Try this delicious Lebanese-style lamb and rice recipe, packed with fragrant basmati, rich spices, and hearty spinach – a complete meal in one pot that will satisfy you.
Add this slow-cooked lamb and rice dish to your cooking plans! It's perfect as we transition from winter to spring. The cozy, spicy flavors of this lamb rice recipe are just what you need for chilly days, and the lamb and spinach give it a fresh touch, bringing thoughts of spring.
Here are more ideas for comforting meat and rice combinations: Chicken and Chorizo Paella, Boiled Chicken and Rice, Meatballs and Rice, or Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice.
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😋Why should you make this recipe?
- Incredible flavors: It's full of delicious, warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspices, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Filling: The lamb and rice make it satisfying and filling.
- Easy cleanup: Just one pot to wash afterward.
- Authentic taste: It's like a taste of the Middle East in your own kitchen.
If you want to try some fast lamb recipes, how about these 10-minute recipes: Air Fryer Lamb Chops and Fried Lamb Chops?
📋Recipe ingredients
- Lamb: Boneless shoulder of lamb, chopped into pieces. If you can only get a bone-in lamb, remove the meat from the bone and use the bone to make Lamb Bone Soup.
- Alternatively, you can use leg meat.
- Basmati rice is ideal for this rice and lamb recipe because of its distinct fragrance, long grains, and fluffy texture when cooked.
- Spinach: I use frozen and thawed spinach most of the time. However, you can use baby spinach, too; about two good handfuls of it should do it. Try our Turkish Spinach Pie, too.
- Stock: While lamb stock, chicken stock, beef stock, or beef bone broth are all suitable, the first mentioned is the preferred choice for this recipe. If you have a shoulder with a bone in it, use the bone to make lamb stock. Simply remove the meat from the bone before starting the recipe and prepare the stock first for added flavor.
- Aromatics: Onion, celery stalks, and garlic cloves.
- Spices: Cinnamon stick, allspices, ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. Make this delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Shanks, which is also incredibly aromatic.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🏻🍳How to make lamb with rice?
Step #1: Soak the basmati rice until you need it in the recipe.
Step #2: Brown the lamb meat pieces on medium heat.
Step #3: In the meantime, finely chop the onions and dice the celery stalks and the carrot. Grate the garlic cloves, but keep them separated from the rest.
Step #4: Sauté diced vegetables for 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
Step #5: Add wine and let it bubble for 1 minute. Add stock and spices. Simmer covered, and on low heat for 1 hour.
Step #6: Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the rice is tender. Add the spinach during the last 2 minutes.
❗Expert Tips
Pot: Use a Dutch oven or another large pot with a heavy bottom to prevent the ingredients from catching to the bottom of the pan during the slow cooking process.
Don't forget to soak the basmati rice right at the beginning of cooking. This ensures the perfect texture.
Tender lamb: For melt-in-your-mouth meat, opt for cuts like shoulder or leg and cook them low and slow until they're fork-tender. The Potato and Lamb Stew uses the same cut of meat.
Add spinach near the end of cooking to keep its bright color and freshness.
Resting time: Let the cooked dish sit for a few minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together for a more harmonious taste.
❓Recipe FAQs
Yes. Beef takes about the same time to cook as lamb, but chicken cooks more quickly. Keep this in mind when choosing your meat. Or try our Chicken and Vegetable Pilaf.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge.
Reheat on the stovetop in a nonstick pan, adding a splash of stock and frequently stirring. Or reheat the leftovers in the microwave in 1-2 minute intervals until hot, stirring after each interval.
🍽️What to serve with it?
This dish pairs well with a variety of sides, such as full-fat Greek yogurt, cucumber salad, naan bread, or a simple green salad with yogurt dressing or vinaigrette. You can also serve it alongside other vegetable side dishes like Buttered Green Peas or Roasted Leeks. After enjoying this dish, treat yourself to an Arabic-Style Tonka Cake for dessert.
Do you like this recipe?
Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!📖Recipe
Lamb and Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch oven or another large heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice 200 g
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb boneless lamb diced, 450 g, Note 1
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- ¼ cup red wine 60 ml, optional; you can leave it out
- 2 cups lamb stock or beef/chicken stock, 500 ml, Note 2
- 1 small cinnamon stick or ½ a regular-sized one
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5.5 oz spinach frozen and thawed, 150 g, Note 3
Instructions
- Rice: Rinse it well and place it in a small bowl. Cover it with boiling water (from a water kettle) and let it stand until you need it in the recipe.1 cup basmati rice / 200 g
- Brown the lamb: Dry the meat pieces with paper towels. Heat the oil in the pot, add the lamb pieces, and brown them all over on medium heat, stirring frequently.1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 lb boneless lamb / 450 g
- Chop: In the meantime, finely chop the onions and dice the celery stalks and the carrot. Grate the garlic cloves, but keep them separated from the rest.1 medium onion + 2 celery stalks + 1 carrot + 2 garlic cloves
- Sauté: Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook them for about 5 minutes until golden. Stir occasionally. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Simmer lamb: Add the wine, let it bubble for one minute, then add the stock and all the spices. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.¼ cup red wine / 60 ml + 2 cups lamb stock / 500 ml + 1 small cinnamon stick + ½ teaspoon allspice + ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg + ½ teaspoon ground ginger + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add rice: Drain the rice and it to the lamb. Cook the dish for another 10 minutes or until the rice is tender but not mushy. Add the spinach during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time. Rest for about 5 minutes before serving.5.5 oz spinach / 150 g
Notes
- Lamb: You can use lamb leg meat instead of shoulder.
- Stock: While lamb, chicken stock, or beef stock are all suitable, lamb stock is the best choice for this recipe. If you have meat with the bone in it, use the bone to make lamb stock.
- Spinach: You can also use fresh spinach. Rinse 2 good handfuls of baby spinach in a colander. Shake it well and add it to the lamb and rice 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Gail V says
I made this dish last week and my husband loved it! It was even better reheated a few days later. I made it in my slow cooker (sauteed the veg, added the wine and lamb, then the lamb stock and spices and cooked for 6 hours) and later transferred it all to a large pan before adding the rice and the spinach. I especially like the method for preparing the rice and now use the method for other dishes.
Adina says
I am so happy to hear it! Thank you for the slow cooker instructions and the rating.