This lamb and lentil stew combines lamb shoulder, brown lentils and chickpeas in a thick tomato sauce with cinnamon, cumin and cardamom. A squeeze of lemon finishes the pot. Serve it with tzatziki, fresh herbs and crushed nuts for a cool, crunchy contrast.
Instead of a brothy soup, we’re making a thick, flavorful stew that can be spooned right onto a plate alongside creamy tzatziki, roasted carrots, fresh herbs, and crunchy nuts. Everything comes together on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot, making this a delicious dish to share around the dinner table.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Why You’ll Love This Lamb Stew
- A substantial, thick stew. With lamb shoulder, brown lentils, and chickpeas all simmering together in a rich tomato sauce, this stew is hearty and satisfying. The liquid reduces during the final uncovered cooking stage, giving you a thicker consistency than a brothy soup would.
- Warm spice with a bright finish. The combination of cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom gives this stew its deliciously warm, savory flavor. The spices are cooked with the tomato paste to build the base of the dish, and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end adds brightness that balances all those rich flavors.
- Contrast on the plate. One of my favorite things about this dish is how the toppings bring everything together. Serve the warm stew with cool tzatziki, fresh mint or dill, and crushed pistachios and walnuts. The creamy, fresh, and crunchy elements are such a delicious contrast to the rich lamb and lentils.
What You’ll Need
Lamb shoulder
For this recipe, you’ll need trimmed lamb shoulder cut into 1-inch cubes. Lamb shoulder works beautifully with this method because the pieces are browned before simmering in the flavorful tomato sauce. Cutting the lamb into evenly sized pieces helps with browning and gives you nice, consistent bites throughout the stew.
Dried brown lentils and canned chickpeas
These two ingredients add so much substance to this stew! It’s important to use dried brown lentils and canned chickpeas for this recipe. The chickpeas should be drained and rinsed before using, while the dried lentils cook directly in the stew. Both are added after the lamb has had its initial simmer, so make sure you don’t add them right at the beginning.
The tomato-and-spice base
Onion, garlic, tomato paste, and canned diced tomatoes create the savory foundation for this dish. The onion is cooked until golden and tender, then the spices and tomato paste are added to develop the flavor before the liquids go in. Cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, and the remaining spices add warmth and depth to the tomato sauce. This combination is what makes every bite so flavorful!
Wine, broth and lemon
Dry red wine, beef broth, and lemon juice each have a different role in this recipe. The red wine is added after the spices and tomato paste and cooked until reduced by half, before the diced tomatoes and beef broth go into the pot. The broth provides the liquid for simmering the lamb and cooking the lentils. Finally, the lemon juice is stirred in at the end to add brightness to the rich stew.
For serving
This is where you can really make the dish your own! Serve the stew with tzatziki or labneh tzatziki, roasted carrots, crushed pistachios and walnuts, and fresh mint or dill. These aren’t ingredients that get simmered into the pot. They’re added when you plate the stew to create a delicious combination of warm, cool, creamy, and crunchy textures.
How to Make Lamb and Lentil Stew
- Give the lamb room to brown: Start by heating olive oil in your Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the trimmed lamb shoulder cubes and brown them on all sides, allowing them to develop some color before moving on. If you’re using a smaller pot, you can brown the lamb in two batches so the pieces have enough room. This step is all about building that savory flavor right from the beginning, so don’t rush through it!
- Build the base before adding the main liquid: Next, cook the onion until it’s golden and tender, then add the garlic, spices, and tomato paste. This is where all those delicious warm flavors start coming together! Let the spices and tomato paste cook briefly before pouring in the dry red wine. Allow the wine to reduce by half before adding the canned diced tomatoes and beef broth. That reduction is an important cue to look for before moving on.
- Add the lentils and chickpeas at the right stage: Once the tomatoes and broth are added, the lamb gets its initial covered simmer. After that stage, it’s time to add the dried brown lentils and the drained, rinsed canned chickpeas. Remember, the lentils are dried and need to cook in the liquid, while the chickpeas are already cooked. Adding them at this stage gives the lamb its initial cooking time before the lentils and chickpeas join the pot.
- Watch the liquid and lentils, then reduce: As the stew continues simmering, keep an eye on the lentils and the amount of liquid in the pot. You want the lentils to cook through, but you also don’t want to end up with a watery stew. If the lentils aren’t fully cooked and there’s very little liquid remaining, you can add up to 1 cup of additional water, as needed, to help them finish cooking. Once the lentils are cooked, remove the lid for the final reduction. This lets the liquid cook down and the stew become thicker. The goal is to have enough liquid to cook everything properly, then reduce it to that delicious, hearty consistency.
- Aim for thick, not soupy: The final consistency is what makes this lamb and lentil stew so great for serving with tzatziki and roasted carrots. You want a thick, reduced sauce that brings together the lamb, lentils, and chickpeas, rather than a thin broth that spreads across the plate. Let the stew cook uncovered as directed until it reaches that consistency. Finish by stirring in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. The lemon adds a beautiful brightness to all those warm, savory flavors. Once the stew has reduced and the lamb and lentils are cooked through, you’re ready to serve!
What to Serve with It
Spread a few tablespoons of tzatziki or labneh tzatziki onto a plate, add some roasted carrots, and spoon the warm stew alongside them. Finish everything with crushed pistachios and walnuts, plus fresh mint or dill.
You can use my homemade tzatziki for that classic garlicky yogurt flavor. For a thicker yogurt base, check out my homemade labneh recipe.
My Classic Mashed Potatoes are another delicious option. You can also serve it with rice to enjoy all that rich, spiced tomato sauce.
More Lamb Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this lamb and lentil stew, you should also try my Lamb Youvetsi! It’s another delicious lamb recipe, but instead of lentils and chickpeas, it features orzo for a completely different hearty, comforting meal.
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Ingredients
For the lamb –
- 2 lbs lamb shoulder, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and ground pepper
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the stew
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ¼ tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 ½ cups beef broth
- ½ cup dried brown lentils
- 14-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
For serving
- tzatziki or labneh tzatziki, tzatziki recipe or labneh recipe
- roasted carrots
- Garnishes: Crushed pistachios and walnuts and fresh herbs like mint or dill
Equipment
- dutch oven or large pot
Instructions
Start Cooking- Season the cubed lamb generously with kosher salt and ground pepper.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn to medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the lamb pieces and cook, turning often until browned on all sides, about 4-6 minutes total. **If your pot is not very large, do this in 2 batches to make sure the lamb has enough room in the pot to brown.**
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic, cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and tender.
- Add the ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground cardamom, ground turmeric, ground smoked paprika, kosher salt, ground pepper, bay leaves, tomato paste and sugar. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the red wine, cook and stir until the red wine has reduced by half.
- Add the canned tomatoes and beef broth and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and keep at a simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes with the lid on – stir occasionally.
- After 40 minutes, add the dried lentils and chickpeas, stir to combine, and cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. If the lentils aren’t quite cooked through yet and not much liquid remains, add up to 1 cup more water.
- Remove the lid and cook for 15-25 minutes with the lid off, until the stew is reduced and thickened – you want it quite thick, so it’s not ‘soupy’ when served on a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
- To serve, spread a few tablespoons of labneh tzatziki (or regular tzatsiki) on a plate, topping the labneh with the roasted carrots and then spoon the stew onto the plate beside the carrots and labneh. Garnish with crushed pistachios and walnuts and fresh herbs like mint or dill.
Notes
- We also love to serve this recipe with Classic Mashed Potatoes or rice!
- If you love this recipe, try our Lamb Youvetsi Recipe with Orzo and Braised Lamb Shanks
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