Braised Lamb Shanks
Meltingly tender braised lamb shanks are slow cooked in a red wine-based sauce. Served with couscous or rice, Middle Eastern lamb shanks are the ultimate comfort food.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 lamb shanks, 1 to 1½ pounds each (see note)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, more to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups finely diced carrots (2 medium carrots)
- 1 ½ cups finely diced celery (2 stalks)
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion (1 medium onion)
- 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper (1 red bell pepper)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme
- ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 ½ cups reduced-sodium beef stock, more if needed
- fresh Italian parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pat lamb shanks dry with paper towel and season shanks on all sides with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.2 lamb shanks, 1 to 1½ pounds each, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided, ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, more to taste
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven (lamb shanks should be able to fit in one layer). Carefully place the lamb shanks in the oil and sear until brown on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt to Dutch oven and cook until onion becomes translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.1 ¼ cups finely diced carrots, 1 ½ cups finely diced celery, 1 cup finely diced yellow onion, 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- Add tomato paste, garlic, and seasonings to the pan. Continue to cook for one minute, breaking up tomato paste.3 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 ½ teaspoons paprika, 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste
- Add diced tomatoes, wine, and molasses to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then return the lamb shanks to the pan.1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained, 1 cup dry red wine, 1 tablespoon molasses
- Add beef stock to the pan until the lamb shanks are covered about half to three quarters of the way, not entirely covered. (You may need more or less than 1 ½ cups, depending on the size of the shanks and your pan.) Cover the pan and move it to the preheated oven.1 ½ cups reduced-sodium beef stock, more if needed
- Bake for one hour, remove from oven and check the level of the liquid. If necessary add more beef stock. Flip the lamb shanks over so that the portion that was out of the liquid is now submerged. Return the pan to the oven, covered, and continue to bake for another hour.
- If desired, skim off any fat/oil that has come to the surface of the pan. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve lamb shanks with sauce (including diced vegetables) with couscous, rice, or quinoa, garnished with fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- How many lamb shanks you'll need: One lamb shank typically serves one person but it's a pretty generously sized portion. If you want, remove the meat from each shank and divide it into 2 servings per shank.
- Cooking 3 to 4 shanks: If you have a large enough Dutch oven, you could braise one or two additional shanks, using a bit more broth. They need to fit in a single layer in the pan.
- Slow cooker method: Brown the shanks and make the sauce on the stovetop,as directed. Once you've completed that, transfer everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. The sauce will be a little juicier.
- Stovetop method: As long as you have a good heavy pan with a tight fitting lid, you can braise lamb shanks on the stove. Make them as directed but leave them on the burner on low heat for a couple of hours. Check every half hour to turn the shanks over and to make sure there's plenty of liquid.
Nutrition
Serving: 1lamb shank with sauce | Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 2557mg | Potassium: 2129mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 16909IU | Vitamin C: 141mg | Calcium: 212mg | Iron: 8mg
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