Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks are incredibly simple to make at home, and they make an elegant dish for Easter or a family dinner! This recipe requires only 30 minutes of hands-on time, under 2 hours of hands-off cook time, and the result is lamb that’s tender and full of flavor! Serve with couscous, rice, mashed potatoes, or any other side you like!
Thanks to our friends at the American Lamb Board for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
I know the way we celebrate Easter may look different for all of us this year, but I hope that you are still able to cook a meal to share with your family at home! Lamb is such a classic dinner option – and it’s really quite simple to prepare! If you’ve never cooked lamb or a dish like this before – don’t stress! It’s simple. I’ll walk you through it.
What You’ll Need:
- Lamb Shanks
- Red Wine
- Tomato Sauce
- Beef Broth
- Flour
- Salt + Pepper
- Rosemary
- Onion
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
If you’ve never purchased lamb before, you can find it at natural grocery stores or your local butcher. Try to purchase lamb raised locally – it’ll be the freshest, have the best flavor, and it helps support your local producers + farmers! I’ll add a bit more about this at the end of the blog post.
To begin this recipe, add a splash of olive oil to a large dutch oven. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper on all sides, and brown them on all sides.
Next, saute carrots, onion, and garlic for a few minutes, then coat the lamb shanks in the flour, and add them on top of the veggies. You do not need to coat them perfectly!
Pour in the tomato sauce, red wine, and beef broth. Add the rosemary and bay leaves. Bring this to a simmer on the stovetop, then turn off the heat, put on the lid, and place the pot in the oven! We’re cooking the lamb shanks for 1 hour at 350 degrees, and an additional 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Using a lower cooking temperature will help ensure that the meat turns out nice and tender!
And, there’s what the lamb will look like once it’s done cooking! You can test it with a fork – the meat should shred off easily. And yes – the lamb shanks are cooked with the bone in. I also don’t bother trimming the fat off before cooking (with most recipes). It adds flavor and will easily fall off the meat once cooked – that’s easier, in my opinion, than cutting the fat off beforehand.
You can serve this dish with any side you like! I had couscous on hand already in my pantry, so I used that. I’m always a big proponent of using whatever you have on hand – and this is no exception! You could serve your Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks with rice, mashed potatoes, farro, orzo, or any other type of grain or side you have.
Pour yourself a glass of the leftover red wine, and dive in!
I hope this meal is able to bring some joy to you in your Easter celebrations this year, as you spend time at home with your loved ones. If you need some more Easter recipe inspiration to round out your meal, try some of these!
More Easter Recipes to Love:
The Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – It wouldn’t be Easter without a lovely dessert to round out your meal!
Easter Egg Blondies – This is a simple desserts the kids can help make.
Easy Garlic Parmesan Knots – A super-easy side dish that would pair wonderfully with this meal!
Favorite Spinach Artichoke Dip – The easiest, most delicious appetizer to enjoy before your meal.
Lamb Roast with Herbed Garlic Butter Potatoes – If you like lamb, this is another great recipe to make for Easter! You could even just make the potatoes to use as a side with this recipe, too.
Bacon Green Beans – Another fabulous side dish to pair with this recipe!
One final tip – make sure to buy locally-raised lamb meat! It’s fresher, more flavorful, and helps support American farmers. Use the lamb locator on American Lamb‘s website to help you find American-raised lamb if you’re not sure where to find it! When you go to buy your lamb, don’t be afraid to ask the butcher for help selecting a piece if purchasing lamb is new to you. They’re usually very knowledgeable and can help you out quite a bit!
Happy Easter and be well! ❤️
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Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 4 lbs lamb shanks
- salt + pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 and 1/2 cups red wine No need to buy anything expensive or fancy!
- 14 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 bay leaves Find these in the spice aisle
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Let the lamb shanks sit out for 10 minutes before beginning to brown them. This is a good time to chop your carrots, onion, and garlic.
- Prepare the Lamb: Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Season the lamb shanks all over with salt and pepper, and brown them on all sides, working in batches if necessary to make it easier. Set aside on a plate. Add the onion and carrots, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Coat the lamb shanks in the flour - don't worry about making it perfectly even. Add them on top of the veggies, and pour in the red wine, beef broth, and tomato sauce. Try to make sure all the meat is covered with the liquid, or covered as much as possible. Add the rosemary and bay leaves, and bring to a simmer over medium heat on the stove. Once it's simmering, turn off the heat, cover with the lid, and place in the oven.
- Cook: Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees, and rotate any pieces of meat that are sticking out above the level of liquid in the pot. Return to the oven, turn the oven temp down to 325 degrees, and cook 35-45 more minutes. The meat should be fork-tender and should shred easily when done.
- Serve + Store: Enjoy immediately! Serve with couscous, mashed potatoes, orzo, or any other side you might have on hand. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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