Leftover lamb recipes

We've got lots of delicious leftover lamb recipes for you to choose from, including lamb curry, stir-fry, stew and couscous. So if you're not sure what to make with your leftover lamb, you've come to the right place!

leftover lamb recipes
By Nic Hopkirk
published

We've got lots of delicious leftover lamb recipes for you to choose from, including lamb curry, stir-fry, stew and couscous. So if you're not sure what to make with your leftover lamb, you've come to the right place!

Looking for leftover lamb recipes to see you through your Sunday lunch leftovers? We've got lots of delicious lamb recipes for you to choose from, including big dinner dishes like lamb curry (opens in new tab) and stir-fry. So if you're not sure what to make with your leftover lamb now, don't worry because you'll have plenty of ideas to choose from very soon.

If you've just finished cooking from Easter weekend or just a normal Sunday lunch, chances are that you might have some leftovers. It happens to all of us, no matter how well you plant it there is always seems to be a little more than you need. But luckily, lamb is one of those meats that sometimes taste even better the next day!

While you might be looking to make a whole family dinner with your leftovers - and with recipes like pasta bake and pies to choose from, why not? - you might be looking just to make lunch the next day. We definitely recommend a lamb kebabs or pasties for a unique lunch every family member will love.

Admittedly, once your lamb joint has been used in one dish, sometimes it's hard to picture what else it can be used it. We've chosen our 20 favourite ways to cook leftover lamb so that you don't have to worry about that.

Many people avoid cooking with lamb because if you prepare it right, then it can sometimes shrink or go dry. So before you get started on your leftovers, have a look at the perfect way to cook a leg of lamb (opens in new tab) for some advice on the best cooking conditions for your meat.

Did you know that you can freeze lamb? (opens in new tab) Many people think because it's already been cooked, you can't then freeze it. But that's not the case. Your leftover lamb can be kept in the freezer for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, cut the lamb into thin strips so its easier to store and cook.

Take a look through our leftover lamb recipes to see tasty ways to use up your lamb...

Lamb curry

Lamb is a traditional meat to use in curries. The rich flavours of the meat add a lovely depth of flavour to the sauce. This can be achieved with leftover lamb too. You just need to add it to the sauce a little later than you would if it were fresh and heat all the way through.

Ingredients you need:

  • Curry sauce (or make your own with chopped tomatoes and herbs/curry paste).

  • Rice

  • Veggies
Recipes to try:

  • Lamb and beer curry (opens in new tab)

    • Spicy lamb biryani (opens in new tab)

    Lighter lamb keema curry recipe (opens in new tab)

    Pressure cooker hot-peppered lamb curry recipe (opens in new tab)

    Dhansak recipe (opens in new tab)

    Keema recipe (opens in new tab)

    More curry recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb stew

    leftover lamb recipes: lamb stew

    A nice warming stew is one of the tastiest ways to use your leftover lamb. Stew your vegetables in lamb stock (or leftover juices from your roast) and warm through the lamb towards the end of cooking. As the lamb is already cooked you won't need to cook it for as long as you usually would - it may not fall apart like in a normal stew but it will still be pretty tasty!

    Ingredients you need:

  • Stock

  • Vegetables

  • Chopped tomatoes

  • Herbs

    • Recipes to try:

  • Irish lamb stew  (opens in new tab)

  • Lamb stew with black olives (opens in new tab)

  • Minted lamb cobbler (opens in new tab)

  • Spiced lamb and marrow stew (opens in new tab)

    • More stew recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb stir fry

    leftover lamb recipes

    One of the easiest ways to use up your leftover lamb is to chuck it into a stir-fry. Combine with some veggies, noodles or rice and a sauce - and you have a speedy but delicious dinner on your plate. Lamb is a quite a strong-flavoured meat so you need a powerful sauce to match it - black bean or a ginger-based sauce would work well.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Veggies

    • Noodles or rice

    • Sauce
    Recipes to try:

    More stir-fry recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb pasta

    leftover lamb recipes

    It might not be the most obvious meat to add to your pasta but you just need to know what flavours bring the lamb and the pasta together. Our lamb pasta recipe uses a honey and mint sauce with green veggies like courgette, asparagus and peas. Simple, quick and delicious! A ragu or tomato-based sauce would also make a delicious sauce for your lamb pasta.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Pasta

    • Sauce

    • Veggies
    Recipes to try:

    Lamb pie

    leftover lamb recipes

    A crispy pastry topping and rich, meaty filling, a lamb pie is the ultimate comfort food and it's not as hard to whip up as you might think. If you use ready-made pastry and cook up a quick lamb stock and veggie mix, all you need to do is add in the lamb, heat it through, top with pastry and bake - simple!

    Ingredients you need:

    • Pastry/potatoes

    • Lamb stock

    • Herbs

    • Veggies
    Recipes to try:

    More pie recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb kebabs

    leftover lamb recipes

    A little flavouring, some bamboo sticks, a nice side and your leftover lamb can be transformed into some tasty kebabs. You can fry the cooked meat with herbs and spices to get it nice and tasty and serve atop some rice or in a wrap with a creamy sauce.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Herbs and spices

    • Side - rice, couscous, wraps etc

    • Sauce (natural yogurt with mint sauce is an easy option)

    Recipes to try:

    Tandoori lamb skewers recipe (opens in new tab)

    Slimming World’s Harissa lamb skewers recipe (opens in new tab)

    More kebab recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb in pastry

    leftover lamb recipes

    (Image credit: Brett Stevens)

    A little pastry, some cheese and a few veggies turn your lamb into a tasty tart. You could also wrap the lamb up completely to make a pasty. Always have some ready made pastry in the fridge/freezer to transform your leftovers.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Pastry

    • Cheese (Feta or goat's cheese are good matches)

    • Egg to glaze

    • Veggies
    Recipes to try

    :

    More tart recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb tagine

    leftover lamb recipes

    A tagine is a Moroccan version of our casserole and isn't as hard to whip up as you might think. A tin of chopped tomatoes and some Moroccan spices (cumin, paprika, ginger are common flavours - you can sometimes find them combined in shops called Ras El Hanout) are all you really need. The lamb can be added towards the end of cooking and heated through to absorb all the lovely flavours.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Chopped tomatoes

    • Spices

    • Couscous (to serve)

    • Chickpeas (optional)
    Recipes to try:

    More Moroccan recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb soup

    leftover lamb recipes: Lamb soup

    The strong flavours of lamb can make a lovely soup or a broth. Boil with stock and some herbs and veggies and allow the tastes to develop. Powerful flavours like Thai seasoning or the curry-like Mulligatawny are strong enough not to be masked by the lamb.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Stock

    • Vegetables

    • Seasoning
    Recipes to try:

    More soup recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb bake

    leftover lamb recipes

    If you're in more of a throw-everything-together kind of of mood - a bake is the best way to use up your leftover lamb. Simply toss it together with some vegetables and sauce, top it with some breadcrumbs and bake. You could also leave the breadcrumbs off and add chunks of potato and a light dressing to the mix for a more hearty tray bake.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Veggies

    • Breadcrumbs/potatoes

    • Sauce/dressing
    Recipes to try:

    Lamb risotto

    leftover lamb recipes

    Frying up some leftover lamb with a little rice automatically turns it into another meal. You could combine it with rice and stock to make a risotto or you could try making a pepperpot - a fiery blend of chilli, peppers and vegetables.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Rice

    • Stock

    • Herbs/seasonings
    Recipes to try:

    More rice recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb salad

    leftover lamb recipes

    (Image credit: Gareth Morgans)

    Lamb is surprisingly tasty in a salad, you just need to team it with the right ingredients. Strong flavours like Feta, cannellini/broad beans and mint bring together the lamb with subtler salad ingredients - it's particularly nice served warm in a Greek-style salad.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Salad leaves

    • Dressing/flavouring
    Recipes to try:

    More salad recipes (opens in new tab)

    Lamb hotpot

    Lamb hotpot

    Nestling beneath a cripsy potato topping, your leftover lamb will find plenty of flavour in a hot pot filling. A meaty lamb stock and lots of chunky veg is all you need as a base for a classic lamb hotpot (opens in new tab) - warm your lamb right through, top with thin potato slices and bake.

    Ingredients you need:

    • Lamb stock

    • Potatoes

    • Veggies
    Recipes to try:

    Nic Hopkirk
    Senior Content Editor: Good to Know About me Hi there, I’m Nic Hopkirk – senior content editor for Good to Know. I’m a lifestyle journalist who has worked across newspapers and digital for nearly 20 years. After studying English Literature at Bristol University, I began my journalism career on local newspapers in South East London and Kent, before moving on to digital media at Emap. Since then I’ve worked for the Evening Standard, Daily Mail and MSN, where I was the Managing Editor for the Lifestyle group of channels for several years. After my two boys were born I decided to go freelance and have written for Good to Know, Woman, Woman & Home and Global Radio, as well as Marks & Spencer and Holland & Barrett. My specialist subjects Since becoming a mum, I’ve become a specialist in the subject areas of pregnancy, labour - and of course days out and activities with the kids. I am constantly on the look out for fun new things to do with my boys and while a true Londoner,  I also love going out to the countryside and exploring green open spaces. I’ve become a member of pretty much every organisation I can think of to enjoy time in the great outdoors together as a family and my purse is packed with membership cards for the National Trust, English Heritage, Kew, Royal Palaces - you name it. I also love a good outing to a castle, so naturally I’m also a member of our two nearest establishments - Leeds and Hever. I love cycling to work and when I get some me-time I also love a good shop - most of which is done online these days! I’m really looking forward to sharing all of my knowledge with Good to Know’s readers.
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