Lamb Stew with Vegetables
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Cozy up with a bowl of Guinness-spiked lamb stew—each spoonful promises succulent meat, hearty broth, and pure comfort.
This lamb stew is a comforting classic, much like my popular beef stew and Hungarian goulash, but with a distinctly Irish twist. Tender, seared lamb is slow-cooked in a Guinness-spiked broth, giving the stew a rich, malty flavor, while carrots and potatoes make it wonderfully hearty. Pair it with my Cheddar soda bread, and you’ve got a hearty meal that’s perfect for warming up on a chilly day.
“Delicious! I doubled the recipe and made it for a crowd of friends all from Ireland the weekend before St Patrick’s Day…No leftovers, unfortunately!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Lamb Stew With Vegetables
- Lamb Shoulder: Rich in flavor, this cut and becomes fork-tender when cooked slowly over low heat.
- Onions and Garlic: The flavor base of the stew.
- Tomato Paste: Adds umami, richness, and a slight acidity.
- Flour: Thickens the stew.
- Guinness: Adds a unique, malty depth and a hint of bitterness.
- Beef Broth: The savory liquid base for the stew.
- Bay Leaf and Fresh Rosemary: Bring earthy flavor.
- Carrots and Baby Yukon Potatoes: Add heartiness to the stew.
- Peas: Bring a pop of color, sweetness, and freshness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven until shimmering. Brown the lamb in batches, adding more oil as needed, and letting it develop a crust before turning.
Transfer the browned meat to large bowl and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pot.
Cook until the onions are soft, then add the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more.
Add the lamb with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with flour.
Stir until fully combined, then add the Guinness, broth, water, bay leaf, rosemary, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew.
Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the meat is very soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in peas and simmer until warmed through. The stew can be made up to 3 days ahead of time or frozen for 3 months.
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Lamb Stew with Vegetables
Cozy up with a bowl of Guinness-spiked lamb stew—each spoonful promises succulent meat, hearty broth, and pure comfort.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds lamb shoulder, well-trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1½-inch
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Guinness
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons more for cooking onions and garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- 1 cup frozen green peas
Instructions
- Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the lamb in three batches, adding one more tablespoon of oil for each batch. Do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a brown crust before turning with tongs. It should take 5-8 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned meat to large bowl and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pot. Cook until the onions are soft, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of pan, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the lamb with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely mixed in, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the Guinness, beef broth, water, bay leaf, rosemary sprig and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer for one hour and twenty minutes.
- Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew, then cover and continue simmering until the vegetables are cooked and the meat is very tender, 30-40 minutes. (Be sure to stir a few times to prevent vegetables from sticking to bottom.)
- Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig, and then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If serving right away, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are warmed through. Otherwise, let the stew cool, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat gently on the stovetop and add the peas right before serving.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Prepare the stew as directed, then cool it to room temperature before refrigerating. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. If you want to freeze the stew, transfer it to an airtight container once it has cooled. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the stew overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 789
- Fat: 52g
- Saturated fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Sugar: 9g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 42g
- Sodium: 1242mg
- Cholesterol: 150mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Any hints on adapting this for a slow cooker? Thank you!
Hi Angela, It will work but you’d still need to go through all of the initial steps like searing the meat on the stovetop, so not sure it’s worth it.
My question is can I use lamb neck for this recipe and can I use a slow cooker?
Thanks
Hi Kate, Sorry for the late reply. I do think lamb neck will work but not sure it makes sense to use a slow cooker, as you’d still need to go through all of the initial steps, like searing the meat, on the stovetop.
Hi, this recipe looks absolutely amazing….will be making this for a party. I was wondering if there’s anything I can use to substitute the beef broth with as there are some people who don’t eat beef. Thanks in advance!
Yes, you can use chicken broth.
I followed the “spirit” of this recipe but substituted with what I had on hand. First, I replaced the lamb for beef chuck. Second, instead of Guinness, I used Founder’s Breakfast Stout (“Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout”). All else was as described in the recipe (browned the meat, sprinkled with flour, added peas just before serving…) It turned out amazing. I made it one night and served it the next. Next time, I’ll make some soda bread to go with it. Five stars!
Question – I have never made your lamb stew, but would like too make it ahead and freeze for a family St. Patrick’s Day party in six weeks. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Molly, For the most part, the stew freezes beautifully — just omit the potatoes, as they do not freeze well. You can boil some potatoes separately when you defrost the stew and either add them in or serve them on the side. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, I’m getting ready to make this delicious stew for the second time, doubling the recipe this time for guests. (I assume I double everything, including the liquids. Please correct me if that’s not right). I noticed Whole Foods has bags of multi-colored baby potatoes (so cute and pretty) and wonder if you think those would work well in this dish. Or do I need to stay with the white yukon type?
Hi Jane, Yes, it’s fine to just double all of the ingredients. I think the multi-colored potatoes will work, although I’m not sure you’ll be able to appreciate them once they are in the stew. Hope everyone enjoys!
I made this for my family over the holidays and it was oh so delicious! I didn’t have as much lamb as the recipe called for, but it was tasty nevertheless.
Stellar recipe! My husband says its the best stew he’s had in his whole life! (And he’s old.) I made it almost as written with the exceptions that I increased the Guinness to 2 Cups and decreased the broth to 2. And I doubled the amount of bay leaves and Rosemary. I would repeat this again the same way. Jenn, you’ve made me love cooking again!
So glad it turned out, Jane!
Do you recommend peeling the potatoes? It looks from the photos as if they’re peeled, but I like keeping vegetable skins on as much as possible as I was told a lot of nutrients are in the skins. Just wondering if it would work if I left them on or if the skins might peel off anyway in the cooking process and might ruin the texture somehow. Can’t wait to make this tonight!
Hi Jane, This recipe calls for baby potatoes, which don’t need to be peeled. But even if you use regular potatoes, it’s fine if you want to leave on the skin 🙂
Thanks, Jenn. Not quite sure I got baby ones. The tiny ones I saw at Whole Foods were in mulitcolors, so I opted for “baby-ish” ones that were white. I’ll try using them unpeeled and cutting into quarters since I think they’re slightly larger than the ones you specified.
I can’t wait to try this out! Do you have any suggestions for a non-alcoholic substitution for the Guinness?
Hi Christine, You can replace the beer with more beef broth — it will still be delicious.