Need a cure for all — the cold, the flu, hangover, winter blues that come with early darkening days or even a broken heart?
This Icelandic Lamb Stew recipes warms you from within and tastes delicious, reminding you of the basic joys of life.
✨It’s magical.✨
You may or may not know that I am obsessed with Iceland and lamb stew is a staple in an island country where sheep out number the human population.
Since my husband and I visited on our honeymoon in 2016, I’ve recreated Lamb Stew over and over again, each time making it a little differently.
It quickly became one of my favorite meals to cook because it is so versatile when it comes to veggies!
I can use what veggies I have on hand that are in the same family. (You’ll see what I mean below).
Where to Source Lamb
If you are local to Western New York, we are fortunate to have a grass-fed lamb farm – Mc-B’s Farm. Their flock of sheep graze on grasses along the shores of Lake Ontario & their “stew meat” is perfect for this recipe.
And if you’ve never had lamb before, this is a low-risk way to try it out. Making it into soup does not allow for the greasiness of lamb to affect folks as easy as say, rack of lamb.
If you’re finding this recipe somewhere else on the internet, I highly recommend checking out a locally-owned butcher shop or farmers market to see about sourcing some lamb.
You can find a farmers market or sheep farm near you on Local Harvest.
Common Vegetable Substitutions
Root Vegetables – you can use any combination of root vegetables in this soup, including: rutabaga, carrots, turnips, parsnip, or potatoes
Greens – any type of green will work – cabbage, collard greens, kale, chard, spinach, mustard, broccoli raab
Lamb Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound soup meat (lamb shoulder, stew meat, etc.)
- 7 cups of water or vegetable broth/stock
- 1 tablespoon salt (more or less depends on taste)
- 1-2 tablespoons dried herbs (thyme, parsley, and sage really shine in this soup)
- 1-2 medium onions
- 1-3 root veggies of choice – turnips, rutabaga, parsnip, etc.
- 2-3 medium potatoes
- 1-2 carrots
- 1/2 cup greens of choice – kale, chard, cabbage, mustard greens, etc.
- Fresh black pepper
- Optional: barley or rice
Directions
✔️Trim the meat of any excess fat and chop into cubes. Place the meat in a large pot with water or stock and heat slowly to a boil.
✔️Skim the broth and add salt, herbs, and onion. Let the soup simmer for about 40 minutes.
✔️Slice turnips, potatoes, and carrots into fairly chunky pieces but not too big for a spoonful. Add them to the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes.
✔️Then add the cabbage and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
✔️Add salt and pepper as you wish. If you feel the soup has gotten too thick or lacks liquid, just add some water.
The soup gets better if you let it simmer for a while to let the ingredients gel together.
I also find it to be tastier the day after it’s been made, since the flavors have had a chance to meld together.
Ways to Make it Really Special
When I make this recipe I like to use Icelandic herbs — I add a pinch of dried Icelandic moss, a mix of dried Angelica and birch, & arctic thyme sea salt from Saltverk.
You could also add in mushrooms or powdered mushroom blend from Heartland Organics to add in some extra flavor or nutrients.
Schul Farmstead 
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