Traditional Spanish Lamb Stew Recipe

Spanish lamb recipes always seem to make their comeback during the winter months. This trend increases even more in Andalusia, the region with the best lamb dishes in the world.

In this article, we will introduce you to the Spanish lamb stew, a dish that is always here to warm people in the cold winters of southern Spain.

We will not only tell you how to make the Spanish stew recipe step by step, but we will also give you some tips so you can modify it to your liking.

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Background of the Dish

This recipe stands out from other easy Spanish dishes since it allows you to play a lot with the ingredients. 

Like all hearty stew recipes, in this one too all the ingredients are practically cooked together since all the flavors are absorbed and complement each other.

The Spanish lamb stew recipe has been made this way since its origins in the 1600s when the different stew recipes became massive among the Andalusians.

This one, in particular, became popular due to the abundance of lamb in the area, and its delicious flavor.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Lamb Stew

This is the best lamb stew recipe since you only need a leg of lamb and some vegetables to make it. 

Later we will discuss all the changes you can make to the ingredients.

To make this Spanish recipe you will need a pressure cooker (one of the classic ones suitable for stovetops or the most modern digital ones.

Though we will also leave you a tip in the notes so that you can modify it and make it with a normal pot.

Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb (boneless and sliced)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 leek
• 2 carrots
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)
• 5 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (100ml) red wine
• 1 2/3 cups (400ml) beef broth
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

How to Make Spanish Lamb Stew – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this Spanish lamb recipe you should debone and cut the leg of lamb with the help of a chef’s knife or a cleaver if you are comfortable with it. You can also ask the butcher to do it and save some time.

2. Now season the meat with salt and pepper, rubbing each lamb piece so it gets coated with flavor. Then dredge the lamb cubes with flour (removing the excess).

3. In a pressure cooker, put the tablespoons of oil and seal the meat on both sides over high heat. It will be ready once it reaches a golden color on the outside, then you can remove them from the pot and set them aside.

4. Then, wash the vegetables (leek, carrot, and red bell pepper). Peel them, including the onion, and cut them into regular pieces. Put them in the pot and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

5. After that, add the red wine, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaves, and raise the heat to high. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are softer and the alcohol has evaporated (that way the stew won’t taste like alcohol).

6. The next step in this easy lamb stew recipe is to put the lamb back in the pot and add the beef broth. Cook over medium heat (letting the pot release steam) for 25 minutes. Then turn off the heat but leave the lamb stew until the pot depressurizes.

7. Then open the pot, and remove the bay leaf and sprigs of rosemary.

8. For the final step, remove the vegetables and pass them through the food processor or blender until you get a sauce. Then you take them back with the meat and heat them for 10 minutes over medium heat. Otherwise, you can serve the vegetables as is, but in that case, you won’t have a smooth sauce to go with your Spanish lamb stew.

Substitution of Ingredients

Something that all the best lamb stew recipes have in common is that they allow you to play with the ingredients.

If there is something that you do not have at home, or that you cannot find in the store, you can still prepare the recipe.

For example, if you don’t have beef broth you can use vegetable broth, or use the same amount of water and dissolve a bouillon.

As for the protein, you could modify the leg of lamb for another part of the lamb, or for pork chops, chicken breasts, or even for chorizo (by modifying the cooking time).

You could modify the vegetables, using other types of peppers, and adding tomatoes, or potatoes to make it more nutritious.

The Spanish stews are quite famous and if you want to try another, we encourage you to try the Spanish oxtail stew, the Spanish pork stew, or the Spanish chicken stew.

Save the recipe for the Spanish beef stew with potatoes as well, because this Spanish stew is something you must try.

If you want a meat-free stew, you must try then the Spanish Vegetable Stew or the summer stew Pisto Manchego.

And last but not least, a delicious Spanish seafood stew for those of you who want a real taste of the sea.

Tips on Serving Spanish Lamb Stew

A good Spanish winter dinner is only complete with a good stew (or soup, failing that) so you can serve this Spanish lamb stew at that time of the day.

You can also serve it during lunch, in both cases we recommend that you have a slice of your favorite bread to be able to soak it in the sauce of the stew.

If you follow the recipe then you will have 4 generous portions to serve on medium/large plates and make it the main course of the meal.

You can make smaller Spanish lamb dishes if you serve them in small bowls and it would make a perfect starter dish.

You can even inspire yourself from other Spanish recipes and serve the Spanish lamb stew with patatas bravas and aioli sauce, aka Spanish garlic sauce.

How to Store Spanish Lamb Stew

The Spanish lamb stew is fantastic because, unlike other Spanish stew recipes, in this case, you can freeze it or store it in the fridge.

Whichever way you choose, in both cases you will have to let the stew come to room temperature first. Then you must cover it in plates or Tupper and save it.

You can take the Spanish stew to the freezer and store it there for up to 45 days (let it thaw in the fridge the night before eating it).

Then, like other simple lamb recipes, you can choose to keep it basic, which is to put it in the fridge and leave it there for up to 4 days.

Recipe Card: Spanish Lamb Stew

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