Choosing ground lamb is an easy way to make quick every day meals.
Lamb is among the most common meats consumed throughout the world. It’s a flavorful, tender meat that lends itself well to a variety of flavors and spices. Ground lamb recipes are healthy, versatile, affordable and delicious. Try lamb in meatballs, tacos, burgers, or stir fry’s, scroll down for three of my favorite ground lamp recipes.
It’s especially flavorful when you pair your ground lamb meat with globally-inspired spices:
Asian Spices– Curry, Ginger, Mustard seed
Mediterranean Spices– Greek Oregano, Garlic, Lemon Peel, Mint
Latin Spices – Cumin, Ancho or Chipotle Chile Powder, Garlic
Middle Eastern Spices – Coriander, Paprika, Cinnamon
Morroccan Inspired spice mix for ground lamb meatballs – Use a mixture of Cumin, Paprika, Coriander, Salt, Pepper, Cinnamon, Allspice, Garlic, Cloves & Cayenne Pepper.
Lamb can turn ordinary ground beef recipes into a journey of global flavors that your whole family will enjoy!
Grilled Lamb Burgers with Green Onions in Pita Recipe
Burger Ingredients
2 pounds certified halal American ground lamb
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 medium pita breads, whole wheat or regular, cut into halves
Olive oil for brushing
Cucumber Yogurt Ingredients (optional)
2 cups finely chopped or shredded cucumber
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon crushed dried mint
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
– Drain cucumber of any liquid and combine with the yogurt, mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Serve chilled.
Directions
In a large bowl combine lamb, green onions, cumin, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt.
Preheat grill or grill pan. Stuff the pita bread halves with the lamb mixture, spreading and filling to edges.
Brush the pita on each side with olive oil and grill until the filling is cooked through and the pita brown and crispy, 5-7 minutes per side. Let cool 5 minutes before serving with cucumber yogurt sauce, if desired.
Pasta with Ground Lamb, Broccolini, and Pecorino Recipe
Pasta Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp kosher salt
1 pound orecchiette pasta
1 bunch broccolini (about 12 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds ground lamb
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions
Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and season it with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook until almost tender but still a little underdone, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add the broccolini to the pot and cook 3 minute more, until the pasta is al dente and the broccolini is bright green and crisp-tender. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Add the lamb and break it up into small chunks. cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is deeply browned and a little crispy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the pepper flakes (to taste), season with 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook about 1 minute longer.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir the pasta and broccolini into the pot with the lamb. Add the reserved cooking water and continue cooking about 1 to 2 minutes more, to allow the pasta to absorb the flavors. Sprinkle in about 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir to combine well. Serve the pasta in warm bowls with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese sprinkled over the top.
Ground Lamb & Goat Cheese Pizza Recipe
Pizza Ingredients
1 package pre-made whole grain or almond flour pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground lamb
1 medium shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
3/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
2 cups arugula (about 2 ounces)
Directions
Brush rimmed baking sheet with 1 teaspoon oil. Using your hands, spread pre-made pizza dough over entire length of baking sheet, pushing dough to edge (or roll out on floured surface and transfer to pan). Bake for 5 minutes at 450ºF. Remove from oven; set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add lamb, shallot, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper; cook until ground lamb is completely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Brush par-baked crust with 1 teaspoon oil. Evenly distribute cooked lamb and pepperoncini; top with crumbled goat cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese looks slightly melted and edges of crust are golden brown. Toss arugula with remaining 1 teaspoon oil; set aside. Remove pizza from oven and top with dressed arugula.
You can find more every day, easy lamb dinner ideas at American Lamb.com! Whether you like to grill, roast, or braise lamb – They have hundreds of delicious lamb recipes to tempt your taste buds.
How often do you incorporate lamb into your dinner rotations? Be sure to leave us a comment below.