Lamb Bone Soup

This hearty lamb bone soup is made with meaty bones, vegetables, potatoes, and beans. A great way of using up every last bit of the lamb.

This lamb bone soup seems to be the perfect dish for these chili spring days. Warm, filling, and nutritious thanks to the lamb bones, pulses, and vegetables. And so easy to make!

And the most important for me: it allows me to use the (expensive) lamb meat I bought to the last bit. The soup is made with lamb stock, to which I added a meatier bone leftover from cutting the meat off it, the meat I used to make this amazing lamb casserole in the slow cooker.

Try more lamb recipes: Lamb and Rice, Slow Cooker Lamb Curry, Leftover Lamb Shepherd's Pie, or Leftover Lamb Ragu.

What do you need for lamb bone soup?

The bones:

• I used leftover bones from making Roast Shoulder of Lamb. You can use any kind of bones you have, not only the shoulder. After we ate the roast, I froze the bones and used them to make today's recipe once I had the meatier bone as well.
• You can buy meatier bones at the butchers, or you can buy a whole shoulder or leg and use the meat to make Romanian lamb stew, casserole, or goulash. Just leave enough meat on the bone to have something for the soup as well.

Other ingredients:

• Bacon: bacon cubes. Or buy a piece of bacon and chop it into cubes. Bacon rashers are not suitable for making soup; they are too thin.

• Vegetables: potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots. I had pointed cabbage, but regular white cabbage is perfectly fine as well, it might need a couple of minutes more cooking time, it is usually firmer than the pointed sort.
• Pulses: usually white beans, small or large. You can use canned beans or cook them yourself. In this case, cover them with water and soak them overnight. Cook for about 45-60 minutes or until soft but not mushy. The cooking time might be shorter or longer depending on the size and age of the beans. You will need about 250 g/ 8.8 oz cooked beans; a little more or less is fine
• Spices: carraway seeds, dried thyme, dried or fresh rosemary, bay leaves, red chili flakes, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.

How to make soup with lamb bones?

Make the lamb stock

• Follow the link for the detailed lamb stock recipe I posted a few days ago.
• Place the roasted bones, vegetables, and spices in a large pot. Add the meaty bone and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down, and simmer steadily for about 2 hours. Remove the meaty bone from the pot and strip it from all the meat. Return the meatless bone to the stock and continue simmering for about 4 hours longer for a more concentrated stock.
• Strain the stock and remove all the solids. Strain again through a finer sieve to remove the smaller impurities.  
• You can make the stock one day in advance and keep the meat refrigerated in an airtight container until you make the soup.

Make the lamb soup

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the bacon cubes and the chopped onion on medium-low heat for about 4 minutes. (1)
• Add the chopped carrots and garlic, stir well, and cook for about 4 minutes. (2)
• Add the peeled and cubed potatoes and stir. (3)
• Next caraway seeds, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, chili, and stock. (4)
• If you have leftover stock, it keeps well in the fridge for about 1 week. Or you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
• Cook for about 10 minutes.

• Add the chopped cabbage and the drained white beans. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked to your liking, it should not become mushy. (1,2)
• Add the shredded meat and heat through for a few minutes. (3)
• Adjust the taste with vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley if desired. (4)

How to serve lamb soup?

You can serve it immediately, or you can reheat it. We have it with crusty sourdough bread most of the time. Add a dollop of smetana or sour cream to your plate if you like. You can also serve pickled hot peppers on the side. The smetana and the hot peppers will give it a very Eastern European touch; it will be delicious!

How to store?

The lamb bone soup keeps very well for several days in the fridge. I usually leave it in the pot with the lid on and heat it every time we serve it. The flavors develop, and the soup will taste even richer.

Can you freeze it?

It is theoretically possible to freeze it for 1-2 months. However, I am not keen on ever freezing anything that contains potatoes; I just don’t like their texture once they are defrosted. They become grainy and weird. It’s a matter of personal taste, I suppose. If you don’t mind that texture, you can do it.

More hearty soup recipes

Recipe

Lamb Bone Soup

Hearty lamb bone soup made with meaty bones, vegetables, potatoes, and beans. A great way of using up every last bit of the lamb.

4.60 from 15 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, German

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 462kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1-2 meaty lamb bones depending on size (about 900 g /2 lbs., a little more or less is fine) (Note 1 and 2)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 125 g/ 4.4 oz bacon cubes
• ▢ 1 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot or 2 smaller chopped
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 250 g/ 8.8 oz potatoes about 2 cups when cubed
• ▢ ½ - 1 teaspoon caraway seeds to taste
• ▢ 2-3 bay leaves
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary
• ▢ ½ - 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to taste
• ▢ about 1.5-liter/ 6 ½ cups lamb stock Note 1
• ▢ 350 g/ 12.3 oz pointed or regular white cabbage chopped
• ▢ 1 can white beans drained
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce to taste
• ▢ fine sea salt and ground black pepper
• ▢ small bunch of parsley

Instructions

Lamb stock:

• Follow the link for the recipe. Add one meaty lamb bone at the beginning. Simmer it in the stock for 2 hours, take it out and remove the meat. Set the meat aside and return the meatless bone to the stock. Continue simmering for 4 hours for a more concentrated stock.
• If your lamb stock is already cooked, pour it into a pot, add the meaty bones and simmer them in the stock for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the bone and set it aside. Use the stock and the shredded meat to make the soup. You can cook the meat in water as well, but use good quality stock to make the soup.

Lamb bone soup:

• Once the stock and the meat are cooked, make the soup.
• Chop the onions and the bacon (if necessary).
• Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Fry the bacon cubes and the chopped onion on medium-low heat for about 4 minutes.
• Add the chopped carrots, and garlic, stir well and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the peeled and cubed potatoes, caraway seeds, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, chili. Stir well.
• Add the stock. Cook for about 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, chop the cabbage. Add cabbage and drained white beans to the pot. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked to your liking, it should not get mushy.
• Add the shredded meat and heat through for a few minutes.
• Adjust the taste with vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
• Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley if desired.
  

Notes

1. Follow the link in the instructions for the lamb stock recipe.
2. If you already have ready lamb stock, simmer then meaty bones into the stock for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. You can cook the meat in water as well, but use good quality stock to make the soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the soup | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1402mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g

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