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These Mediterranean Lamb Bowls are an easy and healthy ground lamb recipe with exotic Mediterranean flavors to spice up dinner any night of the week!
Have you ever tried to make a ground lamb recipe? Lamb isn’t as popular in the U.S. as it is in some other countries, but don’t let that deter you! If you’ve never tried it, you may be wondering what lamb tastes like.
What does ground lamb taste like?
Lamb has a great, meaty flavor – a stronger flavor than beef. It really has a distinctive taste unlike anything else. Some people would call it gamey, but not in an unpleasant way.
What spices and herbs go best with lamb?
The classic herb to mix with lamb is mint. However, lamb is used in many different cuisines. It is a popular choice in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods. Because of that I decided to use the same spices I used in my Grilled Lamb Kofta Kebabs. In that recipe I used Aleppo Pepper, but due to the conflict in Syria, where Aleppo Pepper comes from, that spice hard to find. Instead, I substituted paprika and red pepper flakes. I also added allspice and ground ginger.
To make an easy dinner, the Mediterranean Lamb Bowls have vibrant Turmeric Rice, fresh tomatoes and cucumber, hummus, feta cheese and some pita bread on the side. It’s a complete meal in a bowl!
If you want to really go all out, you can make the hummus and pita from scratch using my Easy Hummus and Homemade Pita recipes. But if you want to use store bought, that will work too. This actually makes a quick dinner if the hummus and pita are already made!
Mediterranean Lamb Bowls
Ingredients
For Spiced Ground Lamb:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped plus more for garnish
For Bowls:
- 1 cup Turmeric Rice or other rice of choice
- Spiced Ground Lamb
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 cup hummus homemade or store bought
- 1 cup feta cheese
- 2 pita bread optional, for serving
Instructions
To Make The Spiced Ground Lamb:
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil.
- When oil is hot, add onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, until starting to soften.
- Add ground lamb. Brown lamb until cooked through.
- Add paprika, allspice, red pepper flakes, ginger, salt and pepper. Mix until fully combined, cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs.
To Assemble Bowls
- In a bowl, layer Turmeric Rice, then top with some of the spiced ground lamb, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus and feta. Sprinkle with more fresh mint and parsley if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing recipe and so easy!! Is the recipe missing instructions to add the mint to the lamb to combine it with the remaining spices? I assumed so and it tasted great. But might be good to add if there are any other beginner cooks like me:)
Hi Francey – I’m so happy you loved it! The instruction say to stir in the fresh herbs after removing from heat, but adding them with the spices is fine too!
That was so delish! I just made this for lunch after randomly stumbling on your site while looking for ground lamb recipes. The Pita turned out yummy and the lamb is so flavorful! Definitely putting this in my rotation! I didn’t have tahini but will be buying some on my next grocery store strip so i can make the hummus! Thank you:)
I’m so happy you loved it!
I honestly don’t even know how I ended up on this page but I am SO GLAD I did!! My goodness! So delicious! Such a great mix of bold delicious flavors, one of my best let me just try this recipes. I made it with basmati rice and played around with extra seasonings I had at home, just because and not because it needed it and omg! So delicious! Even my lamb disliking bf loved it! Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved it!
We are in the middle of being quarantined and so I have more time on my hands to cook. I found some ground lamb in my freezer and started looking for a recipe (I’m new to lamb). I settled on this and made the lamb, the turmeric rice, and the pita bread recipes. I used a different, but almost the same recipe for the salad and hummus (didn’t have chickpeas so had to sub with another bean). It was so good. Especially the pita bread. Nothing beats fresh bread! I will be making more today as there is enough leftover to repeat the meal, except for the bread. I had a problem with my stove and so cooked the last three pitas in the air fryer. Oh my- it turned out better than the oven! Hubs LOVED this meal, as did I.
I’m so glad you and your husband loved it! It is fun being able to cook more during the quarantine, glad I could contribute 🙂
Loved all the subtle flavors here. I thought the spice combination might be too strong, but it was perfect. In fact, I added a little bit of cumin and smoke paprika. Didn’t have any fresh tomatoes or cucumber, so I sliced up red and orange bell peppers and fired those in a pan until just soft. The feta I had was crumbled, so those went on top. My husband loves lamb, but felt he didn’t digest it well. Next time I might try using ground beef instead, but ground lamb would shine best in this recipe.
So happy to hear that Kathy! I do think it would work with beef as well.
This was a great hit with my family! I made some tzatziki sauce to go along with it too.
So happy to hear that!
Definitely a keeper! This was delicious and so easy!
So happy you loved it Trisha!
I’m not even a lamb fan but inadvertently bought ground lamb instead of ground beef. Searched recipes and glad I came across this one! Had to add a pound of ground beef to the lamb because we had 4 unexpected guests. Made the hummus, turmeric rice (swapping brown instead of jasmine), used small Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, crunchy slaw mix (trader joe), diced avocado, and diced sautéed eggplant. Set everything in separate bowls and everyone put together their own plate. Wow! Rave reviews from EVERYBODY! Can’t wait to make again!
Yay! SO happy to hear that Patrice!
This sounds like a wonderful recipe that I would love to try. I’m off of night shades. What would you recommend as a paprika substitute? Please let me know..
Hi Elizabeth – I would suggest another kind of chili powder but I believe all chilies and peppers are nightshades. I would suggest trying cumin and maybe a little cinnamon.
Thank you! Your message came just in time for us to make it. It was a big hit with hubbie, kids, and parents. A very fun idea.
You are correct that the the chilis are night shades as well.
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
So good!! Easy, delicious and even pretty! My family and I loved this and my son even said for me to save the recipe!
Yay! I am so happy to hear that J!
This recipe is delicious, the seasonings on the lamb are on point. My husband and I like this even better than our favorite local Mediterranean spot!! We made
Cauliflower “rice” with the turmeric seasoning. Leftovers are great over a salad!!
Oh yay! I am so happy to hear that! Love that you served cauliflower rice with these!
Great as a fast salad with meat over lettuce! Delicious! Thanks!
So glad you loved it!
My family loves lamb and this is their new favorite way to have it. Everyone customizes their own bowl with more of this and less of that. It is a meal the whole family looks forward to!!!! The turmeric rice has also become a regular side at my house!
Yay! So happy to hear that Julie!
Ilove lamb. But it often takes too long to cook. First time using ground lamb; a lot quicker but still had the richness of roasted lamb. This was my Easter dinner.
However, I had forgotten how fatty the lamb was; drained it before adding the spices. Served with roasted tumeric cauliflower.
Next time might add some golden raisins, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts for additional texture.
Five stars all around!
So happy you loved it Edna!
Absolutely delicious! And easy! A winner all around. I even made the Turmeric Rice.
Yay! SO happy to hear that!
This recipe is delicious! Better than our favorite local Mediterranean take-out place!! The lamb was perfectly seasoned. We made turmeric ‘cauliflower-rice’ with your recipe. We also marinated the cucumber and tomato in white wine vinegar & olive oil. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!
That sounds delicious! Thank you Pam, so glad you and your family loved it!
I just made these for dinner tonight and it was so delicious and so easy! I’ve never cooked with lamb because I was too scared to. But I loved this recipe! I also added premade taziki sauce and skipped the cucumber since my the sauce had cucumber chunks in it. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that Christi!
This sounds divine!
Thank you Carolyn!
I love making bowls! It makes such a hearty meal!
Yes! So satisfying!
Cooking with lamb is one hardest thing to do but you made it so simple and easy to follow. And I totally dig into this colorful plate!
Thank you Linda!