Even though we’re only a few weeks into the summer, I don’t think I can handle another hamburger or hot dog. Or even a piece of grilled chicken. I need something new, something that will remind my taste buds that there is more to life than beef. Lamb is the answer to your (okay, my) summer prayers — its rich flavor just begs to be cooked over an open flame. Lamb is a good source of zinc, iron and B vitamins. Look for lamb that is pinkish and firm, with white fat. Grass-fed lamb will have a more pronounced (gamy) flavor, so ask your butcher if you’re catering to picky eaters. Be the start of a BBQ revolution with 25 of our favorite lamb recipes.
Roger Mooking’s Five-Spice Lamb Burgers with Pickled Cucumber Relish and Five-Spice Aioli (pictured above) is a refreshing change from the standard burger. Five-spice powder is a blend of spices that usually includes star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns and fennel seeds.
Forget about chicken or beef kebabs; try out Lamb Kebabs with Tamarind Sauce.
Sliders are a barbecuer’s best friend, like Mini Moroccan Lamb Burgers on Brioche with Lemon Yogurt Sauce.
Abbacchio o Capretto Brodettato: Baby Lamb with Egg Sauce is a simple traditional Italian dish that celebrates spring and is often found at the Easter table in Italy from Rome to Calabria.
Emeril’s Spicy Lamb and Eggplant Lasagna uses sliced eggplant instead of sheets of pasta for a low-carb (yet still mouthwatering) option.
Marinate the meat for the Lamb Chops with Cherry Mint Sauce recipe overnight and pop it on the grill later for a quick summer meal.
Tandoori Lamb Wrap is a great make-ahead meal for workday lunches or days at the beach. Green chutney, or chaat chutney, is a combination of coriander, green chiles and mint. If you can’t find any in the grocery store, try making your own.
Have picky eaters? Get them to love lamb by surrounding it with food they already love. Try Emeril’s Grilled Lamb Pasta Salad with a Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette.
Vindaloo was created by the Portuguese in the Goa region of India. It’s traditionally a very spicy dish, but you can play with how much heat you want with Rachael Ray’s Vindaloo for Chicken or Lamb.
Chuck Hughes’ Spicy Lamb Meatballs utilize sambal oelek for a little bit of rich heat. Sambal oelek is a popular Indonesian garlic-chile sauce that can be found in some grocery stores and most Asian markets. Make the naan bread first, so it has a chance to rise while you make the meatballs.
Giada adds lots of extra flavor to a simple BBQ sauce recipe with cinnamon sticks, and kicks up her lamb with herbes de Provence (a mixture of dried rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, savory, basil, bay leaf, lavender and fennel) in her Herbed Lamb Chops with Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Honey and Apricots is slow cooked for tender meat and has lots of warm spices that will make you think you’re dining in Morocco. Tagine is traditionally made in a clay pot of the same name, but you can substitute a Dutch oven.
Cherry and peach chutney offsets the super savory flavors in the Lamb Popsicles recipe.
Mario Batali’s Zucchini Stuffed with Lamb and Mint turns a few basic ingredients into a full meal.
Barbecued Lamb with Lemon Salad is a simple summer meal, complete with almond pesto for serving.
Ginger, garlic and a whole mess of spices like cumin, garam masala and red chile powder really put the Spiced Lamb Burger with Herbed Yoghurt in a whole new ballpark from traditional burgers.
Put on a lei and say aloha to a meal fit for Hawaiian royalty: Grilled Leg of Lamb with Mango and Mint Sauce.
Ellie Krieger’s Spice Rubbed Lamb Pops are a great addition to your next BBQ spread, and they’re only 195 calories per serving!
Marinate lamb loin overnight with fresh oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and garlic for tons of flavor with Michael Chiarello’s Garlic-Stuffed Lamb Loin Bites.
Pastitsio is a traditional Greek layered dish (very similar to lasagna) that usually features pasta, ground meat and a bechamel sauce. Prepare the Lamb and Eggplant Pastitsio up until the point at which you’re supposed to bake it. At this point you can refrigerate for future use. Continue with the instructions when you’re ready to eat!
Aida Mollenkamp uses half of her cucumber-dill sauce as an overnight marinade for the lamb and the other half as a dipping sauce in her Cucumber-Dill Marinade with Lamb Kebabs recipe.
It’s crawfish season, which gives you the perfect reason to try out Emeril’s Crawfish and Goat’s Cheese Stuffed Lamb with Rosemary Jus. If you can’t find crawfish locally, you can substitute any combination of shrimp, scallops and lobster.
Spring Lamb Stew, or navarin d’agneau printanier, is a French stew that marks the changing of the season. Toss in some other spring vegetables, like artichokes, fava beans or whatever you have in the fridge, at the end of cooking to round out the meal.
Aida Mollenkamp brushes mustard onto her Mustard and Curry Roast Lamb before adding the breadcrumbs to the loin, which makes for a super succulent and juicy roast.
Bobby Flay offsets the heat of the jalapenos in the dressing for his Spicy Lamb and Soba Noodle Salad with some honey.
More 25 Ways:
25 Ways to Use Fava Beans
25 Ways to Use Cherries
25 Ways to Use Parsley