Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew is a delicious less than 30-minute meal with irresistible warming spices, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and apricots for a quick one pot weekday meal.
All Day slow cooked taste in under 30 minutes
This quick and easy recipe has all the depth of flavors that you get from an all-day slow cooked tagine meal in just under 30 minutes. Do you have all day to slave over a hot stove? Currently, we are so busy that our less than 30-minute meals are a required survival tool. How about you? Do you like less than 30 minute meals?
One bite and you will be hooked
The aroma of this Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew will capture your senses. One bite of the spiced easy Moroccan ground lamb stew and you will know that this is a must go for seconds type of meals. You have the warming spices of turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and all spice to make your taste buds sing. The ground lamb is super tender with the little pop of earthy chickpeas give you that extra burst of protein. With the slight sweetness from the dried apricots and the fresh lemon zest, this is one balanced cozy meal perfect for the cooler weather.
Dinner is ready in under 30 minutes!
Your house is going to smell amazing! From the delicious aromatics, spices, lamb, herbs and citrus you are going to have your family asking every minute, “When is dinner ready?” Really, in less than 30 minutes you can have this delicious Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew, over a bed of couscous and a side salad on your dinner table. If you want to keep this recipe gluten-free, serve it with a side of cauliflower rice or basmati rice, instead of couscous.
Spice it Up
Don’t be stingy with the spices! You are not going to sprinkle spices, but you are going to explore the world of spices with bold flavors. Go big or Go home! We know this seems like a long list of spices. However, once you have them in your stocked pantry, we have loads of delicious recipes for you to try. Warming spices are good for individuals that have a cold predisposition. Do you always have cold hands and feet? In Traditional Chinese Medicine, when a person has a cold disposition they may benefit from warming and nourishing foods. Introducing the Five Energies of Foods is a great introduction to this concept.
Cinnamon
Cumin
Turmeric
All spice
Paprika
Cayenne
Coriander
Substitutions for Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew
While lamb seems to be the best option for this hearty stew, you may substitute with ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or even tofu to name a few. However, it will change the flavor profile.
We added dried chopped apricots as this is a very traditional ingredient in Moroccan cuisine. Dried apricots impart this delicious natural sweetness to the entire dish. If you do not have dried apricots, you can exchange with a small handful of dried, pitted dates or even raisins.
Tomato sauce is a great option instead of fresh tomatoes when they are not in season. However, you can also use canned tomatoes or even fresh tomatoes if you wish. The only thing you will need to do is adjust the amount of chicken broth to get it to your desired stew consistency. Tomato sauce is thick vs canned or fresh tomatoes.
Check out the photo above for step by step directions on how to make Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew.
Lemon zest vs preserved lemons
We chose to use fresh lemon zest only because there was a sale on lemons 10 for $1.00 at our local market. However, preserved lemons are also very delicious and if you have this ingredient, then this would be a lovely addition to your Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. Do you prefer to use fresh lemon zest or preserved lemons in this recipe?
More cozy easy Moroccan Cuisine recipes...
Slow Roasted Moroccan Spiced Leg of Lamb
Warmed Spiced Quinoa with Roasted Autumn Vegetables
Grilled Moroccan Chicken with Pine Nut Quinoa
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Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp paprika ground
- 2 tsp turmeric ground
- 1 tsp allspice ground
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper dried ground - optional
- ½ tsp coriander
- 1 pound lamb ground- minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup apricots dried chopped
- 15 oz garbanzo beans (chickpeas) rinsed and drained
- 3 sticks whole cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoon dried ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Handful of chopped cilantro optional garnish
- 3 cups cooked couscous optional or rice to keep it gluten-free
Instructions
- In a large deep-frying pan or Dutch oven, add olive oil chopped onion, minced garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, allspice, cayenne pepper, coriander and sauté until translucent and aromatic about 1-2 minutes.
- Add ground lamb and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until the lamb browns. Drain any extra oil as desired.
- Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, dried apricots, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cinnamon sticks and cook for about 20 minutes or until the flavors have had a change to mingle. Remove the cinnamon sticks.
- Remove from heat. Add lemon zest and chopped cilantro and serve over a bed of cooked couscous or basmati rice. Enjoy!
This is relatively low sodium to begin with, and is still fantastic with no salt added garbanzos, tomato sauce, chicken broth. With all the spices the salt is not missed at all (for those of us on a medical low salt diet). I happened to peel a mandarin orange earlier in the day so used that peel instead of lemon. The sharper lemon flavor would have been better, but I think any citrus peel would work nicely if no lemon on hand. We had this for dinner and I'm going to freeze some in single servings for lunch at work. P.S. I had my doubts about the cinnamon but it really does make the dish!
Thanks so much Diane. We are delighted that you enjoyed our easy Moroccan ground lamb stew. The best way to kick up a recipe without adding additional sodium is with herbs and spices. If you enjoy spices, you may also like our ground Turkey Sweet Potato curry. Just make with low sodium chicken broth and exchange salt and pepper with Mrs. Dash or something similar. Stay well and take care
Omg this was SO good. I was actually shocked at how good this turned out because I’ve never made anything like this before and was worried how it would taste with all these different spices, but it was AMAZING. I thought it would taste weird and sweet with the allspice and cinnamon, but it doesn’t at all and it really just was an explosion of flavors. My kids even liked it and they never like trying new foods! My new favorite recipe! Thank you for sharing I am obsessed!
Thanks so much Dounia, we are delighted your family enjoyed our recipe for our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. We know how hard it is to make the whole family happy, especially kids. So happy you were able to get them to try new things. Be sure to try our other less than 30 minute meals from around the world...https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe-category/30-minute-meals/. Visiting another country can be as simple as a trip to your kitchen. Stay well and take care.
Sometimes I find lamb on sale and always wondered what I could do with it. This is very inspiring. I will give it a try and let you know how it works for me.
This looks really good
Thank you Dana. Our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew is even better the next day after the spices have a chance to mingle. Take Care
Wonderful recipe, Ty for posting on YT. I used leftover lamb with bones, added spicey peppers. The flavor blooms the day after, as noted I had to substitute golden raisins, reduce to 1/4 cup if you do.
Thanks so much Patrick. We are delighted you enjoyed of Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew recipe and glad you found us on You Tube. Golden raisins are a lovely exchange for the the dried apricots but they are a bit sweeter. Wishing you a fabulous 2021 and happy New Year to you!
This looks great -- is it as easy as it seems?
Thanks so much Barb. It sure is super easy. One of our go to recipes on busy workdays.
I know what to do the next time Aldi has Lamb on sale! Thanks so much.
Thanks Larry. Do you shop at Aldi too? We love that store for getting in and out in a short period of time. If you like lamb, be sure to try our Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs. https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/middle-eastern-ground-lamb-kabobs/. Take Care
Wow the spices are so good. I used beef because that’s what I had — but I’ll make it again.
Thanks so much Raul. We love the spice balance in this recipe too. Glad to hear that you used what you have on hand as that is what we do too. Stay well and take care
Delicious. Easy to make if you already have all the spices on hand. This recipe will be in regular rotaion.
Thanks so much Anna. So glad you enjoyed our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. Wishing you a super week ahead.
How on earth am I coming upon this recipe so late ! would you believe I have 'cooked Moroccan' on-and-off for most of my life but have never to the best of my recollection used lamb mince ! Love your recipe with its apricots and beans . . . and tho' I have all the spices specified may make this even easier by using ras el hanout (I have two quite different ones from my Sydney and Melbourne spice merchants ) and reach for a bottle of passata always on the ready in this house . . . fantastic !!!!
Thank you Eha. Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew has become one of our more popular recipes. We are huge lamb fans too! I remember hearing that you have access to a great spice store. Access to pre-made ras el hanout makes this recipe even easier. Passata is a great exchange for tomato sauce. I bet you make yours from scratch. Stay well!
This is a keeper! I was looking for a recipe to use ground lamb that we have in abundance. It was wonderful! Great favors, served with quick basmati rice and store bought naan. I would make again!
Thanks so much Teresa! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. It really hits the spot of these cooler fall days. Stay well and take care
Loved eating this stew last year in Morocco with an energetic dance group and the ambience and those mosaics made it all so beautifully memorable. Tagines were best served! Keeping this recipe of yours as a perfect stew recipe for fall. Great flavours and lived all the earthy spices in the ground lamb. Perfect!
Thank you Hasin. Glad this recipe brings back some fond memories. We really love this Moroccan stew and all those warming spices. Really hits the spot of these cooler fall days.
Great balance of flavors! This recipe is a definite keeper!
Thanks so much Susan! We are delighted you like our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. The warming spices really hits the spot with the change of seasons. Stay well and Take Care
Made this tonight. It was outstanding! I used two Thai bird chilies instead of the cayenne. Just a nice amount of heat. Served with basmati since we try to avoid wheat.
Thanks so much Deborah for leaving a recipe review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. Thai Bird Chilis are delightful addition to give the heat desired. Wishing you a super week ahead. Take Care
I was nervous because it only had one review, but all the spices sounded like you couldn’t go wrong. It is so good. Packed with flavor. Definitely a do over
We are so glad you tried our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew and thank you for your review. This recipe is one of our family favorites. Sometimes, we double the recipe and freeze it. Then, we have a dinner ready to go on one of those other crazy busy work-nights. Wishing you a super weekend. Take Care
Full of flavor and delicious! Very easy to put together.
hi Janelle, we are delighted you enjoyed Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. Wishing you a super weekend ahead.