A warm and cozy meal to share with family and friends for St. Patrick's Day is the delicious Irish stew with tender lamb, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas and Guinness beer.
Irish stew with lamb
I look at cooking as a labor of love. And this labor of love takes time to plan and prepare with the result being delicious food. With St. Patrick’s Day only a couple days away, I love setting aside time for a home cooked meal to share with family and friends. Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness is the definition of a comfort food.
With people’s busy schedules and the seemingly endless variety of options for dining out, fresh meal delivery services, and prepared meals packaged and waiting at most grocery stores, home cooking seems to be losing its luster.
Between working all day, taking kids to countless activities, and keeping up with the daily demands of life, most home cooks are looking for fast, tasty, and premade food to serve to themselves and their families. Spend some time in the kitchen and prepare this delicious and comforting lamb stew.
In about 2 1/2 hours, cubes of lamb shoulder become ultra-tender. It is a favorite in our house. The sauce is rich beefy beer gravy with chunks of carrots, parsnips, potatoes and sweet green peas.
the ingredients
- olive oil
- lamb shoulder
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- all purpose flour
- onion
- celery
- garlic
- tomato paste
- Guinness Draught
- beef stock
- fresh thyme
- carrots
- parsnips
- small potatoes
- frozen green peas
my cooking video ~ step by step recipe details
suggestions and recipe tips
- Use the right cut of meat. Lamb shoulder is best for an Irish stew recipe. Cuts like leg of lamb better to grill or roast.
- An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is ideal for making stews. It is thicker and heavier than steel pots and therefore conducts and retains heat more effectively.
- Don’t skip searing the meat. This step achieves a nice brown crust on the lamb and adds intense flavor to the stew.
- Guinness beer adds a delicious roasted malty sweetness to the sauce of the stew. I highly encourage using it in the stew. If you would like to substitute a non-alcoholic liquid, try more beef stock or apple cider.
- Start cooking the meat first and then add the vegetables for the last half hour so the vegetables do not get mushy.
- Let the stew simmer slow and low. A great stew needs time to develop the rich flavors and for all the ingredients to be tender
- Serve the steaming hot bowls of stew with a crusty loaf of Irish soda bread for sopping up the velvety gravy. It would be a shame to even waste a drop.
just one more thing
Also, if you make this delicious Irish stew with lamb recipe, I'd love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.
more St. Patrick's Day recipes I love
- Rustic Irish Soda Bread
- Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
- Crazy Good Reuben Casserole
- Mint Chocolate Fudge Brownies
recipe
Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness
- Total Time: 185 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
A warm and cozy meal to share with family and friends for St. Patrick's Day is the delicious Irish lamb stew with carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas and Guinness beer.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds lamb shoulder (cut in 2-inch pieces)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1 stalk of celery (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14.9 ounce) can of Guinness Draught
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 springs of fresh thyme
- 2 large carrots (cut on bias in 1-inch pieces)
- 3 medium parsnips (cut on bias in 1-inch pieces)
- 1 pound small potatoes
- 1 cup of frozen green peas
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or medium sized stock pot over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Shear the meat on all sides until browned or about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the pot and place it in a bowl.
- Add the flour to the browned meat. Toss the meat with a spoon until it is coated with the flour. Set aside.
- In the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the onion, celery and garlic. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine with the vegetables. Continue cooking for an additional minute.
- Add the Guinness, beef stock and thyme springs while stirring and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil then add the browned lamb meat.
- Cover the pot, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer the stew for 1 and ½ hours or until the meat is tender.
- Add the carrots, parsnips and potatoes and stir to combine.
- Return the cover to the pot and continue simmering for 30 to 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the peas and stir. Continue simmering until they are heated through.
- The stew can be served immediately or stored for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat.
Notes
- Use the right cut of meat. Lamb shoulder is best for stew instead of leg of lamb which is more suited to grilling or roasting.
- An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is ideal for making stews. It is thicker and heavier than steel pots and therefore conducts and retains heat more effectively.
- Don’t skip searing the meat. This step achieves a nice brown crust on the lamb and adds intense flavor to the stew.
- Guinness beer adds a delicious roasted malty sweetness to the sauce of the stew. I highly encourage using it in the stew. If you would like to substitute a non-alcoholic liquid, try more beef stock or apple cider.
- Start cooking the meat first and then add the vegetables for the last half hour so the vegetables do not get mushy.
- Let the stew simmer slow and low. A great stew needs time to develop the rich flavors and for all the ingredients to be tender
- Serve the steaming hot bowls of stew with a crusty loaf of Irish soda bread for sopping up the velvety gravy. It would be a shame to even waste a drop.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 165 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: simmer on stove top
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 507
- Sugar: 7.1 g
- Sodium: 411 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.1 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 47.7 g
- Cholesterol: 136 mg
Keywords: lamb stew, St. Patrick's Day recipe, Irish stew with lamb, dinner ideas
Bernice Hill
Fabulous recipe with great tips on how to coax out maximum flavour. My mouth is watering and I'm hungry!
Amy Casey
I love having this one in my fridge Bernice. The flavors are even better after a day of so.
Gloria
I am a lamb lover. This stew sounds divine. The perfect meal for St. Patrick's Day. I know hubby would love this.
Jenny
I am such a fan of stews! I love this Irish version, I never tried to make my stew with Guinness and can't wait to try it! Perfect for St Patrick's day! Thanks so much!
Amy Casey
Me too Jenny! You are so welcome!
Sharon
The lamb and Guinness in this stew are a perfect flavor pairing. Rich and comforting.
Amy Casey
So true Sharon! I just love the flavor combo in this recipe.
Veronika
Oh, my mouth is watering now! It's been awhile since I had an Irish Beef Stew. I miss is so much and will make your recipe next week! Can't wait to try it 😉
Amy Casey
Let me know how it turns out for you Veronika 🙂
FOODHEAL
This stew reminds me of a stew we used to make back when I was little, without guinness! It's delicious with meat cooked to tenderness.
Amy Casey
Too funny! It's a cozy comfort food meal.
Beth
This looks so savory and hearty, and I so agree the best stew is cooked low and slow. What a great way to enjoy lamb.
Amy Casey
I do like to make stews with an Instant Pot, but low and slow is the way to go when you have the time.
Debbie
This looks like a thick and hearty stew I need in my life. I love to use Guinness in stews, it gives it such a rich flavor. I can't wait to try this recipe!
Amy Casey
Thanks Debbie! I love the flavor of Guinness too ~ so rich.
Heidy
This recipe was fantastic! The entire family enjoyed it, and I will be sharing the recipe with a few coworkers that enjoy this cuisine, Have a great week!!!
Heidy
Amy Casey
Thanks for sharing my recipe!
Addison
This Irish stew is so hearty and flavorful! I love that it's great as leftovers as well. So yummy!
Amy Casey
You can't beat a great leftover in the fridge Addison!
Dianne
Amy, can this recipe be made in the crockpot?
Amy Casey
I'm sure it could, but I haven't tried it. Maybe someone can add a comment if they have made this recipe in a crockpot.