smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger and garlic: for the other, you have fresh hearty herbs like oregano and thyme to make your taste buds sing, release any gut inflammatory issue and help re-balancing your hormones with this comfort food .
Secondly, the ground lamb is super tender with the little pop of earthy chickpeas give you that extra burst of protein. With the slight sweetness from the dried apricots, roasted carrots and the fresh lemon zest, this is one balanced cozy meal perfect for the cooler weather.
Steps to make this lamb stew
- Roast the carrots.
- Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil, then add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, ground cinnamon, and pepper. Also add fresh thyme and oregano and mix the dry spices into the veggies. Sauté.
- Add the ground lamb, and stir.
- Pour carrots, chickpeas, lemon zest and mix.
- Add chicken bone broth, paste tomato, figs (optional) mix well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and continue cooking.
- Serve with a grain of preference or a piece of warm, crispy bread (or as desired) and enjoy.
Final tips
- As your Lamb Stew cooks, it thickens. You may need to add a little more chicken broth or water to thin it out a little during the cooking process.
- Use fresh herbs: The result of using fresh herbs instead of dried will make the biggest difference in flavor!
- For this recipe I ended up using canned chick peas. Drain well and wash them out or make some from scratch.
- You can replace figs for dry apricots, a small handful of dried, pitted dates or even raisins. or just skip this step if you’re not on the sour and sweet side.
- For a note of spiciness, add some ground cayenne pepper, chili pepper or red hot sauce.
How to store leftovers
Store any leftovers you have in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you choose to freeze the stew in glass jars for later, be sure to leave 1-2” of space at the top of the jar so it doesn’t crack from the pressure as the stew expands in the freezer. To reheat, microwave or heat via stovetop. Because this stew is so easy to freeze, this recipe makes for great meal prep. You can even pre-portion out individual servings of stew so that you can easily take some to work or school to heat up!
To Make-Ahead and Refrigerate: If you’re planning a dinner party and want to work a bit in advance, you can make this lamb stew a day or two ahead of time and keep in the fridge. It helps to bring it closer to room temperature before reheating in the oven (be sure to add more liquid as well for reheating.) a day or two and then reheated in the oven, making a great option for dinner parties or preparing for a busy night.
Serving suggestion
This lamb stew is pretty hearty on its own, and does not require much else to complete the meal. I occasionally serve it with quinoa or any crusty bread. It’s also great, ladled on top of some faro or plain couscous. You also can side this dish with Jeera Aloo potatoes.
You’ll like every bit of it. It’s finger-lickin’ good! Enjoy it, friends!🌞
For more cozy and wholesome Mediterranean recipe, check these:
Moroccan Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup white onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- salt to taste
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1½ cup chicken bone broth
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 3 carrots chopped in chunks and roasted (optional)
- 15 oz chickpeas canned rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup dried figs optional
- handful of cilantro for garnish
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or plant based yogurt for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and then, roast the carrots.
- In a large deep-frying pan or Dutch oven, add olive oil chopped onion, minced garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, allspice, cayenne pepper, coriander and sauté until translucent and aromatic about 1-2 minutes.
- Add ground lamb and salt to taste. Cook over medium heat until the lamb browns.
- Add lemon zest, chicken bone broth, tomato paste, dried figs, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), roasted carrots and cook increasing the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring the stew every 5 minutes or so to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Remove from heat. Add some drops of fresh lemon juice with some cilantro.
- Serve warm over a bed of cooked quinoa, couscous or rice. Garnish with plain Greek yogurt and some cilantro leaves or as desired.
Notes
- You can exchange the lamb for ground beef, turkey or chicken or even tofu, but the flavor profile will change. If you don’t have dried digs, you can exchange with a few dried pitted dates, apricots. However, you need only a few dates as they are much sweeter than dried figs or apricots. You can also try raisins if desired.
- As your Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew cooks, it thickens. You may need to add a little more chicken broth or water to thin it out a little during the cooking process.
- Best if enjoyed within 3 days and if longer place in a freezer safe container and can be stored for up to 2 months. Moroccan Lamb Stew is even better the next days as the flavors have a chance to mingle.