“Lamb Rice Dinner”

For an easy weeknight meal, try my Lamb Rice Dinner. My Lamb Rice Dinner combines lamb, carrots, onion and celery, seasoned with thyme, then simmered in chicken broth until lamb is tender. Add rice, tomatoes and green beans for one of the most flavorful dinners you and your family will ever eat. This recipe has been in my family for some 25 years. I love this dish as much today as I did the first time I made it and is probably my Dad’s favorite meal. Now it’s one of my husband’s favorites. The recipe is so versatile because you can use lamb blade or arm chops. Lamb shanks are delicious when used in this recipe, however this cut can be on the expensive side if feeding a large family. So I recommend using the blade chops or even buying a leg of lamb and cutting the lamb meat into 1-inch cubes. Works beautifully…No matter how you make my Lamb Rice Dinner, it will be a hit with your family. Try my recipe and let me know what you think.

Lamb Rice Dinner

Lamb Rice Dinner

2 to 3 T. Vegetable or Olive oil

1 1/2 pounds lamb meat (cut into 1-inch cubes) or 4 lamb arm or blade chops or 4 lamb shanks

Flour for dredging

1 carrot, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 t. dried thyme

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup medium or long grain rice

1 – 14 oz. can cut green beans, drained

1 – 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

Heat 2 T. oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Lightly salt and pepper lamb and place in a Ziploc plastic bag. Add enough flour to coat meat and add in batches to Dutch oven; cook until golden brown. Remove to plate and brown remainder of lamb. Remove lamb to plate and set aside.

Add remaining oil to Dutch oven, along with carrot, celery, onion, and thyme. Stir to deglaze pan of little brown bits and mixture is fragrant. Add lamb back to Dutch oven; pour in chicken broth submerging meat (add more broth if necessary to cover lamb by 1-inch). Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for about 1 hour or until lamb meat is tender.

When lamb is tender, add in rice, green beans, and tomatoes; stir and cover to simmer about 20 minutes until rice is done and lamb is very tender. Serve hot.