Healthy Lamb Main Dish Recipes

Made with just about any kind of meat, kebabs are classic Iranian street food. Lamb is the predominant red meat eaten in Iran, and its liver is a delicacy. Lemon, garlic and fresh basil nicely balance the liver's mineral flavor.

The sauce in this recipe is a heavenly mixture of tomatoes, spices, herbs and mustard. It provides amazing flavor to the lamb as they spend up to 12 hours together in the slow cooker.

This twist on a traditional Shepard's Pie recipe uses lentils and is garnished with fresh mint.

Sure, orzo is good in soup, but there's no need to stop there. Here it's a base for a bold blend of spices, tomato sauce and flavorful ground lamb. The optional pinch of crushed red pepper will add the heat that many crave.

In this simple shepherd's pie recipe, we call for flavorful lean ground lamb, which isn't always easy to find. You can use lean ground beef or turkey instead. If you want to use lamb, ask your butcher to grind it for you or, to make your own ground lamb, start with a lean cut of lamb, such as leg or loin, trimmed of any excess fat and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Pulse briefly in a food processor just until uniformly ground.

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.

In Greece, moussaka is made with beef or lamb, layers of sliced eggplant and a creamy béchamel sauce all baked together in the oven. This variation takes plenty of liberties to make it easy, quick and healthful. Serve over whole-wheat pasta or with potatoes.

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 Middle Eastern-style: with warm pita, cucumbers, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce or hummus.

This spring stew, known as a navarin or ragoût in France, features seasonal lamb and uses tender young vegetables that add a fresh flavor to the hearty mix. While a braised dish like this takes a little time, it can be prepared entirely in advance, making it perfect for entertaining.

In this healthy lamb stew recipe, rhubarb contributes a savory-tart flavor. Pork shoulder would be good in place of the lamb if you prefer. Serve over whole-wheat couscous or an aromatic brown rice, such as basmati or jasmine.

This Middle-Eastern-inspired dish uses just a small amount of lamb to stuff the eggplant, which keeps the saturated fat in check. It calls for cooked brown rice, which you can prepare up to a day ahead. Save time by using instant brown rice, which cooks in under 10 minutes.

Smoky paprika yogurt and an herb and preserved-lemon salsa verde add pops of flavor to this healthy slow-cooker recipe. If you have extra time, brown the lamb and onions, in batches, before adding them to the slow cooker for increased depth of flavor.

Inspired by Middle Eastern shawarma sandwiches, here we season leg of lamb with a flavorful spice paste spiked with garlic, cardamom, paprika and cumin and grill it over indirect heat to approximate the gentle cooking of a rotisserie. Serve the tahini sauce on the side--and be sure to keep any leftovers. They're great tucked into a pita pocket with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.

Serve with Rösti Potatoes and a mixed green salad.

Having a few specialty ingredients in your pantry, such as the spice blend ras el hanout and oil-cured olives, is the fastest way to a deluxe dinner that's easy enough for weeknights and special enough for Saturday's dinner party. Round out the meal with steamed potatoes, simply dressed salad greens and a glass of white Côtes du Rhône.

Lamb and eggplant are combined in dishes throughout the Mediterranean. Together they deliver a complex, hearty, earthy flavor that's truly satisfying. In this dish, toasted pine nuts and tangy feta cheese are excellent accents.

These juicy lamb burgers are mounded with a generous portion of greens and sandwiched on a crusty bun. Serve with steamed new potatoes.

Lamb loin chops are a healthy alternative to the more popular and more fatty lamb shoulder chops. The loin chops have quite enough flavor to stand up to this herbaceous couscous.

Perfectly paired with homemade cucumber-yogurt sauce, these Greek Meatball Kabobs with Grilled Pita are both delicious and nutritious.

In this healthy lamb and white bean chili recipe, the addition of eggplant makes this chili velvety and creamy, while the cinnamon and allspice make the house smell amazing while the chili is cooking. To keep the saturated fat low, we use one pound of ground lamb and add whole-grain bulgur to boost the volume and fiber in this chili recipe. After all the ingredients are added to the pot, we like to slowly simmer our chili for close to an hour to develop the best flavor, but if you're in a hurry, reduce the liquid by half and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Mustard and lamb are a classic combination. Letting the chops chill with the marinade lets the flavors meld beautifully.

Simple pan-roasted lamb chops are served alongside deliciously spiced stewed green beans and tomatoes in a riff on a Lebanese favorite, lubiyeh. Serve with: Bulgur or rice pilaf.

For a new twist on tabbouleh, we use earthy, whole-grain freekeh combined with cucumber, parsley and tomatoes. Freekeh is found in two forms: whole or quick-cooking cracked; 2 cups of cooked bulgur can also be used as a substitute. Serve with the lamb patties and a spinach salad with herb vinaigrette.

With the glamour of a fancy entrée yet all the ease of slow-cooker prep, this is ideal to serve to dinner guests or family for Sunday supper. Let the braised lamb shanks and sauce be the star of the meal, and serve with blanched beans or roasted carrots.