3 Easy Ground Lamb Recipes (2024)

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

3 Easy Ground Lamb Recipes (1)

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

3 Easy Ground Lamb Recipes (2)

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

3 Easy Ground Lamb Recipes (3)

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.

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3 Easy Ground Lamb Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How should ground lamb be cooked? ›

Lamb patties and ground lamb mixtures such as meat loaf should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (71.1° C), and measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.

What is the most popular lamb dish? ›

Lamb chops

This is the most popular lamb dish that is loved by many people around the world. Lamb chops are delicious, tender pieces of meat that are usually grilled or pan-fried. They are often served with vegetables or potatoes.

What seasonings go well with lamb? ›

Fresh rosemary, fresh garlic, lemon zest, black pepper, and salt are simple but amazing flavors that pair amazingly with the lamb! Each of these ingredients adds its unique warmth and depth to enhance the flavor of the dish.

How to ground lamb at home? ›

Anyway, here's how it works: cut the meat into 1-inch cubes and freeze them for 30 minutes. Freezing the meat helps it to "grind" more evenly and prevents the processor from overheating the lamb in the process. Put the meat in the processor in batches and pulse until it gets to the desired consistency.

What is the preferred cooking method for lamb? ›

It can be traditionally roasted but is best slow-roasted, pot-roasted or braised with liquid until practically falling apart. Shoulder can also be diced for stewing, or cut into shoulder chops. A pre-sliced roast is convenient, but it tends to dry out in the oven.

How to make lamb taste good? ›

The big, bold Lamb flavor goes well with spices like coriander seeds, cumin, curry powder, harissa paste, garlic, rosemary, oregano, thyme, black pepper, chilly flakes, and mint. Spices compliment Lamb, but it also holds its flavor with just salt and pepper.

What pairs well with lamb? ›

8 light and simple sides to go with lamb
  • Dijon mustard glazed carrots. ...
  • Herby roasted Jersey Royals. ...
  • Zesty spring greens. ...
  • Roast baby leeks with oak-smoked bacon croutons. ...
  • Peas with pancetta. ...
  • Roast courgettes with lemon. ...
  • Roasted garlic and clementine carrots. ...
  • Roasted butternut squash with garlic and parsley.

Is lamb healthier than beef? ›

If we look at fatty acids, like CLA and omega-3's, lamb comes out victorious and can be seen as marginally healthier. If we look at vitamins, like B12 and zinc, beef comes out victorious. The bottom line is both are excellent and both should be eaten with abundance!

What is the most delicious part of lamb? ›

The loin produces the most flavorful and tender cuts of Lamb in our opinion, due to its generous and tasty fat cap. Lamb Loin is located in between the ribs and sirloin. Lamb Loin Chops look like miniature bone-in T-Bone steaks or Porterhouse, that are straightforward to grill or pan-fry.

What sauce goes well with lamb? ›

Lamb Chops pair extremely well with a number of sauces. Our Top 7 sauces to pair with Lamb Chops are: Garlic and Rosemary, Mustard Thyme, Tzatziki sauce, Balsamic Brown Sugar sauce, Chimichurri , Red Wine Sauce and Lemon Tahini sauce.

What makes lamb so tasty? ›

But what it all comes down to is its fat and a particular type of fatty acid that lambs have that beef doesn't. It's called branched-chain fatty acid. This is something that humans can detect at tiny levels. It's what gives lamb this gamy, more earthy taste than beef.

How long should ground lamb be cooked? ›

Cooking Lamb
CUTSIZECOOKING TIME
SHOULDER ROAST OR SHANK LEG, HALF3-4 lbs.30-35 min/lb. 40-45 min/lb. 45-50 min/lb.
CUBES, FOR KABOBS1″-1.5″8-12 minutes
GROUND LAMB PATTIES2″ thick7-11 minutes 15-19 minutes
CHOPS, RIB OR LOIN1″-1.5″ thick7-11 minutes 15-19 minutes
6 more rows

How do you make ground lamb not taste gamey? ›

Ground Lamb

When lamb is ground and crisp, it tastes less gamey than a chop, but you can still get a little bit of that gamey flavor. If that doesn't appeal to your tastebuds, you can soak it in milk or yogurt prior to cooking to get rid of the gaminess.

Should I wash ground lamb? ›

However, washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination.

Is ground lamb safe to eat medium rare? ›

You certainly can and in fact, most lamb cuts are best served either rare or medium rare at most.

Should lamb be medium or well-done? ›

The Safe Internal Temperature for Cooked Lamb

An internal temperature of 145°F means that the meat will be at a medium-well doneness, and this is the official safe temperature recommended by the USDA. Ground lamb is the one cut of lamb that is an exception — it should be cooked to 160°F.

Is it OK for ground lamb to be pink? ›

What about pink lamb? It depends on how the lamb or mutton has been prepared. A rare, or pink, lamb chop that has been seared well on the outside should be fine because any bacteria on the outer surface will have been killed by the heat. But minced or diced lamb or mutton should never be served pink.

Can lamb burgers be medium rare? ›

Lamb burgers can also be served medium or medium-rare just like a beef burger. Cook for 3-4 minutes if you prefer medium. How to top your burger: We perfected these burgers by slathering our homemade feta-yogurt sauce on both sides of the bun, then topping our patties with red onion and arugula.

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