If you like cumin, cinnamon and coriander, you will love this flavorful, savory, and easy to make ground lamb and chickpeas. I found this yummy recipe eight years ago; I believe it was in Cooking Light magazine. I made this the night I brought Somer (my 9 year old Labrador) home. I make it every year on her birthday. I like to think that she associates the amazing aromas with coming to her forever home. I made a few minor tweaks to the original recipe to suit my family’s taste.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
The “meat” of this recipe is ground lamb and chickpeas. The raisins and slightly caramelized onion add sweetness which balance beautifully with the Moroccan inspired spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander and ground red pepper).
- Ground Lamb – You can substitute ground beef, chicken or turkey.
- Vegetables – Onion and carrots. Be careful not to cut the carrots too think. You want them to soften nicely.
- Spices – Cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ground red pepper.
- Chicken Broth – Or chicken bone broth, beef broth or vegetable broth. Whatever you choose, you’ll want low sodium.
- Golden Raisins – If you don’t have golden raisins on hand, substitute brown raisins, dried currants or dried cranberries.
- Tomato paste
- Lemon – rind and juice
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Cilantro – Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley if you are not a fan of cilantro.
Preparation
Easy as one, two, three…
- Saute the ground lamb in a large non-stick skillet. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon.
- Saute the onion and carrots in extra virgin olive oil for 4 minutes. Add in the spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and ground red pepper). Saute 30 for seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the the lamb back to the pan. Stir in the broth and next 5 ingredients (through chickpeas). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice.
What to Serve with Moroccan Style Lamb and Chickpeas
Serve over couscous or rice to capture all of the delicious juices. Enjoy!
Equipment
PrintMoroccan Style Lamb and Chickpeas
- Total Time: 32
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
If you like cumin, cinnamon, coriander, you will love this flavorful, savory, easy to make ground lamb and chickpea dish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound lean ground lamb
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/5 cups vertically sliced onion
- 3/4 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon rind, grated
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 (15 1/2-ounce can) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro & several spring for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb to pan and cook for 6 minutes, stirring to crumble. Remove lamb from pan with a slotted spoon. If a lot of fat has rendered, discard most of the fat.
2. Add the oil to pan. Once heated, add the onion and carrots and saute for 4 minutes. Next, add the spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and ground red pepper). Saute 30 for seconds, stirring constantly to incorporate the spices with the vegetables.
3. Add the the lamb back to the pan. Stir in the broth and next 5 ingredients (through chickpeas). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice.
4. Serve over a bed of your favorite couscous.
Equipment
Notes
- If you are not a fan of lamb, use ground beef, chicken or turkey.
- Be careful not to cut the carrots too think. You want them to soften nicely.
- If you don’t have golden raisins on hand, substitute brown raisins, dried currants or dried cranberries.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 17
- Category: Meat
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Keywords: ground lamb, moroccan, chickpeas, garbanzo beans
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