Thank you to Mountain States Rosen for sponsoring this post and the Rigatoni with Slow Cooker Stewed American Lamb and Vegetables within it.
Confession: this was the first time I have ever cooked lamb at home! I order lamb out at restaurants all the time (especially Lebanese restaurants, which I feel have really mastered the art of delicious lamb) but for some reason I’ve been really intimidated to try it at home. Well, guess what? Turns out it’s actually really easy.
For best results when cooking lamb, consider the ideal cooking method for the cut you’re using and start with the highest quality lamb. The slow cooker makes less expensive cuts super tender and tasty! With the weather cooling down, this thing has been my best friend. It’s such an easy way to cook meat, and the perfect technique for bringing out all of the tender, juicy and aromatic assets of lamb. Our place smelled amazing when we arrived home to this!
I bought Cedar Springs American Lamb, which is part of Mountain States Rosen (MSR). I first met the MSR team when I was at Blog Brulee; they are a U.S. co-op family of lamb and veal ranchers. Their lamb ranchers are primarily in the western states, with generations of experience and a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture and animal care. MSR is the only lamb and veal company in the U.S. to receive “Safe Quality Food-Level 3,” the top-rated food safety and quality certification.
The stew also features some nice fall produce – mustard greens and turnips in particular. Feel free to add more of them if you’d like an even more veggie-filled stew. Just increase the amount of veggie broth you use if you add more veggies!
The highlight of this recipe, though, is the lamb! Some lamb fun facts:
- Lamb is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin, zinc, and selenium. It’s also a good source of iron and riboflavin!
- Lamb actually has over 5 ½ times more omega 3 than tilapia. Crazy, right? 40% of the fat in lean lamb is monounsaturated fat, which improves blood cholesterol levels and can decrease your risk of heart disease.
Now – let’s get cooking! This is one of my favorite kinds of recipes – e.g. “throw everything into the crockpot, set it, forget it.”
You can set the crockpot on high for 4 hours or on low for up to 8 hours – whichever works. I threw it into the crockpot in the morning so we did the 4 hour option to enjoy it for lunch. Once the dish is ready, remove the lamb, shred it, and discard the bones, and put it back into the stew.
You can enjoy the stew as is or serve it atop pasta, as I did!
Here’s the full recipe. I hope you love it, too!
Rigatoni with Stewed American Lamb and Vegetables
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 to 1 & 1/2 lbs. Cedar Springs American lamb loin chops
- 2 small turnips, cubed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 oz. mustard greens, chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth (organic & low sodium if possible)
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 bunch rosemary, chopped
- 4 cups dry whole wheat rigatoni, boiled according to package instructions
Instructions
Want to get in on the lamb awesomeness yourself? Harris Teeter is running a special on certain Cedar Springs lamb cuts right now, and MSR gave me two $25 Harris Teeter gift cards to give away! To enter to win, leave a comment below about why you like the idea of serving slow-cooked American lamb from family farmers. I’ll randomly select and directly notify the two winners on this Friday, November 14th. Good luck and happy (slow) cooking! 
p.s. Mountain States Rosen has a giveaway going on on their Facebook page right now – head over there to enter to win a Dutch Oven!
Rigatoni with Slow Cooker Stewed Lamb and Vegetables + GIVEAWAY! originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on November 10, 2014.
The post Rigatoni with Slow Cooker Stewed Lamb and Vegetables + GIVEAWAY! appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.