Moroccan Lamb Stew is loaded with flavor and nutrition. Tender chunks of stew meat low carb vegetables, and rich broth make it a perfect one-pot meal.
I am a lamb fan. A fan of lamb, as it were. We ate it relatively frequently when I was a kid, and I’ve always loved the unique flavor. The very thought of some grilled lamb chops can set me salivating!
And this easy Moroccan Lamb Stew is an excellent way to prepare it at home. The slow cooked method results in tender, juicy meat. And the combination of spices is both slightly exotic and deliciously comforting.
Just like my Keto Beef Stew and Instant Pot Pork Stew, this recipe is a full meal made in a single pot. Protein, low carb veggies, and a hearty broth make it super satisfying. Perfect for those chilly winter days.
Why you must try this recipe
Lamb tends to be more popular in other parts of the world than in the US. European, North African, and Middle Eastern recipes feature it frequently. And Indian cuisine also uses plenty of lamb.
For Canadians such as myself, lamb with mint sauce is a classic dish, surely passed down from our British forebears. And I’ve often served it with garlic and rosemary as well.
But I love world cuisine and I love playing with spice combinations. I was inspired by the flavors of Morocco with this keto stew recipe. It brings together spices you might not think of for many savory recipes, like cinnamon, coriander, and cloves. They pair delightfully with the rich meat.
The slow braising method results in chunks of lamb that almost melt in your mouth. And instead of potatoes or chickpeas, this Moroccan Lamb Stew contains cauliflower. So it’s a perfect low carb, one-pan meal.
Ingredients you need
- Seasonings: Cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ground cloves, cayenne, turmeric, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- Lamb stew meat: This can be lamb leg or lamb shoulder. I like to cut mine into smaller 1 inch chunks so it’s easier to eat.
- Olive oil: You need a little oil to brown the meat and sauté the onions. You can use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- Onion: I keep the onion to a minimum, so it adds flavor without adding a ton of carbs.
- Garlic: I prefer the flavor of fresh garlic, but you can use garlic powder.
- Diced tomatoes: Use regular or petite diced tomatoes.
- Chicken broth: You can also use beef broth.
- Cauliflower florets: Use fresh cauliflower florets as frozen cauliflower can become mushy quickly.
Step-by-step directions
1. Mix the seasonings: In a small bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, and cloves. Pat the lamb dry and season all over with salt and pepper.
2. Brown the meat: In a large dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the lamb and brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. If your pot is smaller, you can work in batches.
3. Sauté the onion: Add the onion to the pot and sprinkle with salt. Sauté until translucent, 4 or 5 minutes.
4. Add the spices: Stir in the garlic and spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and lamb.
5. Transfer to the oven: Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to a 300ºF oven. Cook until the lamb is tender, about 1 ½ hours.
6. Add the cauliflower: Add the cauliflower and continue cooking until cauliflower is tender, another 20 minutes or so. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Expert tips
You can often purchase lamb stew meat already cut up, but I find that the chunks are too large and often of uneven sizes. I like to chop it up further into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces, so that they are perfectly bite-sized. They cook more evenly as well.
If you prefer to cut up your own meat, grab a lamb shoulder roast, as it’s usually less expensive than leg of lamb.
Don’t add the cauliflower until the last 20 minutes of cooking. Otherwise it becomes too soft and mushy in the stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamb stew meat should be from a strong muscle with a little bit of fat running through it. This cut of meat benefits from slow braising to break down the tissues and make them tender. Both shoulder and leg cuts are ideal for lamb stew.
Conventional Moroccan lamb stew often contains carrots, potatoes, and/or chickpeas and can be too high carb for the keto diet. However, this keto stew recipe has 7.5g of carbs and 2.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 5.1g net carbs per serving.
You can easily make this dish a day or two ahead of serving it. Once cooked and cooled, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Gently reheat on the stove or in the oven and serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the stew for several months.
Related Recipes
Moroccan Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 ½ lb lamb stew meat cut into 1 inch chunks
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 16 ounces cauliflower florets
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F. In a small bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, and cloves. Pat the lamb dry and season all over with salt and pepper
- In a large dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the lamb and brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. If your pot is smaller, you can work in batches.
- Add the onion to the pot and sprinkle with salt. Sauté until translucent, 4 or 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and lamb.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the lamb is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Add the cauliflower and continue cooking until cauliflower is tender, another 20 minutes or so.
- Remove the bay leaves and stir in lemon zest before serving.
Julie says
Modified this recipe as well, by peeling and cubing rutabaga, (small cubes,) and adding to recipe when you add the lamb back in. We find that the slightly sweet rutabaga works particularly well with this type of spice treatment, and at Also put in more onion, garlic and cauliflower than recipe calls for. While this will indeed increase the carb count minimally, my type 1 diabetic spouse dials in about 10g carb requirement into his pump. Note that we also tend to have bigger servings and this is a one bowl meal for us. We have been low carbing for over 20 years and have learned how to adjust. Caroline, I can’t express how grateful we are for your blog, and how much easier it is to have a flavorful low carb way of eating when you have done the hard work of creating a recipe for us.
Sarah L Mitchell says
Delicious and easy to make. I decided to use 4.6 lbs of lamb, a whole onion, and doubled up on the spices (no turmeric because I was out), tomato etc. In my Instant Pot I browned the cubbed lamb until seared, added the onions and spices, broth, tomato and set the pressure cooker to high for 25 minutes. It was tender, delicious. I added 4 cups of steamed cooked cauliflower and 2 cups of cooked garbanzo beans. For some keto folks, that is too many carbs. Approx 12 servings with 24 grams of carbs.
Anonymous says
this dish was so flavoursome and the lamb was really nice and tender. such an easy dish to make. thank you
Kari Turner says
This was amazing. Even though the cooking time is a while, it was extremely easy to put together. We served it was Keto Naan and cannot recommend enough. It is just hubby and myself so this is 3 meals for us. Lamb is pricey so to break it down will cost about $15 per meal with the Naan.