Tender chunks of lamb simmered with an array of fresh vegetables, crisp bacon, and of course, Guinness beer, make this Irish Lamb Stew perfect for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
If you are a fan of lamb you may like these other lamb recipes; these Garlic and Herb Lamb Loin Chops or these Pan Seared Lamb Chops.
Table of Contents
This Irish stew is slowly simmered rendering the lamb chunks super tender and extra flavorful. Fresh vegetables, beef broth, and Guinness beer create a tasty base to help the lamb develop its unique flavor. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or whenever you are craving a rich and hearty meal. Serve the stew with this Irish Soda Bread, these Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, or over polenta.
Why add Guinness to your stew?
Adding Guinness beer to your stew adds a malty depth to it which complements the savory notes of the meat and vegetables. The beer also helps to tenderize the meat so you end up with soft flavorful chunks of meat. If you don’t have Guinness on hand you can use another type of beer though the flavor may be slightly different.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Irish Stew
Flavorful: Slowly simmered, this stew develops a deep savory flavor, one of the best Irish stew recipes you’ll find.
Versatile: Feel free to change up the vegetables or seasonings to suit your taste.
Comfort food: This hearty and satisfying stew is comfort food at its best.
Ingredients For Irish Lamb Stew
- Lamb stew meat – Use lamb stew meat chunks, cubed.
- Yukon potatoes – Yukon potatoes, quartered, add a heartiness to the stew.
- Carrots – Carrots, chopped into quarters, add color and texture.
- Celery – Thinly sliced celery adds flavor.
- Mushrooms – Whole Baby Bella mushrooms add more of a meaty texture.
- Onion – Any type of onion, diced, is good.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic for the best flavor. Jarred garlic is a good substitute.
- Tomato paste – Tomato paste helps thicken up the stew and add some flavor.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is the best but any type will work.
- Bacon – Fresh cooked bacon cut into small pieces adds a natural saltiness.
- Guinness beer – Guinness adds depth of flavor to the stew.
- Beef broth – Use a low sodium beef broth.
- Salt and pepper -Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fresh thyme – Add fresh thyme for flavor and garnish.
How To Make This Irish Stew Recipe
Step 1: Cook the bacon, until crispy, in a Dutch oven heated with oil. Remove from pot and transfer to plate but leave the bacon fat in the pot.
Step 2: Place the lamb in the pot with the bacon fat and cook until nicely browned. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper as this is the only opportunity to season the stew. Transfer lamb to a plate leaving as much bacon fat as possible in the pot.
Step 3: Sauté the onion and garlic until light brown and fragrant.
Step 4: Add in carrots and celery and cook until they have have softened.
Step 5: Stir in tomato paste and the Guinness beer. Use a spatula to help unstick the browned bits in the pan and let the beer reduce in volume. Note: If you prefer a thicker stew you can add flour at this point.
Step 6: Next add the beef broth, stir well and then add the lamb, bacon, thyme, potatoes and mushrooms. Don’t stir, the potatoes and mushrooms should sit on top of the meat which may not be fully submerged in in the liquid. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 1h 45 min to 2 hours.
Step 7: Garnish with your fresh herb of choice and serve.
Tips and Variations
Instead of tomato paste: If you’ve run out of tomato paste you can use crushed tomatoes. Your stew might be a little thinner but it will still taste good.
Swap the vegetables: Try using parsnips, leeks, or any other veggies you have in the fridge or freezer.
Change up the beer: This recipe uses Guinness but you can substitute for a different type of beer. If you want to prepare a non alcoholic stew, add more beef stock.
Crockpot Irish stew: If you’d prefer to make a slow cooker Irish stew follow the instructions until Step 6 and then transfer to your crockpot. The lamb stew will take 4-6 hours on high and about 8 hours on low when cooked in slow cooker/ crockpot.
RECIPE TIP
Do your best to make sure the chunks of lamb are about the same size so they cook up at the same pace.
FAQs
Traditional Irish stew is made with lamb whereas stew can be made with beef or other meats.
The best cuts to use for a lamb stew are the shoulder or leg.
You can use tomato paste or flour to thicken Irish stew. This recipe uses tomato paste.
Yes it is possible to make Irish stew in a crock pot. See above for instructions.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: The great thing about stews is that they keep well and continue to develop flavor so if you want to make this recipe a few days ahead of time go ahead.
Storage: Store leftover stew in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Looking for more stew recipes?
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Easy 20 Minutes Fish Stew
- Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew
- African Bean Stew
- Instant Pot Calamari Stew
Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb stew meat chunks, cubed
- 2 lb Yukon potatoes quartered
- 2 cups carrots chopped into quarters
- 1 cup celery thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby Bella mushrooms whole
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 can Guinness beer
- 32 oz beef broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh thyme
Instructions
- Heat oil in dutch oven pot then cook the bacon until crispy (about 5 min). Transfer bacon to a plate, but leave the bacon fat in the pot
- Cook the lamb meat in bacon fat until it is nice and browned. Be sure to season the meat generously with salt and pepper at this point. This is the only opportunity to season the stew, although you can always make adjustments at the end if needed. Transfer lamb to a plate leaving as much bacon fat as possible in the pot.
- Add onion and garlic and sauté until light brown and fragrant (about 2-3 min)
- Add in carrots and celery and cook until veggies have softened (about 5 mins)
- Stir in tomato paste and add the Guinness beer. Use a spatula to help unstick bits in the bottom of the pan. Allow beer to reduce (about 2 mins). Note: at this point feel free to add a tablespoon or two of flour if you wish to thicken the gravy. I did not add any flour to this recipe***
- Next add the beef broth and give it a good stir. Then add the lamb, bacon, thyme, potatoes and mushrooms on top. Don't stir, the potatoes and mushrooms should cook on top of the meat which may not be fully submerged in liquids and that's okay. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 1h 45 min to 2 hours.
- Garnish with fresh herb of choice and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
