Instant Pot Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables Recipe

Name: Instant Pot Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 sprigs rosemary; 2 sprigs parsley; 1 bay leaf; 2 wide strips of lemon peel; 2 pounds lamb, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced; 2 medium leeks, trimmed tough green parts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup dry white wine; 1 cup chicken stock; 3 to 4 small turnips (about 12 ounces), trimmed, scrubbed and cut into 4 wedges; 1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces; 2 cups frozen peas; 2 handfuls baby spinach

Instant Pot Lamb Stew - bowl of lamb stew with peas — Sally Vargas

Feel-Good Stew Recipes for Chilly Days

FEATURED IN:

Where I live, spring drags its feet. This warming bowl of lamb stew is a welcome harbinger of things to come, while fitting the bill for the chilly days of spring.

The meat and veggies swim in a rich broth that is truly slurp-able, and the spring vegetables add a sprightly touch. The lamb cooks to tenderness in the pressure cooker, with the tender peas, asparagus, and spinach added at the very end so they are still fresh and bright.

Quick Lamb Stew in the Instant Pot

Tender chunks of lamb in 20 minutes? Seriously? Yes, it’s true.

The whole process, including browning the meat and softening the vegetables, takes only 40 minutes! The traditional route takes hours.

Now that I know it's so easy in the pressure cooker, I no longer pass by the stew meat at the market like I used to, because I know I can make a stew in under an hour. This puts a stew like this one into the ‘weeknight supper’ category rather than a ‘weekends-only’ dish.

Lamb Stew Recipe - pot of lamb stew with ladle — Sally Vargas

Stovetop Pressure Cooker vs. Instant Pot

The instructions I give here are for a stovetop pressure cooker. If you have an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, look for the alternative instructions in a "Simple Tip" boxes in each step.

How to Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer's Guide

What Cut of Lamb Should I Use?

Trimmed and cubed lamb is fairly easy to come by in the grocery store. It should come from the leg, shoulder, or shank. If you don’t see it in the meat case, often the butcher will cut it for you, so be sure to ask.

Instant Pot Lamb Stew - bowl of lamb stew — Sally Vargas

3 Easy Steps for Lamb Stew

Cook this stew in three stages in order to cook the meat until tender, without turning the vegetables into mush:

After browning the meat and cooking the leeks and shallots, add the wine and stock and bring the pot to pressure.
Sixteen minutes later, release the pressure under cold running water, which only takes about 30 seconds. Add the turnips, return the pot to the stove, and bring it back up to pressure again. Bringing the pot to the correct pressure is much faster the second time, and the turnips only take a few minutes to cook.
Finally, release the pressure and return the pot to the stove. Add the peas and asparagus. Since the stew is already hot, it only takes another couple of minutes to simmer these vegetables to the perfect doneness.

More Easy Recipes With Lamb

Instant Pot Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

The instructions here are for a stovetop pressure cooker. Instant Pot instructions are featured in "Simple Tip" boxes.

2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
2 wide strips lemon peel
2 pounds lamb, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium leeks, trimmed tough green parts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 to 4 small turnips (about 12 ounces), trimmed, scrubbed and cut into 4 wedges
1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
2 cups frozen peas
2 handfuls baby spinach

Tie the herbs together:

With a piece of kitchen twine, tie the rosemary, parsley, bay leaf, and lemon peel together. Set aside.

Sally Vargas
Brown the meat:

Sprinkle the meat all over with salt and pepper. In a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the lamb pieces in batches if they don’t all fit into the pot. Turn them with tongs until browned and transfer to a plate. This should take 10 to 15 minutes.

Simple Tip!

If using an Instant Pot, use the sauté setting to brown the meat and sauté the vegetables.

Sally Vargas
Cook the shallots and leeks:

Add the shallots and leeks to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften slightly.

Sally Vargas
Finish the stew base:

Add the lamb cubes back to the pot and sprinkle with the flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 seconds, or until the flour coats the meat. Add the wine, chicken stock, and herb bundle to the pot. Use a flat wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to release the brown bits.

Sally Vargas
Seal the pot and cook:

Cover the pot with the lid, seal it, and set it over a burner at high heat until the pressure gauge registers at its highest setting. Turn the heat to low and set the timer for 16 minutes.

When the timer goes off, place the pot in the sink and run it under cold water until the pressure is released. This should only take about 1 minute, but it depends on your cooker. Open the pot and remove the lid.

Simple Tip!

If using an Instant Pot, secure the lid and set the pressure release to ‘sealing.’ Press the cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the ‘meat/stew’ setting and set the cooking time for 30 minutes at high pressure. (The pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the cooking program begins.)
When the cooking program ends, carefully perform a quick pressure release by moving the pressure release valve to venting. Once you no longer see steam venting, open the pot.
Cook the turnips:

Add the turnips to the pot. Re-cover the pot with the lid, seal it, and set it over high heat until the pressure gauge registers at its highest setting. Turn the burner heat to low and set the timer for 3 minutes.

When the timer goes off, place the pot in the sink and run it under cold water until the pressure is released. This should only take about 1 minute, but it depends on your cooker. Remove the lid.

Simple Tip!

If using an Instant Pot, add the turnips and secure the lid. Set the pressure release valve to sealing. Press the cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select ‘pressure cook’ or ‘manual.’ Set the cooking time to 3 minutes at high pressure. (The pot will take 10 to 15 minutes to come up to pressure before the cooking program begins.)
Add the remaining vegetables to the stew:

With tongs, remove the herb bunch. Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute longer or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted and bright green. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with boiled new potatoes, if you like.

Simple Tip!

If using an Instant Pot, open the lid and add the asparagus, peas, and spinach. Return the lid to the pot to allow the vegetables to cook in the residual heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender.

Sally Vargas

Sally Vargas

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
644	Calories
37g	Fat
26g	Carbs
44g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	644
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g	48%
Saturated Fat 14g	71%
Cholesterol 148mg	49%
Sodium 592mg	26%
Total Carbohydrate 26g	9%
Dietary Fiber 7g	24%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 44g
Vitamin C 26mg	131%
Calcium 117mg	9%
Iron 6mg	33%
Potassium 1012mg	22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.