Leftover Lamb Stew makes great use of all that leftover leg of lamb and any veg hiding out in your bin! It's hearty and delicious - and loaded with vegetables, including tomatoes for a fresh brightness. Are you ready?
Jump to:
You'll ❤️ This Lamb Recipe!
"This is my favorite way of using leftover lamb - I like it because you can up extra vegetables too!"
Delicious
This stew is total comfort food. It's delicious, hearty, and so satisfying.
Lamb can be rich at times so I broke it up with extra tomatoes which give it a nice fresh taste. This one-pot meal is the perfect family dinner!
Use Up The Leftovers
As I mentioned, this stew uses up not only leftover lamb but any vegetables you've got hidden in your vegetable drawer - my favorite kind of recipe.
See my notes under the Variations section for more ideas!
Healthy
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and has no sugar added.
Make it low carb and keto by removing the potatoes and omitting the flour. Use ½ teaspoon xanthan gum dissolved with the same amount of olive oil to thicken the juices if needed.
🥗 How To Serve
I think leftover lamb stew is a meal-in-one, so you don't need much.
Garnish with sliced scallions and a dollop of sour cream if desired.
Keep it simple with a simple fresh green salad and some crusty bread!
More lamb stew recipes! I have several versions of lamb stew all made easy and delicious! Try this Instant Pot version, or classic lamb stew that's braised in the oven. Or, you might go for this slow cooker Irish stew with Guinness. Enjoy! 🙂
🥘 What You'll Need
Here's what you're going to need to make leftover lamb stew:
Ingredients
Leftover Lamb - use leftover cooked lamb. I usually use leftover leg of lamb. Ground lamb can also be used!
Lamb Stock - you can also use beef stock. I made my own homemade lamb stock on a slow cooker - give it a try sometime it is quite easy and has the most amazing flavor.
Olive Oil
Onion - use a yellow or sweet onion. I've also used pearl onions before. The frozen variety already come peeled and there is no chopping either.
Carrots
Baby Potatoes - I used baby potatoes, but you could use any kind you have on hand. If the baby potatoes are small, cut them in half, if they are slightly larger cut them into fourths. You need bite-sized pieces.
Mushrooms - I used a standard button mushroom, but you can use any favorite kind you want.
Fresh Thyme - I found that fresh thyme has the best flavor but you could certainly use dried.
Fresh Parsley - added at the end for color and freshness.
Tomatoes - I cut up 2 large fresh tomatoes, but you could also add a 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes if you would rather.
Flour - used as a thickener. If you prefer a runner stew, you can omit the flour.
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Equipment
Equipment and tools needed to make this stew recipe:
- 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
🔪 How To Make Leftover Lamb Stew
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this lamb stew recipe:
Step 1 - For faster preparation have everything ready to go. Preheat your oven to 325°F (165 degrees C).
Step 2 - Preheat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. You want a hot pot.
Step 3 - Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms to the pot. Saute until the onions are tender, stirring frequently. This usually takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
Step 4 - Add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir frequently for 2 minutes. This step will help thicken the gravy and will remove that "floury" taste.
Step 5 - Add stock, stir, and loosen any bits off the bottom of the pot.
Step 6 - Add the lamb and all remaining ingredients (see the recipe card), except the parsley - parsley goes in at the end. Add more stock to the pot if needed - you want it to almost cover the meat and vegetables but not all the way.
Step 7 - Cover your pot and bring the stew to a simmer.
Step 8 - Once it is simmering, turn off the heat and transfer the whole pot (keep the lid on) to the oven.
Step 9 - Let it cook in the oven until the flavors have blended, and the potatoes are tender about 2 to 2½ hours.
Need another leftover lamb idea? Try this Leftover Lamb Shepherd's Pie
📖 Variations
Here are a few ways you can vary or make substitutions to this recipe:
- Add more vegetables - diced zucchini or squash are wonderful in this stew. Adding fresh or frozen peas near the end will give it some more color. Bell peppers, celery, parsnips, turnips, and rutabaga also go well in this dish!
- Substitute 1 cup of stock with red wine.
- Break up that richness with some tang from red wine vinegar or a little lemon juice.
- Make this in a slow cooker - add everything to the cooker (except parsley) and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until onions and potatoes are tender. Add parsley before serving.
- Try different herb combinations - rosemary, thyme, and marjoram go well with lamb.
💭 Top Tips
- Make-ahead tip: cube meat and prepare vegetables in advance for easy preparation.
- It's okay to use beef in place of lamb. You can also substitute beef stock for lamb stock.
- Use enough stock to almost cover the beef and vegetables.
- Adjust any seasoning to your tastes.
❓FAQs
How to store it
To store leftovers, let the stew cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Leftover lamb meat is only good for up to 3 days. If you made this stew on the third day you should freeze any remaining stew. See reheating and freezing instructions below.
How to freeze it
To freeze leftovers, let the stew cool then portion out into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 2 months.
There are a couple of ways to reheat leftover stew. First, if it is frozen it will need to be thawed in the refrigerator.
Microwave: Portion the stew out into individual servings, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and reheat on 30 % power for 2 minutes. Stir and continue heating until it reaches your desired temperature level.
Stovetop: Transfer the stew to a saucepan. Over medium-low to low heat, heat the stew slowly until it is warm, stirring frequently.
Leftover lamb will keep up to 3 days. Be sure to use it within that time frame or freeze it. It will keep up to 2 months if frozen.
✔️ More Lamb Recipes
If you are looking for more delicious lamb recipes, check these out:
- Pan-Seared Lamb Steak Recipe
- Hearty Lamb Meatball Soup Recipe
- Easy Lamb Korma
- Air Fryer Lamb Chops Recipe
- Lamb Mince Shepherd's Pie
- Roasted Lamb Breast
More stew recipes to try:
- Hawaiian Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)
- Green Chili Pork Stew Recipe
- Slow Cooker Pork Stew with Apples and Cider
- Chipotle Peach Vegan Chili (Crock Pot)
More Recipes You Will Love
If you tried this Leftover Lamb Stew, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5-star rating and/or a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please share photos of your creations with me and others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Don't forget to tag #seekinggoodeats
Recipe
Leftover Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 3 large carrots (peeled and sliced ½")
- 8 ounces mushrooms (quartered)
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 pounds leftover lamb (cut into 1" cubes)
- 24 ounces small new baby potatoes (halved or quartered bit-sized pieces)
- 3 to 4 cups lamb stock (or beef stock)
- 2 large tomatoes (½" chopped)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or, 1 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165 degrees C).
- Preheat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute until they start to caramelize and onions are soft about 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add flour, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add stock to the pan and stir, working any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add lamb and all remaining ingredients (except parsley) and stir. (Add additional stock if needed, it should almost come to the top of the meat and vegetables)
- Cover and bring to a simmer.
- Once the stew is simmering, transfer pot to the oven (keep it covered) and cook for 2 to 2½ hours until potatoes are tender.
- Adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- VARIATIONS: Substitute beef for lamb meat and stock; use 1 cup of red wine in place of 1 cup of stock. Use 1 cup of frozen green peas, adding in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- TOP TIPS: Use enough stock to almost cover the lamb and vegetables. Adjust any seasoning to your tastes.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with a simple side salad and crusty bread.
Nutrition
© 2023 Seeking Good Eats™
Mark says
thank you. I used smoked leg of lamb recipe from @heygrillhey and my smoked broth. This recipe was awesome.
seekinggoodeats says
Sounds so delicious! Thanks for giving it a try so happy you loved it!
Teresa DiPietro says
Delicious.
Used about 15 small chops that could have used more BBQ time. Put them under the broiler until nice and browned and added to your recipe. Bones and all. Pushed meat off bone but bones made for good gnawing!
Thank you #seekinggoodeats.com
seekinggoodeats says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the stew. It's a favorite of mine!