Lamb Chili With Lentils

- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 2pounds lean lamb, preferably from the leg, coarsely ground or cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 2cups finely chopped onions
- 2tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1cup finely chopped celery
- 1cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
- 1jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and chopped fine
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 3tablespoons chile powder
- 1teaspoon crumbled fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
- 2bay leaves
- 3cups canned crushed tomatoes
- 1cup chicken broth, fresh or canned
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1cup dried green lentils
- Sour cream for garnishing
- Limes for garnishing
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot, and add the meat. Cook over medium-high heat for three or four minutes, stirring with a heavy metal kitchen spoon to break up any lumps.
- Step 2
Add the onions, garlic, celery, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, cumin and chile powder, and stir to blend well. Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Step 3
Add the oregano, bay leaves, tomatoes and chicken broth along with 1 cup water and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Step 4
Place the lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups of water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Drain.
- Step 5
Add the lentils to the meat mixture. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove bay leaves. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and wedges of lime if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
This has become a winter staple in my kitchen. I make a big batch and put portions in the freezer. Heat it up for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner To make it healthier, I double the amount of lentils and halve the amount of ground lamb. Lamb is so flavorful, you really don't need to use a lot.
This recipe seems a bit dated - it's from 1993, when American palates were blander. I ended up adding sambal and sriracha. Next time I'll try it with diced rather than ground lamb, increase all spices, and include corriander, chopotle, and get to a more robust version. I love the mix of lentils and lamb.
Would recommend skimming off some of the fat before adding the spices. Used a baster, which worked well.
Delicious!
I used venison and red lentils (because I seemed to have a stockpile). And cheated with a chili seasoning packet. Needed the squeeze of lime. Was delicious and I'll make it again.
Why cook the lentils separately? I feel like they could just cook all together in one pot.
I agree with the comment about not altering the seasoning at all. This is just the right balance of flavors as is! The only changes I made were to use a good quantity of fresh summer tomatoes instead of canned, add less water due to the liquid from the fresh tomatoes, and I cooked the lentils in the pot with everything else rather than doing anything in a separate pot. I will definitely make this again!
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