Lamb Stew Recipe with California Figs

Lamb Stew Recipe with deep rich flavor and hearty ingredients! This is a simple one-pot meal that’s started on the stove-top and finished in the oven. Slow cooking the lamb makes for tender morsels and vegetables that will melt in your mouth!

Lamb Stew Recipe slow cooked with hearty delicious flavor!

This post contains sponsored content from Valley Fig Growers® but the delicious opinions are all my own! #ad #sponsored

You guys know I shop at the farmers market often, I’m sure! It’s something I talk about all the time. On Wednesday when I don’t make it to the farmers market, I swing by a corner stand near our home to get fresh produce.

This time of year what I’m looking for are the figs.

It’s no secret, I love figs!

• Jerk Chicken with California Fig Salsa
• Fig Brown Sugar Glazed Ham with Carrots
• Pecan Sandies
• Even Black Mission Fig Ice Cream!
• and one more recipe from Valley Fig – California Dried Fig and Apple Stuffed Pork Loin – perfect for fall!

Anyway, last week I stopped by the corner stand (again!) and I was speaking with the owner. She’s seen me every week grabbing bags of figs and I was telling her how much I loved figs and what I was making this week.

She laughed and said “Debra, you should be in a fig commercial!” I replied “funny you say that, I’m a food blogger and work with Valley Fig!” (Shop for Valley Figs here!)

She said “no kidding? My husband Paul is on the Board!”

Seriously…. I had no idea! We laughed and giggled and talked more fig and I thought “isn’t this a small world?!!”

So it’s only fitting that today I get to share with you a delicious new recipe that coincidentally…. uses figs!

This recipe is simple to make and full of big hearty flavor!

Lamb Stew Recipe FAQ’s

This lamb stew recipe is one of those meals that if your husband, wife, kids, boyfriend, girlfriend – whoever walks through the door doesn’t exclaim “oh my gosh, what’s for dinner” seriously rethink that relationship! This stew is that good!

What cut of lamb is best for stew?

• I suggest using lamb shoulder, chops, shank or leg. For this lamb stew recipe I used a shoulder cut. I do not use stew meat. I kind of think of that as mystery meat.

Pro tip! If you ask nicely your butcher will happily trim and cube the meat for you!

Is Lamb supposed to be chewy?

• Nooooo! If you pull this stew out of the oven and the lamb isn’t spoon tender, it hasn’t cooked long enough! After slowly braising in the oven, the meat in this stew is fall-apart tender and delicious!

Can I make Lamb Stew in the Slow Cooker?

• You bet! But you’ll want to start it on the stove-top, follow steps 1-9 THEN scrape everything into your slow cooker, being sure to get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook on low 8-10 hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.

I also have a great post for grilled lamb chops. If grilling chops are intimidating, click here for my best tips!

Grab your spoon, because you will definitely enjoy this stew!

Ingredients for Lamb Stew Recipe

• lamb meat
• baby potatoes 
• mushrooms
• carrots
• celery
• California Figs
• yellow onion
• garlic
• bacon
• red wine
• canned fire roasted tomatoes
• beef broth
• Italian seasoning
• tomato paste
• salt, pepper, flour

Why do figs and lamb go so well together?

Lamb and figs are both super rich and have big flavor. Together the combination is outstanding! Earthy and hearty flavors combine for a rich meal that’s easy enough for a beginner to make and shine like a star at mealtime! Braising the figs and sautéing them in red wine incorporates the flavors for this hearty stew. Find information on Fig Nutrition here.

How to make easy lamb stew

1. Preheat the oven
2. Mix the flour and seasonings together in a large plastic bag.
3. Add the cubed lamb, toss to coat.
4. Clean, slice and dice the vegetables.
5. Remove the stem from the dried California Figs and slice them in half.
6. Render the fat from the bacon. When crispy, remove from pan.
7. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and the lamb/flour mixture. Sauté until the lamb cubes are golden brown, remove them from the pan.
8. Next, add the tomato paste and figs and “toasting” the tomato paste and figs.
9. Add the wine and diced tomatoes.
10. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits.
11. Add all of the remaining vegetables. Return the lamb and bacon to the pan. 
12. Top with the beef broth and give it a stir to combine.
13. Cover tightly and bake for 3 hours

Super rich and hearty this stew has amazing flavor!

More Big Hearty Soup and Stew Recipes!

• Sausage and Okra Stew
• Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew
• Moroccan Chicken Stew

5 from 6 votes

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Lamb Stew Recipe

Lamb Stew Recipe with deep rich flavor and hearty ingredients! A simple one-pot meal started on the stove-top and finished in the oven. Slow cooking makes for spoon tender meat and vegetables that will melt in your mouth!

Course Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword lamb, lamb stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 381 kcal

Author Souper Chef Deb

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. lamb meat cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 lb. baby potatoes recommend Yukon Gold
• 1 lb. mushrooms sliced in half
• 3 carrots cut into large chunks
• 3 stalks celery cut into large chunks
• 1 cup dried California Mission Figlets stems removed and sliced in half
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 3-4 strips thick cut bacon sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 cup red wine I used a Zinfandel a big meaty Cabernet would also be a great choice
• 14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag.

3. Add the cubed lamb to the seasoned flour massaging it into the meat. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

4. Clean the mushrooms, slice them in half. Dice the onions and slice the celery and carrots. Clean the potatoes and slice them in half.

5. Slice the stem off of the dried figs and slice them in half, set aside

6. In a large heavy bottom pot on the stove, start by rendering the sliced bacon over medium heat. (Starting it in a cold pan on the stove will allow the fat to cook off.) This takes about 10 minutes. When the bacon bits are crispy, remove from the pan, set aside.

7. After you've removed the bacon bits from the pan add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the lamb/flour mixture. Pour it all into the pan. Spread it in an even layer and cooker until the lamb cubes are golden brown. Remove them from the pan.

8. Next add the tomato paste and California Figs to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan and "toasting" the tomato paste and figs.

9. Now add the red wine and can of diced tomatoes. Scrape hard to get all of those brown bits off the bottom of the pan! That's your flavor!
   

10. Now the hard work is done! Add the remaining ingredients: Potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic and onions. Return the lamb and bacon bits to the pan. Top with the beef broth and give it a hefty stir. 

11. Cover tightly and place it in the preheated oven for 3 hours. 

Recipe Notes

As you can see from the pictures, the meat and vegetables are big hearty chunks. Keep them in larger pieces. Do not mince or thinly slice. Because this meal simmers for several hours if you dice everything too finely it will dissolve into the stew.

Nutrition Facts

Lamb Stew Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 381 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 82mg 27%

Sodium 954mg 40%

Potassium 1165mg 33%

Total Carbohydrates 32g 11%

Dietary Fiber 5g 20%

Sugars 12g

Protein 30g 60%

Vitamin A 78.8%

Vitamin C 19.2%

Calcium 9.5%

Iron 24.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.