ground lamb

Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta recipe | Epicurious.com

kefir (cultured milk) or plain whole-milk yogurt

(lightly packed) dill fronds with tender stems (about 1 large bunch), divided

garlic cloves, divided

unsalted butter

pine nuts almonds

currants

kosher salt,

Tbsp. cumin

1½ tsp. black pepper

lb. ground lamb

lb. orecchiette or other short pasta

lemon

Kefi Lamb Gyro recipe | Epicurious.com

2 1/4 inch thick slices Spanish or sweet onion

olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

well-marbled, lamb

pork

Dijon mustard

garlic

coriander

espelette pepper chile powder

herbs,

scallion,

eggs,

Greek Salad,

Tzatziki,

pitas,

These lamb kofte (köfte) have just the right balance of seasoning and lamb flavor. Easy and tasty.&nbsp;

Lamb kofte (köfte)

onion (grated)

garlic (crushed/finely grated)

tbsp mint (finely chopped)

tbsp parsley (finely chopped)

lb lamb lamb mince)

cinnamon

salt

Soak 4 wooden skewers a little ahead of time, if using, or use metal skewers.

Grate the onion, grate or crush the garlic and finely chop the mint and parsley (note quantity is after chopping).&nbsp;

Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well - I'd recommend using your hands and really knead the mixture kind of squeezing it to get all the ingredients well mixed.&nbsp;

Divide the mixture in to four and press each quarter into a sausage shape (it doesn't have to be as long as you will want yet). Push each sausage shaped kofte on to a skewer and spread it along the skewer a bit so it thins out a little more. Put the kofte on a tray or plate and refrigerate for around 20 minutes or so to firm up a little.

Heat the grill to a medium heat and cook the kofte a few minutes each side until lightly charred and the meat is cooked through. Alternatively, you can cook them under a broiler (grill).&nbsp;

This hearty dish is inspired by moussaka, but simpler to prepare. Everything is baked in one roasting pan, with the different elements added in stages. Made with yogurt, cheese and egg, the topping cuts wonderfully through the richness of the eggplant and lamb, even though it lacks the body of béchamel. If you can get them, sweet and properly ripened tomatoes would be better than the canned ones. This is best served with a piece of pita or a slice of white bread to scoop it all up.

Eggplant, Lamb and Yogurt Casserole

eggplants

lamb (lamb mince)

onion,

fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped

tomato paste

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

allspice

red-pepper flakes

(14-ounce 400-gram) can whole, peeled plum tomatoes

chicken stock

flat-leaf parsley

plain Greek yogurt

all-purpose (plain) flour

garlic cloves,

Parmesan

roughly crumbled feta

pine nuts

Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/240 degrees Celsius.

Add the eggplant, lamb, onion, oregano, oil, tomato paste, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, red-pepper flakes, 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and a good grind of pepper to a 10-by-13-inch/26-by-34-centimeter (or similar) roasting pan (tin) and mix well to combine. Bake until the mixture is well browned, stirring twice throughout and breaking apart the meat with a spoon, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and continue to break apart the meat very well (don’t worry if you break apart some of the eggplant, too). Add the canned tomatoes with their juices, lightly crushing the tomatoes by hand. Stir in the chicken stock and parsley then return to the oven and bake for another 35 minutes, stirring twice throughout, until the sauce is thick and rich and the eggplant is very soft. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature up to 475 degrees Fahrenheit/250 degrees Celsius.

While the casserole is in the oven, prepare the topping: Whisk together the yogurt, yolks, flour, garlic and half the Parmesan with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Once ready, spoon the yogurt mixture over the lamb and eggplant, gently spreading to cover. Top evenly with the remaining Parmesan, feta, pine nuts, parsley and red-pepper flakes.

Bake until golden and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Infused with Mediterranean flavors and topped with mild, creamy tzatziki, these lamb burgers are an exotic twist on the traditional grilled favorite.

Lamb-Feta Burgers with Tzatziki

c. cucumber

c. nonfat Greek yogurt

garlic paste

lemon juice

kosher salt

Black pepper

lb. lamb

feta cheese

onion

oregano leaves

zucchini

yellow summer squash

pita breads

butter lettuce leaves

tomato

Middle Eastern Meat Loaf

beef

lamb

eggs

milk

oats

parsley

green pepper, minced

orange

raisins

thyme

black pepper

garlic,

Worcestershire sauce

butter

onions

green pepper

bay leaf

tomatoes,

In a bowl, thoroughly combine the ground beef and the lamb. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk and oats. Pour into the meats. Mix thoroughly.

Add all other ingredients except melted butter. Mix well.

Shape mixture into an oval loaf and place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with melted butter and bake for 1 hour. Serve with sauce.

For the meatloaf

In a skillet, heat the butter. Add the onions, green pepper and bay leaf and saute until onion is translucent and limp, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, except tomato paste and parsley, breaking the tomatoes into small pieces as you add them. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.

Add the tomato paste and stir well. Cook 15 minutes. Add the parsley, stir well. Serve over Middle Eastern Meat Loaf.

For the sauce

This recipe is from "A Meatloaf in Every Oven," by Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer, who say it was the invention of a friend, Anne Kornblut. The plethora of spices and large amounts of garlic may seem overwhelming, but ground meat has a deep tolerance for seasoning and is usually improved by it. The fresh herbs are a foil for all the rich seasonings, and the vegetables give the loaf an especially lovely texture.

Meatloaf With Moroccan Spices

olive oil, more as needed

medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)

carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)

ginger

cumin

smoked paprika

cilantro leaves

mint leaves

parsley leaves

eggs, lightly beaten

bread crumbs

plain full-fat Greek-style yogurt

lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute or two. Add the celery, carrots and ginger, and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more olive oil as needed to make sure ingredients are well coated and softening.

Add the spices: cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon and salt, stirring well to mix. (You can alter spices to your liking, with more or less of those recommended or adding curry powder, nutmeg, allspice, black or cayenne pepper.) Add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula to ensure the spices don’t burn. Once mixture is cooked, remove pan from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine in a large bowl the fresh herbs (cilantro, mint and parsley) and the eggs and bread crumbs. Add the ground lamb and the cooled mixture. Mix well with clean hands, until all ingredients are blended.

Place the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Create a water bath by placing the loaf pan into a larger baking pan and filling the larger pan halfway with lukewarm water. (This helps keep the meatloaf moist by keeping the temperature more even during baking.)

Put the meatloaf, in the bath, into the oven and cook for about 1 hour 30 minutes. After an hour, check the meatloaf, and remove the foil if you would like a firmer top. Bake until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. (This is a good time to toast the pine nuts if you’re making the sauce.)

Remove pans from the oven, lift the loaf pan out of the water bath, and let the meatloaf cool for at least 5 minutes. If there is excessive grease, carefully pour that out and discard it. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cooled, depending on your taste.

If you're making the sauce, mix the yogurt, lemon juice and pine nuts together with a spoon, and serve in a small dish on the side.

This recipe is inspired by springtime and Bolognese bianco, or white Bolognese, a hearty Italian meat sauce made without tomato. It calls for ground lamb, but you can also use beef, pork or veal. The addition of cream to the simmering broth helps tenderize the lamb, and gives the sauce body. Incorporating starchy pasta water, then stirring it vigorously, creates a glossy, thick coating. Spinach, peas and lemon provide fresh, bright notes that balance the rich Bolognese. If fresh peas are available, cook them in the sauce for a few minutes before stirring in the spinach.

Spring Pasta Bolognese With Lamb and Peas

carrot

garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

chicken broth

heavy cream

rosemary sprig

spaghetti

peas

baby spinach

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

parsley,

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, heavy cream and rosemary, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, partly covered and stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 30 minutes. (The sauce may look broken at first, but it will emulsify as it cooks.) Discard the rosemary sprig.

As the sauce cooks, make the pasta: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.

Over medium heat, add the peas and spinach to the sauce and stir until spinach is wilted. Add the cooked pasta, butter and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce. Toss vigorously until sauce is thickened and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes, adding more pasta water if a looser sauce is desired. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide pasta among bowls. Garnish with more cheese, parsley and black pepper.

A simple sauce made mostly with pantry staples, this spicy, tomatoey take on a ragù, which is traditionally long-cooked, is unapologetically lamb-forward. If you prefer, you could use pork, beef or a mix of all three. Whatever you do, try not to skip the anchovies — they add a depth of flavor typically achieved by a long simmer, and anchovy-haters won't even know they are there.

Quick Lamb Ragù

olive oil,

yellow onion, finely chopped

garlic cloves, finely chopped

red-pepper flakes (optional)

anchovy

tomatoes

noodles

oregano

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a pinch of red-pepper flakes and anchovies, if using, and cook for a minute or two, just to toast the spices and melt the anchovies.

Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally so it has a chance to stick to the bottom of the pot and caramelize a bit, 2 or 3 minutes.

Add lamb and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir lamb until the fat starts to soften and the meat begins to break down. Continue to cook, stirring rather frequently until the lamb begins to brown and sizzle in its own fat, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Fill the tomato can halfway with water and swirl around to get all the remaining tomato, then add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until sauce is thickened and insanely flavorful, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve sauce mixed into and over pasta with plenty of cheese for grating over the top, scattered with a small handful of marjoram, oregano or thyme leaves if you like.

Nachos can be fun as a bar food, but they’re usually not much more than that. Here, I'm substituting like mad to create what you might call Greek-style nachos.

Mine go like this: pita triangles toasted with olive oil; a sauce of feta and yogurt, spiked with mint and lemon; a topping of ground lamb with onion and cumin; and a garnish of tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. The whole thing takes maybe a half-hour, and it’s all familiar except for the arrangement.

Greek-Style Nachos

pita pockets, white

Salt

yogurt,

mint

tomatoes, chopped

cucumber,

calamata olives, pitted and halved (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees Arrange pita wedges in one layer on baking sheets and brush or drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Bake until they begin to color, turning once or twice, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, turn off oven and put chips back in to keep warm.

In a blender or food processor, combine feta, yogurt, 1/4 cup olive oil, mint and zest and juice of lemon; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Blend or process until smooth. (You can also mash mixture by hand, with a fork.)

Put two tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add lamb and cumin and sprinkle with salt and pepper; continue cooking until meat is cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes more. Put chips on a serving plate and top with lamb, sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives if you’re using them.

Mr. Franey brought this French-inspired variation of the American classic to The Times in 1993 his 60-Minute Gourmet column. In a nod to his country of origin, he calls for lamb instead of beef, and tiny green lentils for red kidney beans. Beyond that, you'll recognize most of the players – onions, garlic, celery, red pepper, jalapeño, cumin and chile powder. It is a sophisticated take on traditional cowboy fare. Serve it alone or over rice.

Lamb Chili With Lentils

celery

sweet red pepper

jalapeno pepper, cored,

chile powder

oregano,

bay leaves

chicken broth, fresh

Salt and pepper

green lentils

Sour cream

Limes

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot, and add the meat. Cook over medium-high heat for three or four minutes, stirring with a heavy metal kitchen spoon to break up any lumps.

Add the onions, garlic, celery, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, cumin and chile powder, and stir to blend well. Cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the oregano, bay leaves, tomatoes and chicken broth along with 1 cup water and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook for 20 minutes.

Place the lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups of water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Drain.

Add the lentils to the meat mixture. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove bay leaves. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and wedges of lime if desired.

Hashweh means stuffing in Arabic, hence the name of this dish that is used to fill chicken, lamb, pigeon and almost any other poultry or meat that can be stuffed. The combination of warm spices, fluffy rice and tender meat with the crispy, fried nuts is so delicious, it has become a meal in its own right. For a more elaborate presentation, you can top it with shredded chicken or lamb. Whichever way you serve it, you’re in for a real treat, with a recipe so simple it can easily make its way into your weekly dinner rotation. Hashweh pairs perfectly with a salad of finely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and onions dressed with lemon, olive oil, salt and some dried mint.

Top 30 ground lamb recipes from across the web

The most viewed ground lamb recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta r...

Kefi Lamb Gyro recipe | Epicurious....

Lamb kofte (köfte)

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Middle Eastern Meat Loaf

Meatloaf With Moroccan Spices

Spring Pasta Bolognese With Lamb an...

Quick Lamb Ragù

Greek-Style Nachos

Lamb Chili With Lentils

Hashweh (Spiced Rice and Meat With ...

Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta With C...

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Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta

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Grilled Lamb Burgers with Feta

Top 30 ground lamb recipes from across the web

The most viewed ground lamb recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta r...

Kefi Lamb Gyro recipe | Epicurious....

Lamb kofte (köfte)

Eggplant, Lamb and Yogurt Casserole

Lamb-Feta Burgers with Tzatziki

Middle Eastern Meat Loaf

Meatloaf With Moroccan Spices

Spring Pasta Bolognese With Lamb an...

Quick Lamb Ragù

Greek-Style Nachos

Lamb Chili With Lentils

Hashweh (Spiced Rice and Meat With ...

Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta With C...

Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas)

Slow-Cooker Kofte in Tomato-Lime Br...

Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta

Moroccan Shakshuka

Lamb and Feta Frittata

20-Minute Greek Gyros with Tzatziki...

Moussaka

Adana Kebabs

Easy Rustic Shepherd's Pie with The...

Grilled Kofta Kebabs

Middle Eastern Lamb Stuffed Eggplan...

35+ BEST Ground Lamb Recipes

Shepherd's Pie

Breakfast Smash Burgers

Lamb Burgers with Arugula Pesto and...

Crock-Pot Shepherds Pie Recipe

Grilled Lamb Burgers with Feta

The most viewed ground lamb recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine