Beef usually hogs the spotlight when it comes to stews, but there are plenty of other meats that can star in this quintessential cold weather comfort food. Pork, chicken, and here, lamb, a big favorite of my younger son Charlie.
This rich meat also takes very well to many kinds of flavor combos, and here some very accessible Mediterranean-inspired supporting ingredients turn the lamb into a truly delicious stew. If you are a chickpea lover, feel free to add a second can.
Making the Instant Pot Mediterranean Lamb Stew
The recipe below has instructions for making the lamb stew in an Instant Pot, which is clearly THE appliance of the decade. The Instant Pot is a plug-in pot that performs as a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a yogurt maker and a few other impressive cooking tools. In this case you will first be utilizing the sauté function, then the pressure cooker function to cook a tender stew in much less time than it would take otherwise. An instant pot stew is a beautiful thing.
This Instant Pot Mediterranean Lamb Stew recipe is lush and homey, exactly what you want to see bubbling away on a cold winter night.
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Making the Stew in a Slow Cooker
Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can also make this Mediterranean Lamb Stew in a slow cooker or a crock pot, and a slow cooker lamb stew is also a beautiful thing…..just brown the meat in the slow cooker if it has a sauté function first. Or, if not, brown it and sauté the vegetables in a pot on the stove, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours.
Making the Stew on the Stove
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, no worries! You can do all of the sautéing in a pot on the stove, and then add the other ingredients as directed and cook the stew, covered, over low heat for about 3 hours until the meat is tender. Give it an occasional stir to make sure the stew doesn’t stick to the bottom. If you prefer to put it into a 300° F oven after all of the ingredients have been combined, that works, too—this should also take about 3 hours. Give that a stir if you think of it every once in a while.
If you don’t have brandy you are good to add a healthy glug of red wine instead. This Instant Pot Mediterranean Lamb Stew is a soupy stew, and would be fantastic ladled over noodles of any kind, or chunks of steamed potatoes. Don’t forge the final sprinkle of parsley, it really perks up the earthiness of the stew. A simple salad is all you need to complete this comfort meal.
So, whether you approach this lamb stew recipe old school style, new school, or somewhere in the middle, the cooler days approaching promise to be very flavorful.
More lamb recipes, because we do love lamb recipes in my house:
- Lemon-Garlic Semi-Boneless Leg of Lamb
- Lamb Satay
- Lamb Stew with White Wine, Orange and Fennel
- Loin Lamb Chops with Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce
- Slow Cooked Herbed Leg of Lamb with Fresh Herb and Arugula Salad
- Moroccan Inspired Lamb Kebabs
More stew recipes, because everyone also loves stew:
- Indian Spiced Chicken and Potato Stew
- Apple Cider Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Barbecue Beer Beef Stew
- Provencal Fish Stew
- Moroccan Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew
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Instant Pot Mediterranean Lamb Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 pounds 1-inch cubes lamb shoulder or lamb stew meat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed, divided
- ½ cup sliced leeks
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup diced fennel
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac
- 1 28-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- Chopped fresh parsley to serve
Directions
- In a large shallow bowl combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the lamb meat and toss to coat the lamb.
- Place the inner pot into your Instant Pot. Press the Sauté button, and then use the Sauté or Adjust buttons (depending on your model) to select the “Normal” or middle temperature. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pot, and let it heat for 1 minute. Add the lamb in two batches and brown on at least a few of the sides of the cubes, about 2 minutes per side (if you want to brown all of the sides, go ahead, but it’s not necessary, and often the pieces of meat aren’t really 6 sided “cubes”). Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil if there is not oil in the pan, and repeat with the other half of the lamb.
- Add the leeks, carrots, celery, and fennel to the pot and sauté without the lid on for 5 minutes until everything is slightly tender. Stir in the rosemary, then add the brandy to the pot and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, bay leaf and lamb and stir to combine.
- Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to Sealing. Press Cancel, then press Manual or Pressure Cook and use the Pressure Level Button to select high pressure. Set the timer for 45 minutes. Note that the timer will not start to count down until the correct pressure has been achieved.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, press Cancel. Let the pressure come down slowly for 30 minutes. Release the sealing valve, remove the lid and serve hot in bowls, with parsley sprinkled over the stew.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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This is delicious! A perfect rich stew for a chilly fall evening.