On a brisk night, this is exactly the kind of hearty, cozy stew I look forward to eating. Not only is this stew loaded with pieces of fall-apart tender lamb, but carrots, celery, onion and garlic give it tons of heft as well. With red wine, tomato and fresh thyme, it gets some seriously big, vibrant flavor!

I also love adding green olives to this mix - which may seem like an unexpected addition, but green olives have a wonderfully mild salt flavor that I think complements the dish really well. If you have trouble finding the Green Cerignola olives, Castelvetrano make for a great substitute.

Serve this stew up with potatoes, or crusty bread to soak up all that flavorful sauce!

Lamb Stew with Red Wine and Olives
star

Lamb Stew with Red Wine and Olives

Category

Main Course

Servings

4

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

135 minutes

Image of Lamb Stew with Red Wine and Olives

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound lamb stew meat (cut into 1 inch cubes)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
  • 3 carrots (peeled and diced)
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 2 celery rib (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (smashed and peeled)

  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, or gluten free flour

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 sprigs thyme
  • 1 cup green cerignola olives (smashed and pits removed)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

  1. This recipe originated on an episode of Giada Entertains. Episode: Go Green or Go Home.

  2. Place a medium dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat another 30 seconds. Dry the lamb meat well and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Place the meat in hot pan. Leave undisturbed for 4 minutes. When the first side is deeply browned, use tongs to flip the meat. Continue to brown the meat about 4 minutes on each side until the pieces are evenly browned on all sides, about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the meat to plate.

  3. Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic to the pan. Season with the remaining salt and cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to soften. Stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook another minute. Deglaze with the red wine. Bring to a simmer and cook stirring often for 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Stir in the broth, bay leaf, thyme, and meat. Reduce the heat to medium low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

  4. After 1 hour, stir in the olives. Partially cover leaving a small opening and simmer an additional 30 minutes or until the meat is completely tender. Stir in the parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to sop up the juices.
dairy free
nut free