Also known by her title as the “Barefoot Contessa”, which is also the name of her famous TV cooking show, Ina Garten has been teaching people the very best recipes for more than two decades – and this is especially true when it comes to her lamb recipes.
Lamb is one of the best meats, with its tender texture and its delicious, grass-finished flavor.
It’s a very versatile meat, too, because there are countless wonderful dishes that use it.
Whatever you’re in the mood for, there’s bound to be a lamb dish that will whet your appetite, and Ina Garten is the ideal chef to walk you through the cooking.
In our tasty guide below, we’ve got 7 amazing Ina Garten lamb recipes for you to try today(see also: 8 Amazing Ina Garten Fish Recipes To Try Today). You’re sure to find a future favorite dish or two in our list!
We’re starting our list off with one of Ina Garten’s classic lamb recipes, her simple guide to making a perfectly succulent lamb that’s roasted in flavorful herbs.
It’s got loads of seasoning, which gives the meat masses of flavor, and the lamb is served with a side of small potatoes.
Even better, this is an easy lamb dish to make, even if you’re a beginner cook! It takes a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes, but only 15 minutes of that is spent actually preparing the food.
Simple! It’s a quick, easy meal that’s ideal for a Sunday lunch. Just make sure that you start cooking well in advance and leave enough time!
As for the herbs and seasonings that bring the dish so much of its fantastic flavor, there’s a small handful of ingredients!
For example, you’ll be using some chopped fresh rosemary leaves and unpeeled garlic cloves, both of which add plenty of unique taste to the dish.
Meanwhile, a little ground black pepper doesn’t hurt either!
The delicious potatoes that accompany the lamb are actually roasted underneath the meat itself, creating a big mass of succulent flavor.
Roasted potatoes are the ideal companion to lamb, with their crispy exterior and their creamy insides.
Our next recipe from Ina Garten is one that takes just a little more time and skill, so keep that in mind when you try it!
However, it’s really worth all the extra effort, because you get a fantastic braised lamb accompanied with delicious provencal French beans.
This lamb takes 4 hours to braise, which may seem like a lot, but it’s based on a French recipe that would braise it for 7 hours!
Though the dish uses a wide, wide range of ingredients to bring about its countless mouth watering flavors, it’s actually still a relatively simple meal to throw together.
The lamb itself is braised in a mixture of white wine and lots of herbs, which add a brilliant profile of flavors to the meat.
The white wine helps to improve the depth and acidity of the dish, while the herbs bring a variety of subtle tastes to the meat.
And what kind of herbs and seasonings will you be working with? The more appropriate question would be which ones AREN’T you working with!
The impressive list of herbs and seasonings you’ll need include fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, bay leaves, salt, fresh parsley, and more.
These bring all kinds of different flavors to the meal, making it very well-rounded.
Meanwhile, you’ll also be adding a variety of delicious vegetables to have alongside the meat: celery, carrots, onions. Of course, we can’t forget the provencal French beans!
Our next pick from Ina Garten’s delicious range of lamb recipes is this one for lamb that’s covered in a crispy, tasty panko-crust.
It’s a great dish to enjoy all year round, but it’s an especially good pick for you to cook on Valentine’s Day, with its tender flavors and simple preparation.
When we say simple preparation, we really mean it, because you’ll only need a few ingredients for the mouth watering coating that goes on the lamb.
To make this coating, you’ll need to prepare a mixture of goat cheese, panko, rosemary, fleur de sel(a thin type of salt), pepper, garlic, and thyme.
Drizzle a little olive oil in there to moisten the crumbs, and then set the mixture aside for a bit so you can apply it later.
It’s a fantastically flavorful coating, and one that you’ll want to throw together to use with other meats too.
Seasoning isn’t always the easiest process, because it can be difficult to get the perfect balance of herbs and seasonings without overwhelming the dish.
However, seasoning is absolutely essential to cooking your meat, so it’s a skill that’s essential to master! Thankfully, Ina Garten makes it easy.
In terms of seasonings and herbs, you’ll need some fresh rosemary, thyme, and garlic.
The recipe uses these in a glaze, and it recommends that you mince them in a food processor until they’re minced as finely as possible.
After you’ve done that, you must add some balsamic vinegar and mustard into the mixture, then process it further.
The result is a delicious glaze that’s full of flavor, and one that (when applied to your succulent rack of lamb) will really make it come alive.
Our next selection is Ina Garten’s recipe for grilled lamb chops, which is an easy recipe that even beginner cooks will be able to throw together.
Better still, it takes just 30 minutes to prepare, and then a further 25 to cook! However, you need to make sure that you leave time for 6-24 hours of the marinated meat refrigerating in the middle of the recipe.
As a result, this may not be the best idea for a last minute dish, but it is one that will delight anyone who eats it!
The marinade is what really makes this recipe special, lending the grilled lamb chops all kinds of extra flavor that will really tickle your taste buds.
The marinade includes ingredients like garlic, lemon zest, various spices, mint, and salt. The mint gives it a hint of refreshment, while the lemon zest gives it an edge of citrus tanginess.
Meanwhile, you’ll also be using yogurt, sriracha, and lemon juice. These may not be ingredients that you expected, but their strong flavors really make a difference!
For example, the sriracha gives the chicken a moderately spicy edge, while the cooling yogurt helps to balance that spiciness out (Also check out Best Ina Garten Lemon Chicken Recipes).
Tzatziki is a fantastically cooling and tasty dish that’s perfectly paired with lamb, thanks to all the different flavors that it brings.
As a result, this recipe for Ina Garten’s rosemary lamb with some simple tzatziki is a must-try dish.
Even better, it’s incredibly quick and easy to make!
The seasoned rosemary lamb should take just 25-30 minutes to cook (depending on whether you want medium rare or medium), and the recipe’s guide on how to make tzatziki is extremely simple and quick.
For the tzatziki, you’ll be using a variety of ingredients, all of which help to make it extra flavorsome.
For example, it uses white wine vinegar, lemon juice (for tanginess), sour cream (for even more tanginess!), dill, Greek yogurt, cucumber, and more.
As you can tell, it’s a fantastically cooling accompaniment to the seasoned rosemary rack of lamb, and it has hints of sharp tanginess in there for extra tastiness.
Our final recipe is one for Ina Garden’s lamb shanks with orzo pasta, which Garten actually claims is her signature dish (Also check out Best Ina Garten Orzo Salad Recipes)!
None of the recipes in our list have used pasta, but it’s important not to forget how well lamb goes well with pasta!
You can enjoy lamb with any type of pasta, but we’d recommend orzo in this case, because of its unique shape (they look like large grains of rice!).
Meanwhile, there’s plenty of flavorful ingredients accompanying the lamb shanks and orzo pasta. For one thing, the recipe uses celery and carrots, giving you some vegetable healthiness.
There’s chopped onions for extra flavor, and canned tomatoes add plenty of sharp fruitiness to the dish too.
Final Thoughts
Ina Garten is one of the most trusted names in cooking, so you can be sure her various lamb recipes are worth making! Find the very best of them with our guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Drinks Go With Lamb?
If you want to enjoy these lamb dishes with a drink, we’d recommend that they pair best with a red wine. White wine works too, but not as well!
I'm Barbara Hunt, the founder of WomenChefs.org. Being a mom of two, I understand the challenges of meal planning and the monotony it can bring.
That's why I created WomenChefs.org, a platform dedicated to showcasing the skills and delicious dishes crafted by amazing women. My goal is to provide a space where women can find delectable recipes that tantalize their taste buds and ignite their senses.
I hope you'll join me in exploring WomenChefs.org and discovering your next favorite recipe. Let's embrace culinary diversity and try something new together!
