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Spicy Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash

Spicy Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash

With shorter days and colder nights, this richly flavorful lamb stew with butternut squash is a great way to fill up and stay warm.

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Spicy Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound lean lamb shoulder, on the bone, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Sweet Hungarian paprika
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 14-oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
Salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried mint

Method

1 Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper on the meat. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Add the meat and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until all the juices evaporate, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

2 Add the tomato paste, 1 Tbsp of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until the mixture begins to carmelize. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.

3 Add the squash, garbanzo beans, tomato, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

4 Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Season with salt. Transfer the stew to a shallow serving dish.

5 Rub the 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and dried mint through a fine sieve. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat, until a speck of spice dropped into the oil sizzles. Add the sieved spices and stir for just an instant. Swirl the seasoned oil into the stew, stir once and serve hot.

Serves 6.

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19 Comments

Hey, what about interpreting this recipe for a slow cooker? Any ideas?

Posted by: Andrea Middleton on October 16, 2006 7:39 AM

Elise,
I saw that recipe and dog-eared it to get back to.

Posted by: kevin on October 16, 2006 8:04 AM

Oh, yummy. I love Lamb stews.

Posted by: Lady Amalthea on October 16, 2006 11:05 AM

How seasonal. Butternut squash is a gift that few people use wisely.

Posted by: Matt on October 17, 2006 6:21 AM

What a great combination of flavors. The creamy sweetness of butternut squash and the gamey flavor of lamb. YUM.

Posted by: AnnieKNodes on October 17, 2006 10:01 AM

You can't have too many lamb recipes! : ) And this one sounds delish. Thanks!

Posted by: farmgirl on October 17, 2006 11:44 AM

Mmm, I tried this last night and it was wonderful! I think I put a bit too much cayenne in there (it was HOT) but I happen to like it that way. :-) Thanks for sharing. I LOVE your website.

Posted by: Rachel on October 17, 2006 12:42 PM

Do you cut the lamb into cubes and leave it on the bone?

Posted by: Mina Y. on October 17, 2006 6:38 PM

Hi Mina,

Leave some meat on the bones, cut the rest into 1-inch cubes, make sure you cook both the meat and the bones as much flavor comes out of those bones.

Posted by: Elise on October 17, 2006 7:06 PM

OHHHHHHHh. We had the butcher cut the lamb shoulder and he left it on the bone -- and there wasn't that much meat to cut off the bone so we left it on and cooked it that way. I don't think it was as good. But it is pretty tasty!

Posted by: Mina on October 17, 2006 8:07 PM

Hi Mina,

That should have been perfect. There is much more flavor when the pieces are bone-in. And by the time the cooking is done the meat should be falling off the bone.

Posted by: Elise on October 18, 2006 7:25 AM

I made this for dinner tonight (only I have to admit I used pork stew meat since that was what I had on hand). I'm currently living in Germany and it is pretty easy to come by pork stew meat here! I also substituted curry for the cayenne (again, what I had on hand) and served the stew over batsami rice. We all enjoyed it and found that the longer it sat the better it tasted!

Posted by: Julie on October 18, 2006 11:12 AM

I would also love to know how to adjust this recipe for a slow cooker!

Posted by: Stephanie on October 24, 2006 10:21 AM

Thanks so much for this recipe. I made it yesterday and it was very tasty.

Posted by: Sandy on October 27, 2006 2:50 PM

What can I substitute for the Garbanzo Beans, my husband is allergic, maybe white beans?

Sounds good to me. ~Elise

Posted by: Deb on September 17, 2008 4:04 PM

Can I make this with caribou or moose instead of lamb?

Why not? If you try it, let us know how it turns out. ~Elise

Posted by: Alaska Girl on January 3, 2009 3:20 PM

Thanks Elise, this inspired me yesterday (I'm incapable of actually following a recipe!), and was delicious with cinnamon instead of mint.

Posted by: Hannah on November 16, 2009 11:01 AM

Made this last week. Didn't have mint but followed the rest of the recipe. Everyone loved it - will definitely be repeating this one during the winter.

Posted by: kimberly on January 19, 2010 8:39 AM

Thought that I had some lamb for stew, but didn't. So I made this with pork stew meat instead. The only other change that I made was to double the amount of garbanzo beans cuz we are big fans. It was delicious the first day, and amazing the second day! It was a great send-off for the last butternut squash from our CSA. Thanks, Elise.

Posted by: Vicky on February 1, 2010 1:27 PM

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