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Spiced Lamb and Shaved Carrots

4.8

(6)

Cast iron skilled filled with spiced lamb and topped with shaved curly carrots with lemon wedges and bread on the side
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen

Inspired by the flavors of Moroccan tagine, this skillet dinner features ground lamb spiced with ras-el-hanout, a blend made with cumin, cardamom, and clove. Rehydrated dried apricots—as well as the water used to plump them up—add tangy sweetness and help create a luscious sauce that you’ll want to sop up with lots of pita. Thinly shaved carrots (use a vegetable peeler!) dressed in lemon juice with herbs and red onion make for a fresh and crunchy topping.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    25 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

½

cup coarsely chopped dried apricots or pitted dates

1

small red onion, thinly sliced

2

lemons

1

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1

lb. ground lamb

1

Tbsp. ras-el-hanout

½

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground pepper

3

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2

Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste

2

medium carrots, scrubbed, shaved lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

1

cup (packed) mixed tender herbs (such as mint, cilantro, and/or parsley)

Pita or other flatbread (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place ½ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots or pitted dates in a small bowl and pour in 1 cup hot water to cover; set aside.

    Step 2

    Place 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, in a large bowl. Cut 1 lemon in half and squeeze juice over onion through a mesh sieve; discard seeds. Set aside. Cut remaining 1 lemon into wedges; set aside for serving.

    Step 3

    Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Arrange 1 lb. ground lamb in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until well browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. ras-el-hanout, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until seasonings are combined and meat is in small pieces, about 2 minutes.

    Step 4

    Add 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and 2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste. Cook, stirring often, until tomato paste is darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Add reserved apricots with their liquid; cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until combined and saucy, about 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat.

    Step 5

    Add 2 medium carrots, scrubbed, shaved lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, and 1 cup (packed) mixed tender herbs (such as mint, cilantro, and/or parsley) to bowl with reserved onion; toss to combine. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and black pepper; toss again to combine. Pile salad on top of lamb in skillet. Serve with pita or other flatbread and reserved lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Explore Bon AppétitDinnerMainDairy-FreeGluten-FreeNut-FreeQuickWeeknight Meals30 Minutes or LessEasyOne-Pot MealsMoroccanNorth AfricanAfricanGround LambLambMeatCarrotVegetableMintCilantroParsleyDried ApricotDried FruitFruitDate
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Reviews (6)

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  • This was so good! Store didn't have ground lamb so I used ground beef and served with basmati rice and some crumbled feta on top. Delicious and came together really quickly. Next time will definitely try with the ground lamb and would probably use only 1/2 red onion.

    • Claire

    • Oakland, CA

    • 12/3/2023

  • It was really easy to put together and was really tasty. Unique flavors to me. I will make this again for sure. I maybe wouldn't add the olive oil to brown the lamb since there was a lot of oil. The fresh pickle on top and the lemon helped cut the fat and I used mint for the herbs. I made Turkish flatbread to go with it and it was perfect.

    • Anonymous

    • Denver, CO

    • 12/20/2023

  • Loveeee this recipe and it came together so quickly!! I substituted ginger, paprika and cumin for the ras-el-hanout and I didn't have dates so I used apricot jam. The carrot and red onion are a must! 10/10 will be on repeat!

    • Katie

    • Dallas, TX

    • 12/22/2023

  • This was delicious, and really easy to make. I added butter lettuce to the salad and served it alongside the lamb dish. I ended up straining some of the lemon juice out of the carrot/onion mixture so it wasn't so wet (the lemon I used was really juicy). I only had a couple dates on hand so I supplemented the rest with raisins and couldn't tell the difference. The lamb turns out really rich, savory and sweet, so the acidic salad balances out this meal really nicely.

    • dreamyweather

    • Portland, OR

    • 3/17/2024

  • This was a huge hit and extremely easy to make. I did half apricot + half dates and did a quick pickle with the carrots before combining with the onion and herbs. Served with homemade pita.

    • Bryan

    • Scottsdale, AZ

    • 5/16/2024