One Pot Mediterranean Ground Lamb Pasta
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Ground lamb recipes are a delicious way to mix up weeknight dinners, like in this easy Mediterranean Ground Lamb Pasta dish, made in one pot in under an hour!
While ground beef and ground turkey may rule the ground meat varieties in the US, using ground lamb in recipes is a fun way to switch things up! You can find ground lamb at most major grocery stores or at your local butcher shop.
Ground lamb provides great flavor for burgers and meatballs, but it’s also delicious in pasta recipes, shepherds pie and even Greek style tacos! For this recipe, I took a WhitneyBond.com pasta recipe favorite, originally made with ground beef, and made a few changes that I felt would really compliment the flavor of the lamb, such as the addition of mushrooms.
The end result was a simple recipe filled with tons of flavor, made in under an hour in one pot. It will give you a great reason to incorporate ground lamb into your weeknight menu.
How to make it
- Cook the ground lamb and veggies. Pour olive oil into a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Add ground lamb, sliced mushrooms and diced onions. Cook for 8-10 minutes, then add minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then drain any grease from the pot.
- Add spices, liquid and pasta. Sprinkle ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ground cloves and oregano in the pot. Add red wine, diced roma tomatoes and tomato sauce to the pot. If you’d like to omit the red wine in the recipe, simply add an extra ½ cup of chicken broth in the next step. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add macaroni noodles and chicken broth to the pot. Make sure the noodles are almost completely covered in liquid so that they cook completely.
- Simmer the pasta. Reduce the heat on the stovetop to low, cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and the liquid has cooked down. Top with feta cheese crumbles or grated parmesan cheese and diced green onions or chopped fresh mint, if you’d like.
What to serve with it
- Bread: I usually serve this dish with a baguette to dip into the pasta, but to keep with the Mediterranean/Greek theme, you could also serve it with warm pita bread.
- Salad: A simple Greek Salad would pair perfectly with this ground lamb pasta.
- Wine: A lighter bodied red, such as grenache or a dry white with a little sweetness, such as a riesling, will both pair well with this Mediterranean lamb pasta recipe.
Storage and reheating
This pasta dish will stay good in the refrigerator for 5 days and makes great leftovers. It can easily be reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes. Sprinkle cheese and fresh herbs on top to brighten up the reheated dish.
More ground lamb recipes to try
Looking for more delicious ways to incorporate ground lamb into your weekly dinner menu? Try these five recipes from myself and some of my food blogger friends!
- Asian Lamb Meatballs in Green Curry Sauce
- Greek Lamb Tacos with Tzatziki Sauce from Bowl of Delicious
- Mediterranean Lamb Bowls from Fox and Briar
- Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Burgers from Kevin is Cooking
- Ground Lamb Kofta Kebabs from The Mediterranean Dish
One Pot Mediterranean Ground Lamb Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 cups roma tomatoes, diced
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
- 2 cups chicken broth
Optional Toppings
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon green onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the ground lamb, mushrooms and onion. Cook for 8-10 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then drain any grease from the pot.
- Add the cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ground cloves and oregano. Pour the red wine, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce into the pot. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the macaroni noodles and chicken broth. Make sure the noodles are fully covered in the liquid.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and the liquid has cooked down.
- Top with the optional toppings of your choice.
Notes
- Nutritional information: the optional toppings are not included in the nutritional information provided.
- Gluten Free Option: To make this recipe gluten free, substitute gluten-free macaroni noodles and always make sure the chicken broth used is gluten free.
- Red Wine: If you’d like to omit wine from the recipe, that’s totally fine, simply add an additional ½ cup chicken broth instead.
Nutrition Facts
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14 Comments on “One Pot Mediterranean Ground Lamb Pasta”
I added some raisins !
It was good !
Then I tried also adding a little Garam Masala
That was also nice
Gave an Indian touch to it!
The nutritional information is per serving or do I divide it by the number of servings per the recipe?
Hi Jewell, the nutritional information provided is per serving and this recipe makes 4 servings.
Literally just made this – I cheated and used diced canned tomatoes cuz it’s late and I’m lazy. Let me tell you it changed this recipe a bit, but I’m a good way! It made it like a fresh, Mediterranean hamburger helper! I’m sure if I had done it the right way it would have been a delicious, decadent dish that was refined and sophisticated, but this really satisfied my inner child and allowed me to cut corners all in the process. The whole thing took like 10 minutes to throw together and it came out amazingly! Highly recommend for a busy weeknight and leftovers! It made tons!!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Chris!!
I make this frequently, we love it!
Am thinking of adding fresh spinach, what do you think?
So glad to hear that Eve! You could definitely add some fresh spinach at the same time you add the garlic.
I made this. It was ok…. I added a little salt as the broth I had was salt free. That helped a bit. 3-4 out of 5.
can i make this the night before a lunch meal tomorrow?
Hi Meggan, yes, this recipe reheats very well!
Hey Whitney,
Looks delicious! What can I use instead of red wine?
Thanks Linz! You can add an extra 1/2 cup of chicken broth and omit the red wine. Enjoy!
It would be nice to know what the fresh green garnish on top is? Green onion? Cilantro?
Hi Kelly, it’s chopped fresh basil!