Healthy Lamb Main Dish Recipes

A tagine is a Moroccan stew that is named after the earthenware dish it is cooked in. We use a slow cooker in this version of Moroccan lamb stew, which features lamb, sweet potatoes, dates and olives.

Merguez is a Maghrebi (Northwest African) lamb sausage spiced with cumin, coriander and fennel seeds as well as harissa. In this installment of Diaspora Dining, Jessica B. Harris' series on foods of the African diaspora, the author and historian recalls visits to Morocco, and offers her recipe for tzatziki (with plenty of mint), the Greek yogurt sauce she loves with merguez. While you're cooking the sausages, tossing in some peppers, onions and scallions makes for a delicious addition.

In this elegant lamb recipe perfect for entertaining, boneless leg of lamb gets a mint and garlic rub. The butterflied lamb cooks in record time and the varying thickness means some slices will be more done than others, so there's something for everyone. The recipe calls for a cut that's large enough to serve about 16 people and still have enough leftovers to make an awesome sandwich or pasta.

Inspired by traditional Irish lamb stew, which is made with shoulder or neck cuts of lamb, this version is made with leg of lamb. Choose a bone-in cut to make the rich, flavorful broth for this healthy lamb stew. Requiring just a handful of ingredients and 35 minutes of active time, this lamb stew isn't just tasty—it's also easy!

Sometimes simple is best. These grilled lamb chops are a standout on their own, seasoned with just fresh thyme and a bit of crushed red pepper.

These traditional Lebanese lamb-and-rice stuffed grape leaves are fragrant with mint, marjoram, cinnamon, cumin and allspice. Serve with lemon wedges and plain yogurt for dipping.

Sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic add flavor and help keep calories in check and portions hearty in this easy lamb meatball recipe. We like to serve these meatballs with warm pita, cucumbers, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce or hummus.

This spicy chili for two has a North African spin with lamb, cinnamon and harissa. If you can't find harissa, use mild chili powder in its place. You can turn up the heat with a little cayenne or hot sauce if you like it spicy. Serve with whole-wheat pita bread and tabbouleh.

This roasted leg of lamb is served with a heavenly sauce made from red wine, shallots and raspberry preserves. Serve this elegant meal at your next dinner party.

A long braise in the oven yields fork-tender results for a tough cut of lamb. Cinnamon, oregano, garlic and lemon infuse the lamb shoulder with Mediterranean aromas, while a final scattering of pomegranate arils provides a burst of color and crunch.

This fragrant leg of lamb is seasoned with blood orange juice, garlic, cumin, ras el hanout and grains of paradise. Read more about this recipe.

These gul, or rose-shaped, pastries are savory with a sweet touch from sautéed onions and sun-dried tomatoes. A little vinegar in the olive oil used for brushing the layers of phyllo keeps the dough pliable and easier to coil.

In the south of France, lamb is often grilled on a bed of fresh rosemary and anointed with citrus juice. This lamb chop recipe takes inspiration from that tradition with a wet rub made with lots of garlic plus rosemary and blood orange. Besides being a beautiful garnish, the charred blood oranges are served to squeeze over the lamb for a final flourish of citrus flavor.

Serve this flavorful and filling lamb curry with a steamed grain like brown rice, millet or whole-wheat couscous for soaking up the sauce.

Lamb chops turn tender and juicy in the air fryer alongside potatoes and fennel in this impressive main dish. An olive-fennel topping completes the recipe for a pop of briny flavor.

Here tender collards are wrapped around a filling of rice and lamb spiked with Japanese ingredients like sake and furikake, then baked in a barbecue-like sauce that gets sweetness from pineapple juice, for an incredibly flavorful dish. Dark leafy greens like collards are the base of the African Heritage Diet food pyramid, a pattern of eating that draws from the foodways of the African diaspora. You'll make more sauce than you need, but you won't be mad about it! Freeze it away and serve with grilled pork, chicken or tofu.