Lamb Stew with Vegetables
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Cozy up with a bowl of Guinness-spiked lamb stew—each spoonful promises succulent meat, hearty broth, and pure comfort.
St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect occasion to indulge in some hearty Irish cooking. One of my favorites is this lamb stew, which is similar to my popular beef stew and Hungarian goulash recipes but with a distinctly Irish twist. It features tender, seared lamb that’s slowly cooked in a broth enriched with Guinness, giving it a unique, malty depth. Vegetables are added at just the right moment, ensuring they remain vibrant and tender-crisp. Paired with my Cheddar soda bread, this lamb stew makes a hearty and comforting meal that’s perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or for warming up any day.
“Delicious! I doubled the recipe and made it for a crowd of friends all from Ireland the weekend before St Patrick’s Day…No leftovers, unfortunately!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Lamb Stew With Vegetables
- Lamb Shoulder: This cut of lamb is rich in flavor and becomes fork-tender when cooked slowly over low heat.
- Onions and Garlic: These aromatics add depth and a foundation of flavor, creating a savory backdrop for the stew.
- Tomato Paste: Concentrated tomato paste adds umami, richness, and a slight acidity that enhances the overall taste and color of the stew.
- Flour: Used to thicken the stew, giving it a hearty and satisfying texture.
- Guinness: Adds a unique, malty depth and a hint of bitterness that complements the lamb beautifully.
- Beef Broth: Provides the liquid base for the stew, contributing to its richness and depth of flavor.
- Bay Leaf and Fresh Rosemary: These herbs infuse the stew with aromatic and earthy notes.
- Carrots and Baby Yukon Potatoes: These vegetables add sweetness, texture, and nutritional value, making the stew more filling and balanced.
- Peas: Added towards the end of cooking, peas provide a pop of color, sweetness, and freshness to contrast the rich and savory flavors of the stew.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the lamb in three batches, adding one more tablespoon of oil for each batch. Do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a brown crust before turning with tongs. It should take 5-8 minutes per batch.
Transfer the browned meat to large bowl and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pot.
Cook until the onions are soft, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of pan, about 5 minutes. The add the tomato paste.
Cook a few minutes more.
Add the lamb with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with flour.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely mixed in, 1to 2 minutes. Add the Guinness, beef broth, water, bay leaf, rosemary sprig and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer for one hour and twenty minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew.
Cover and continue simmering until the vegetables are cooked and the meat is very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig, and then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If serving right away, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! Lamb stew can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and reheated gently on the stovetop. Just be sure to add the peas right before serving so they stay fresh. The broth may thicken in the fridge, so thin it with a bit of water or beef broth when reheating, if necessary.
Yes, the stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. However, leave out the potatoes, if possible, as they do not freeze well. When ready to serve, you can cook some potatoes separately and then either mix them into the stew or serve them alongside it.
Lamb shoulder is the best choice. Avoid using leg of lamb since it’s better suited for roasting or grilling and doesn’t become tender in stew. Ask your butcher to remove as much excess fat as possible, or trim it yourself at home. I
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Lamb Stew with Vegetables
Cozy up with a bowl of Guinness-spiked lamb stew—each spoonful promises succulent meat, hearty broth, and pure comfort.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds lamb shoulder, well-trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1½-inch
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Guinness
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons more for cooking onions and garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- 1 cup frozen green peas
Instructions
- Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the lamb in three batches, adding one more tablespoon of oil for each batch. Do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a brown crust before turning with tongs. It should take 5-8 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned meat to large bowl and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pot. Cook until the onions are soft, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of pan, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the lamb with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely mixed in, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the Guinness, beef broth, water, bay leaf, rosemary sprig and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer for one hour and twenty minutes.
- Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew, then cover and continue simmering until the vegetables are cooked and the meat is very tender, 30-40 minutes. (Be sure to stir a few times to prevent vegetables from sticking to bottom.)
- Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig, and then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If serving right away, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are warmed through. Otherwise, let the stew cool, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat gently on the stovetop and add the peas right before serving.
- Make Ahead: This stew can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Wait to add the peas until right before serving so they maintain their freshness and vibrant green color. Reheat the stew gently on the stovetop. The stew may thicken in the fridge, so add a bit of water or broth if necessary when reheating.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. However, leave out the potatoes, if possible, as they do not freeze well. When ready to serve, you can cook some potatoes separately and then either mix them into the stew or serve them alongside it.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 789
- Fat: 52g
- Saturated fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Sugar: 9g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 42g
- Sodium: 1242mg
- Cholesterol: 150mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I want to use my local farm raised lamb, so I don’t have the option of getting the shoulder cubed by a butcher. Would this recipe work with bone in cut or should I get a different cut?
Yes, I do think that would work but you’ll need to cut the meat off the bone prior to using it in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely fantastic! I cut the recipe in half because there are just two of us at home. I followed the recipe exactly, except for a very few minor changes that I made because of what I had. I used boneless leg of lamb because I had one and a half pounds of it in the freezer. Also I did not have frozen peas, so I added a drained can of cut green beans at the last minute. I cut the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces because that’s how we like it, then simmering them 30 minutes. At the point where I needed to add the vegetables, I thought my broth was too soupy so I did not cover the pot for the last stretch of simmering. Everything came out perfectly! The broth was very tasty, the lamb was very tender, and the amount of salt was just right. Thank you!!
I love this!! I cut the recipe in half. The challenge was finding 1.5 lbs of boneless lamb shoulder that I could cut into 1 1/2 chunks. My butcher said he didn’t have it on hand, but that I could buy a shoulder of lamb, and he could bone it for me. Since I worked as an apprentice butcher while I was in Business School 50 years ago I said “I’ll do the boning. And I did.” A lot of new boning challenges to face, but I got it done.
I started making this dish at 6:30pm when my bride and I normally eat dinner. I browned the meat, then the onions, added the lamb back in, all the liquids and THEN i notice I had to cook it for an hour and 20 mins plus another 30-40. That would have me eating when I expected to be in bed so I stopped. And started again 2 days later. The result was wonderful and looked MAHVELOUS, even though the frozen peas I was planning to use has disappeared. The best lamb stew I’ve ever made in my 66 years of cooking!
Next time I going to use less potatoes (brides preference) and probably cut the small Yukon golds (vs baby) in 1/4s, and add some boiling onions, and remember to have the frozen peas on hand!
Kudos on this recipe!
Don’t usually like stews but tried this one for st Patrick’s day… made this 3 times this year now! 😁
Jenn, thank you for putting in so much skill, care and effort to perfect your recipes and provide easy to follow instructions for those of us who are not particularly skilled in cooking. Your website has been such a positive and inspiring way to spend time with loved ones over the past 18 months, and I never thought I’d ever make such delicious meals in my life! This lamb stew is just the best comforting meal in moody weather, massive thanks to you for making home cooking so enjoyable xx
💗
Hi Jenn,
I happen to have a leg of lamb, boneless, in my fridge. I was looking for a recipe for that, and came across this lamb stew. Could I substitute the leg cut?
I’ve only ever cooked ground lamb before.
I also have both your cookbooks. Love the recipes!!!
Thx, Carol
Hi Carol, so glad you like the recipes! I wouldn’t recommend leg of lamb here — it won’t get tender if cooked this way — sorry!
That’s a lot of liquid! I followed the recipe closely and it didn’t thicken as I’d have hoped. I’m not sure why the stew is covered for the duration of the cooking time.
Sorry to hear this didn’t thicken as much as you would’ve liked. If you make it again, feel free to simmer it for a while uncovered.
Hi Jenn, could this be used as a base for shepherd’s pie? If so, do you think I’d need to alter anything? My husband doesn’t like ground meats and I thought this would be lovely topped with mashed potatoes. BTW I bought your second cookbook (I also have your first) and can I just say that the red snapper in coconut curry broth is divine!
Hi SandraMary, yes I do think you could use this as a base for shepherd’s pie. I’d simmer it for a while uncovered though so it thickens up (and is not too soupy). Also, thanks for your support with the cookbook — glad to hear you enjoyed the red snapper!
Loved this recipe! I forgot the peas but it was still great!
The best ever, just making my 2nd in the last week.