Lentil Lamb Love Stew
The weather is perfect for soup, and this stew hits the spot as it's full of vegetables, lentils, ground lamb and beans ... and your house will smell so great!
I didn’t know what to name this soup, so I put it out on Instagram and one of my favorite interior designers, Michelle Workman, gave me this title and I think it works perfectly!
What exactly is this soup? It’s kinda like lentil soup, with lamb and Moroccan spices. The idea came about as I was cleaning out my spice drawer and was astounded at all the coriander I had, which I never use, so I vowed to use some. That brought me to lentil soup. But, after just alphabetizing my entire spice collection, I also was aware that I never use allspice, and cinnamon only ends up in my coffee and in sweets. And both allspice and cinnamon remind me of the holidays … so I wanted a savory way to use both, which led me to think Moroccan and lamb. Combining these flavors created an absolutely delicious soupy stew with the consistency of chili and all the health benefits of lentil soup with aromas you’ll want to bathe in. Or, at least that’s how I felt! The house really smelled oh-so-good. And, my kids all liked it, which they tend to do when it’s a little exotic. For some reason, the exotic gets braver tastebuds than a new vegetable with some salt and pepper … go figure.
This recipe makes a TON of soup. Make it on a Sunday and munch on it all week.
Lentil Lamb Love Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped fennel bulb
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic in the glass jar
- 1 cup chopped kale optional ... I just always have kale on hand, and I add at the end
- 8 cups Simple Truth beef broth
- 1 28- ounce can crushed plum tomatoes I like Cento
- 2 16- ounce cans garbanzo beans one drained, one not drained
- 2 cups diced fingerling potatoes
- 1 tablespoon diced parsley
- 2 1/2 cups dried lentils
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- For the following spice, I use Simple Truth, available at Kroger. They are organic and not very expensive!
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- Salt and pepper to taste I like about 2 teaspoons of each
- Fresh mint and chives for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Once hot, add onions, fennel, carrots and garlic. While cooking, put lentils in another pot and cover with water, about an inch over the top. Bring to a rolling boil and then drain. Set aside. Add beef broth, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, potatoes and lentils to the pot with the vegetables and bring to a boil, then reduce to a soft boil. Meanwhile, cook the ground lamb. Once cooked, drain the fat and add the meat to the soup. Add all spices and salt and pepper and cook for 40 more minutes or until lentils are tender. Serve with mint and chives ... delicious!
Nutrition
For more recipes, be sure to check out our entire recipe collection.
Liza Graves
As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!