Spiced Ground Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash

Curl up with a bowl of ground lamb and butternut squash stew, a hearty one-pot dish packed with warming shawarma spices, protein-rich lamb, and an abundance of nourishing veggies. This flavorful, nutrient-dense stew is the perfect balance of protein, fiber, and wholesome carbs, making it a satisfying meal for any night of the week and ready in under 40 minutes! Easy to make and bursting with bold, aromatic spices, it’s a must-try for lamb lovers.

Now that you have shawarma spice you should try these shawarma stuffed peppers, and this crowd pleaser shawarma burger.

A Soulful Pot of Nourishing Goodness

There’s something deeply comforting about a stew—the way ingredients come together, slowly melding into something greater than the sum of their parts. This ground lamb and butternut squash stew is a celebration of bold spices, tender lamb, and nourishing vegetables, simmered to perfection. The warmth of shawarma spices seeps into every bite, while chickpeas and butternut squash add heartiness and balance. It’s the kind of dish that feels like a warm embrace, perfect for cozy nights and effortless, nourishing meals.

Craving a hearty stew but short on time? This flavorful dish comes together in under 40 minutes—perfect for a busy Wednesday night when you need comfort without the wait.

Let's Get Cooking!

Ingredient Notes

A few pantry staples, and a handful of fresh ingredients. Nothing terribly complicated here and I beg you to not be intimidated by the shawarma spice blend – you can easily buy a blend at the grocery store but homemade is super simple. Reminder that detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Ground Lamb – Using ground lamb in place of lamb shoulder not only quickens the cook time but I personally think produces a foul-proof solution to tender lamb.
• Veggies – Onion, garlic, butternut squash, kale – an abundance of polyphenols, minerals, and vitamins
• Legume – Chickpeas – I use canned chickpeas in this recipe, drained and rinsed.
• Spices – Either purchase a pre-made shawarma spice blend or make your own. shawarma spice is a combination of smokey cumin, earthy paprika, garlic powder, ginger, citrusy sumac (optional), and warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. In a pinch you could simply use ground cumin, paprika, garlic, and a pinch of cinnamon.
• Chicken Broth + Whole Peeled Tomatoes – Canned whole peeled tomatoes, I love the brand Mutti, but use your favorite brand
• Toppings – Totally optional but this stew is NEXT LEVEL with a dollop of greek yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, fresh cilantro leaves, and flakey sea salt. – Oh and warm pita bread, or your favorite warm gluten free bread.

Subs + Additions

• Subs: You can easily make this stew with ground turkey or ground beef if preffered.
• Additions: This recipe is a great veggie playground, mix it up, try fennel, sweet potato, swiss chard or spinach.

Tools

• Cutting Board
• Good Knife
• Large Soup Pot – You can't go wrong with this one

Step by Step – It's stew-per easy

Step One: Brown the ground lamb, and season generously with shawarma spice blend. Remove lamb from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. NOTE: You want to reserve about 1 tbsp of cooking fat from the lamb. If your ground lamb has rendered a lot more fat, carefully pour out all but 1 tbsp.

Step Two: Saute onions in the lamb cooking fat until super tender, about 5 minutes, add garlic and saute for an additional minute.

Step Three: Essentially you are going to keep adding ingredients and building flavor. Into the pot add cubed butternut squash, remaining shawarma spice blend, stir to coat, add chickpeas

Step Four: Add tomatoes and broth, and return lamb to the pot, bring to a boil and then simmer until squash is tender. Add kale and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until kale is wilted but still vibrant green.

Step Five: Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, flakey sea salt, and warm pita – all of this is optional but I am very PRO-TOPPINGS on soups and stews.

Storage Tips:

This recipe is EXCELLENT for meal prep I couldn't be happier with a big bowl of lamb stew for lunch.

• STORAGE – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
• REHEATING – Reheat on stovetop or microwave until warm
• FREEZING – This freezes quite well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate and comment!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Spiced Ground Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash

Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN

Curl up with a bowl of ground lamb and butternut squash stew, a hearty one-pot dish packed with warming shawarma spices, protein-rich lamb, and an abundance of nourishing veggies

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 8 bowls

Calories 217 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 3 tbsp shawarma spice blend divided *see notes*
• 1 medium onion chopped – about 1 cup
• 5 cloves garlic chopped
• 3 cups butternut squash ½" dice, about 1/2 a medium squash
• 1 can chickpeas 15 ounce can – drained and rinsed
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups whole peeled tomatoes canned
• 4 cups kale leaves stripped from stems and chopped, about 1 large bunch
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black peppe
• 1/4 tsp cayenne optional

Toppings (optional)

• Greek yogurt
• olive oil
• flakey sea salt
• fresh cilantro

Instructions

 

• Cook the Lamb:

  Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground lamb cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until the lamb is browned and cooked through, about 5–7 minutes. Season the lamb with 2 tsp shawarma spice and a generous pinch of sea salt. Remove the lamb from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Reserve the Fat:

  Once the lamb has been removed, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the cooking fat in the pot.
• Saute Veggies – Build Flavor!

  Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the butternut squash to the pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining shawarma spice blend and stir to coat all veggies in spice mixture.
• Combine Remaining Ingredients:

  Add the chickpeas, chicken broth, whole peeled tomatoes (crushing them slightly with your hands as you add them), salt, black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Add lamb back to the pot. Stir well to combine.
• Simmer:

  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the Kale:

  Stir in the chopped kale and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until the kale is wilted and tender. Taste for seasoning, add more salt or cayenne if needed.
• Serve:

  Serve warm, garnished with a dollop of greek yogurt, a drizzle of good olive oil, a sprinkle of flakey sea salt, and torn fresh cilantro leaves, and a warm piece of fresh pita.

Notes

Homemade Shawarma Spice Blend:

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground clove

Alternatively you can purchase Shawarama spice blend or simply use 1 tbsp each cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon for a simplified version.

Storage Tips:

This recipe is EXCELLENT for meal prep I couldn't be happier with a big bowl of lamb stew for lunch.

• STORAGE – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
• REHEATING – Reheat on stovetop or microwave until warm
• FREEZING – This freezes quite well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl – 8 bowls in recipeCalories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 12gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 788mgPotassium: 563mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 6764IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 2mg

Snap a photo when you try this recipe!Tag me! @abrapappa or #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!