Boneless rosemary garlic herbed stuffed lamb loin roast recipe with a delicious sticky pomegranate wine sauce is the perfect less than 30-minute elegant Sunday Supper.
Don’t you just love when you make a recipe and your family and friends you have been slaving in the kitchen all day. Shhhh… We won’t tell a soul. This fancy looking lamb with pomegranate sauce is so easy you can make it for a weekday meal just like our Crab Stuffed Whitefish.
Table of contents
- Why You are Going to Love our Lamb Loin Roast Recipe
- Lamb Lover’s Sunday Suppers
- Where is the Loin on a Lamb?
- Herb Stuffing
- How to Remove the Seeds of a Pomegranate?
- Killer Good Pomegranate Sauce
- Ingredients
- Secret Hacks for Cooking the Best Lamb Loin
- What Temperature Should a Lamb Loin Roast be Cooked To?
- How to Cook a Boneless Lamb Loin in the Oven
- The Best Pomegranate Sauce
- Serve It Up in Style
- What to Serve with Lamb?
- Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Why You are Going to Love our Lamb Loin Roast Recipe
- Seriously delicious and tender lamb
- Less than 30-minute meal
- Fancy enough for guests but easy enough for weeknight meals
- Killer good homemade pomegranate glaze
- Gluten-free
- Oven roasted and perfect for the holidays
Lamb Lover’s Sunday Suppers
There is no denying it! We are huge lamb lovers. How about you?
If you have never tried it before, you are going to be shocked how much flavor and tenderness a properly cooked lamb dish can be. One of our top recipes is our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew. It is full of bright bold spices and takes less than 30 minutes on the stovetop.
If you are in to grilling and chilling, be sure to try our Herb Marinated Grilled Rack of Lamb. All we can say is buy 2 racks now as these little lamb lollies sure go fast. Our Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs are tender juicy grilled ground lamb on a stick infused with spices and herbs. If you pop a couple of these lamb kabobs in a flat bread with a little Traditional Baba Ghanoush and Easy Tabbouleh Lebanese Salad and you are in business.
Are you having a quiet afternoon at home? Be sure to try our Slow Roasted Moroccan Spiced Leg of Lamb. You have no idea what you are missing out on if you don’t give this a try. This recipe is a huge crowd pleaser. Fall off the bone tender lamb and a gravy that is to die for.
Where is the Loin on a Lamb?
The loin is one of the most tender and prized cuts of lamb. It is located in the hindsaddle of the lamb between the ribs and sirloin and above the flank. They can be either with the bone or boneless. For this Lamb Loin Roast recipe, we chose a boneless lamb loin that included the little medallion of tenderloin from the butcher.
Herb Stuffing
What fresh herbs do you have growing on your window seal? We stuffed our boneless lamb loin with rosemary, thyme and parsley. Of course, you can’t forget the garlic. Right?... and lots of it!
She is a pretty big roast. Season your roast with salt and fresh cracked pepper both inside and out. This step is a must. Fresh herbs like in our Savory Herb Roasted Whole Chicken and our Rosemary Herbed Pork Chops with Shallot Wine Sauce really makes a recipe extra delicious. However, you can also use dried herbs as well. Use what you have on hand is always our motto.
How to Remove the Seeds of a Pomegranate?
We love using seasonal ingredients. Fresh pomegranates fruits are in season right now. There are many different ways to extract the seeds from a pomegranate. We cut the pomegranates in half. Then, we break into quarters and use our gloved hands to remove the seeds. Reserve some of the seeds for a garnish. If you have extra pomegranate seeds, be sure to try our recipe for Baked Pomegranate Glazed Salmon. Check out our video below to watch the process.
Then, we used the food processor to puree the seeds with a small amount of water just to get it moving. Afterwards, we strain and have the freshest delicious pomegranate juice ever. However, you can use pomegranate juice in a bottle as well.
Killer Good Pomegranate Sauce
Seriously killer good! We could do shots of just the sauce- it’s that good. Slightly sweet, slightly sour, savory, deep and rich flavors that take this lamb loin roast recipe to the next level. The taste from the rendered lamb and the aromatics as it reduces and gets glossy is so delicious.
In the same pan we cooked the lamb in, we added…
- shallots
- garlic
- red wine
- fresh pomegranate juice
- aged balsamic vinegar
- pinch of sugar
- salt and pepper
- butter
Getting all those delicious bits off the bottom allows the rich lamb flavors to permeate the pomegranate sauce.
Ingredients
In addition to the ingredients listed above for the pomegranate sauce, you need the following…
- boneless lamb loin
- olive oil
- rosemary
- thyme
- parsley
- extra garlic, of course
Secret Hacks for Cooking the Best Lamb Loin
There is nothing more disappointing that biting into a dry and tough piece of lamb. Your goal is a tender, succulent lamb that melts in your mouth. We like to cook our lamb to medium rare which is about 135 degrees F or 57 degrees F. Here are few of our tried-and-true culinary tricks.
- Tie up with butcher twine to hold in the herb stuffing and keep its shape.
- Take the lamb loin out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. The purpose is so that the lamb cooks evenly
- One of the most important steps is to sear the loin on all sides well to render the fat. Don’t skimp on this step. Get your pan hot and sear well. Lamb, compared to other cuts of meat, has a higher ratio of fat. You can trim some of it off before cooking but be sure to leave some on as this keeps this cut of meat tender and delicious.
- Do not overcook lamb! Lamb is best at medium rare. Really, any more done than that and why bother as you will ruin a good cut of meat. The longer you cook the meat, the tougher the lamb will be.
- Allow the lamb to rest tented under aluminum foil for at least 10 minutes before carving.
What Temperature Should a Lamb Loin Roast be Cooked To?
Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. For best practices, please refer to USDA guidelines for lamb. Please note that the lamb will continue to cook and raise temperature even after you remove it from the oven.
- Rare – Blue bloody – 125 degrees F (51 degrees C)
- Med Rare – 135 degrees F (57 degrees C) Optimal – We like our lamb cooked to this temperature
- Medium – 145 degrees F (62 degrees C)
- Med Well – 155 degrees F (68 degrees C) Overcooked
- Well Done – 165 degrees F (73 degrees C) Overcooked
How to Cook a Boneless Lamb Loin in the Oven
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Trim lamb of extra fat. Lay boneless lamb loin fat side down and meat side up of a cutting board. Season well with salt and pepper. Add chopped herbs and aromatics like rosemary, thyme, parsley and garlic.
- Roll up tightly and use butcher’s twine to secure tight. Season well on the outside with salt and pepper. At this point in time, you could refrigerate your lamb up to 3 days before cooking. Please make sure your store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Take the lamb out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Allowing it to come to come to room temperature first ensures that it cooks evenly.
- Sear lamb on all sides well in a little olive oil. This is an important step to render out all of the fat.
- Pop your seared stuffed lamb loin roast in the oven. Then, cook until it reaches your desired cook temperature or about 20 minutes. The cooking time for a boneless lamb loin is contingent on if you like your lamb rare, medium rare or medium well. We like ours medium rare which is 135 degrees F, or 57 degrees C. Use a meat thermometer and start checking the doneness at 10 minutes and add more time as needed. Our roast was a little less than 2 pounds. It took about 18 minutes to reach internal temperature of 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Cooking time may vary from 15 minutes to 25 minutes to reach your goal.
- Remove from lamb roast from oven. Tent with aluminum foil while you make the pomegranate sauce.
- Don’t wash your cooking pan as those delicious drippings make a lovely pomegranate sauce.
The Best Pomegranate Sauce
- We chose to use fresh pomegranate seeds in the food processor with a little water to get it going to make fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. We strained out the seeds. However, you can also use bottle pomegranate juice like POM in this healthy recipe.
- Drain out a little of the oil left in the pan that you cooked the lamb in. You only need about 2 tablespoons.
- Heat the pan up to medium and add shallots and garlic. Then, add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the delicious bits and bobs off the bottom of the pan. Add the pomegranate juice, aged balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until the sauce reduces by half and starts to thicken or coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pomegranate sauce off the burner and add a dab of butter to the sauce.
Serve It Up in Style
Did you know that we first eat with our eyes? Presentation is everything.
- Remove the butchers string from the loin.
- Slice lamb in about ½ inch slices against the grain.
- Ladle the delicious pomegranate sauce on the bottom of a serving plate.
- Add the sliced lamb loin over the pomegranate sauce.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and fresh pomegranate seeds
What to Serve with Lamb?
Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower Bites
Crispy Roasted Red Potatoes and Cabbage
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)
An average boneless lamb loin is a little less than 2 pounds. After searing lamb loin well on all sides, bake for approximately 20 minutes or until it reaches the internal temperature of 135 degrees F (57 degrees C).
There is no need to cover the lamb while roasting in the oven. In fact, leaving your lamb uncovered helps the browning and cooking process.
The optimal cooking temperature for lamb to cook to medium rare or 135 degrees F (57 degrees F). The lamb will continue cook even after you take it out of the oven as it rests. At this temperature, your lamb will still be pink on the inside and this is normal and how it is traditionally served.
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Lamb Loin Roast Recipe (Pomegranate Sauce)
Equipment
- butcher's twine
- oven proof skillet
Ingredients
Herb Stuffed Lamb Loin
- 2 pounds boneless lamb loin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 sprigs rosemary fresh or 1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
- ¼ cup thyme fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 cup parsley chopped
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and chopped (reserve 2 to pomegranate sauce)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Pomegranate Sauce
- 2 shallots peeled and chopped
- ½ cup red wine
- ½ cup pomegranate juice
- 2 tablespoon barrel aged balsamic vinegar We used FM03 Barrel Aged Organic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
- 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar alternative
- 1 tablespoon butter
Garnishes
- 2 tablespoon fresh pomegranate seeds
- fresh herbs
Instructions
Prepare Boneless Lamb Loin
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Trim lamb of extra fat. (Leave some fat on as when this render it makes the lamb flavorful and tender) Lay boneless lamb loin fat side down and meat side up on a cutting board. Season well with salt and pepper. Add chopped herbs and aromatics like rosemary, thyme, parsley and garlic.
- Roll up lamb loin tightly and use butcher’s twine to secure tight. Season well on the outside with salt and pepper. At this point in time, you could refrigerate your lamb up to 3 days before cooking if wrapped tightly or stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Take the lamb out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Allowing it to come to come to room temperature first ensures that it cooks evenly.
- In an oven proof skillet, sear lamb on all sides well in a little olive oil. This is an important step to render out all of the fat. This step takes about 5 minutes in a hot skillet.
- Place your seared stuffed lamb loin roast in the oven and cook until it reaches your desired cook temperature or about 20 minutes. The cooking time for a boneless lamb loin is contingent on if you like your lamb rare, medium rare or medium well. We like ours medium rare which is 135 degrees F, or 57 degrees C. Use a meat thermometer and start checking the doneness at 10 minutes and add more time as needed. Our roast was a little less than 2 pounds and it took about 18 minutes to reach internal temperature of 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Cooking time may vary from 15 minutes to 25 minutes to reach your goal. See notes below for more detailed cooking times.
- Remove from lamb roast from oven and place in a dish or cutting board tented with aluminum foil while you make the pomegranate sauce.
Make Pomegranate Sauce
- Don’t wash your cooking pan as those delicious drippings make a lovely pomegranate sauce.
- How to make fresh pomegranate juice from scratch: Add seeds from one whole pomegranate in the food processor. Next add 2 tablespoons of little water to get it going. To make fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, strain out the seeds. Now you have fresh delicious pomegranate juice. If you desire, you can also use bottle pomegranate juice like POM in this healthy recipe.
- Drain out a little of the oil left in the pan that you cooked the lamb in. You only need about 2 tablespoons.
- Heat the pan up to medium and add shallots and garlic.Then add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the delicious bits and bobs off the bottom of the pan. Add the pomegranate juice, aged balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. We used a really good barrel aged balsamic from Italy from Mie Radici. If you are using a cheaper version of balsamic vinegar, you will need to reduce the amount of balsamic vinegar to 1 tablespoon and increase sugar to 2 teaspoons. Cook over medium heat until the sauce reduces by half and starts to thicken or coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pomegranate sauce off the burner and add a dab of butter to the sauce and mix well.
- Remove the butchers string from the cooked lamb loin. Slice lamb in about ½ inch slices against the grain.
- Ladle the delicious pomegranate sauce on the bottom of a serving plate. Add the sliced lamb loin over the pomegranate sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs and fresh pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Tie up the roast with butcher twine to hold in the herb stuffing and keep its shape.
- Take the lamb loin out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. The purpose is so that the lamb cooks evenly
- One of the most important steps is to sear the loin on all sides well to render the fat. Don’t skimp on this step. Get your pan hot and sear well. Lamb, compared to other cuts of meat, has a higher ratio of fat. You can trim some of it off before cooking but be sure to leave some on as this keeps this cut of meat tender and delicious.
- Do not overcook lamb! Lamb is best at medium rare. Really any more done than that and why bother as you will ruin a good cut of meat. The longer you cook the meat, the tougher the lamb will be.
- Allow the lamb to rest tented under aluminum foil for at least 10 minutes before carving.
- Rare – Blue bloody – 125 degrees F (51 degrees C)
- Med Rare – 135 degrees F (57 degrees C) Optimal – We like our lamb cooked to this temperature
- Medium – 145 degrees F (62 degrees C)
- Med Well – 155 degrees F (68 degrees C) Overcooked
- Well Done – 165 degrees F (73 degrees C) Overcooked
Eha says
You have hit my weak spot here, BAM 🙂 ! I just love lamb!! Living mostly alone at the moment don't use larger pieces to bake too often, but one can get quite small shoulders which I have always preferred over the leg. Haven't cooked it quite as slow, but shall try if I find a good piece of meat at next week's shop. And mint sauce in this instance, please! Methinks I had too many 'gloopy' 'gravies' rather than sauces when I first arrived in Australia as a little migrant girl: still do not like the sound of them 🙂 !
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Eha,
Or even better yet make the whole 4 pound shoulder and have lots of yummy leftovers. There are so many things you can make with these delicious leftovers. A moroccan lamb stew, lamb with yogurt and mint in pitas, and the list goes on and on. The mint sauce is very light and refreshing and a million times better than that nasty mint sauce that comes in jar. I hope your weekend is sunny and bright. Take care, BAM
GourmetGetaways (@GourmetGetaway) says
Oh WOW!!! This looks amazing! I can imagine how fantastic your kitchen smelled with all those gorgeous aromas. I am pinning this one to my "Winter Warmers" in Pinterest.
Oh and drop by my site i have added you to my Foodie Friends Blogroll 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you so much for adding me to your pins and adding me to your foodie friend blog roll. I am very delighted and am on my way to see what you have been cooking this weekend. Take care, BAM
Norma Chang says
How easy is it to get lamb, especially a whole shoulder, in Hong Kong?
Your lamb sure looks gorgeous, not a lamb person but I guess pork shoulder would make a good substitute here.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Norma, your right it is not an easy thing to find in HK. They finally has a few smaller lamb shoulders at park n shop from Australia, so I took advantage of the opportunity. As you know, big pieces of meat here are usually very expensive. This was a big treat but we did eat off of this for 2 meals, so it actually ended up being a good deal. Pork loin would be a fantastic alternative. The rosemary, onions and garlic really make this dish special. Take care, BAM
dianeskitchentable says
Ah, looks excellent & I love that 15 minutes prep time. Always keep a dirty apron on hand for show & plenty of pots piled up in the drainer.
Sunday homework days...so glad those are behind me although now it seems like my daughter always has some homework from work to get done. I can't really help her there but it usually means that Sunday visits end too soon.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Diane, that is brilliant of course you should help set the scene by making it look like a cyclone hit the kitchen, but then we would have to clean it up...So preferred option is just to bang a lot of clean pots and pans around with the kitchen door closed while you finish your glass of wine. LOL Today is Saturday in HK so going to see if we can spread out the pain of homework hell over 2 days. I will let you know how that all goes...Take care, BAM
Dawn says
I completely understand Sunday homework days - in fact, it seems as though we have homework days every day of the week! We slow roast every Sunday - but usually on the Big Green Egg...can't wait until Sunday! Your roast looks amazing!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Dawn, I think every mom/dad can sympathize with Sunday homework days. I know that during the week it is painful, but all I want is just one part of the weekend open. I am sure it will only intensify as coursework becomes more challenging. Happy St. Pattys day to you!!!Happy slow roasting. BAM
sweetsimplestuff says
What a wonderful Sunday dinner! Kids and homework ... I remember those days ... panic at the last moment 😉
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Brenda. The only good part about Sundays is the food as homework sessions are quite the bore. I can't wait until this phase is over but it also is sad as I know that as teenagers it will be soon when they part and go their own ways. So with that all in perspective, bring on the physics homework...Take care, BAM
john@kitchenriffs says
Yeah, I know all about that procrastination thing! And I know a good recipe when I see one, and this looks terrific! I don't do much with lamb shoulder, but it's so good when roasted for a long time like yours. And you're definitely right that no knife needed - a fork is more than sufficient to cut it! I'm not a big fan of the mint jelly people sometimes serve with lamb, but mint sauce is another matter. Yours looks delish. Good recipe, fun post - thank you.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Oh John, were you one of those kids too? Well it looks like you turned out swell, so maybe there is hope for my boys... (Smiling) This lamb was really beautiful. My boys are generally not big on lamb but when you add lots of garlic, onions and aromatics to the mix it makes everything taste better. I know what you mean about that odd mint jelly you find in the stores that stuff is just horrible but the mint sauce is beautiful and fresh.Take care, BAM
sybaritica says
Very nice roast. Your mint sauce is very similar to mine, except I use white vinegar. If you make lots, it keeps well and is great for glazing lamb chops for another meal!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello John and thanks, this mint sauce is good for lots of other recipes.I even used some of it to make a salad dressing and it was quite nice. I think I would have preferred white vinegar but apple cider or Chinese dark vinegar was all I had in my pantry. You definitely don't want to use Chinese black vinegar in this recipe.
sugaredpecan says
What a beautiful dish!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you. What are you making this weekend?
Natalie says
Wow this looks so juicy and tender, such perfection!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Natalie, it looks like it is alot of work but that is the beauty of this dish it is very low maintenance with lots of taste.
Tandy says
This looks so good I'm salivating!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Tandy, thank you. I would sent some your way but don't think it would fare well on a slow shrimp boat from China to South Africa... LOL Have a super weekend. BAM
albertocook says
I love this
Jo (http://blog-diggidy.com) says
MMMM, my mouth is watering this looks so good. I don't believe I've ever had lamb before. I just love your pics, they're always so pretty! Homework...geck! My daughter is in 10th grade and I don't understand half of what she is doing! 😉
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Jo and thanks. If you are not big on lamb a nice pork roast done using the same method would be beautiful. I know the older they get, the older we feel and when we try to help them we do it the old fashion way which totally frustrates them, esp, with Maths. You have to hope they have some really smart friends.
tableofcolors says
Your lamb looks wonderful! And I remember those "homework" days from my youth...we would often stay up until 2 or 3 am finishing a project or an essay. I'm sure that we were not very efficient at that hour. I have become a little smarter now, I know that it pays to sleep and try get everything done during the day!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you dear and I know if you made it through this phase there is hope for me too and my procrastinating boys. I have not stayed up to the wee hours with them, thank goodness. Take care, BAM
Choc Chip Uru says
If your sons like to procrastinate, we would be great friends 😛
Lovely looking meal to keep you and your family running around the clock - beautiful flavouring 😀
Cheers
CCU
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you CCU. I dont believe your a procrastinator one little bit. However I know that given the option between studying for you exams and baking with some nutella, I think we all know which one you might prefer.