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
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
- Add all ingredients except for pasta into a slow cooker. Set for 4 hours on high or up to 8 or 9 hours on low.
- Once time is up, remove lamb, shred it, discard the bones, and add the meat back into the stew.
- Boil pasta according to package instructions.
- Serve stew atop pasta and enjoy!
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!
Hi Anne! Thanks for the inspiration. I love lamb and I really need to start using my slow cooker more often!
I am also guilty of ordering lamb at restaurants, but have never tried to cook it at home. We love buying food from local farmers, because the quality tends to be better and it’s nice to support local business. I am glad to hear that MSR cares so much about food safety and quality!
I also love lamb but have never cooked it at home. I love the idea of cooking with this lamb and knowing that it supports family farmers.
This looks like a super comforting meal! Perfect for the cold weather ahead.
I’ve never cooked lamb at home either- your stew looks so delicious! We try to buy from small farmers as much as possible- it’s not 100% but I really try to avoid factory farmed meat. Would love to try some lamb!
I love slow cookers! I don’t eat meat but my mom lovessss lamb she would love this meal
This looks delicious and easy! I LOVE using my slow cooker and am always looking for new and different recipes. I have never cooked lamb either and I try to cook with meat (and produce) from local family farms whenever possible to supports the family farmers who put in all that effort everyday.
I’ve actually never made lamb at home either, although I’m sure my husband would love it. Definitely using the slow cooker alot this winter, easy soups and stews- yes please!
Any salt/pepper or seasonings on the lamb at all?
We added some salt and pepper to the finished product but I didn’t season the lamb before putting it into the crockpot!
LOVE lamb! Lamb shoulder has to be my favourite though! :)
I’ve never cooked lamb before and would love to try this crockpot method, sounds super doable!
This looks delicious! I have never made lamb before but have wanted to try it for a while.I always try to buy local when I can, whether it be meat, vegetables, eggs, and pretty much everything else! It’s great to support local farms and businesses :)
I love the idea of serving lamb from family farmers because you know where your food is coming from! That lamb looks delish!
I have never cooked lamb at home, but have really been wanting to try it. This crockpot recipe seems like the perfect place to start.
Looks delicious!! I love the crockpot this time of year. It produces such tasty meals for such little work! I’ve been enjoying making homemade chicken broth in it lately!
Lamb is never a protein I think of cooking, but it always taste great whenever I have had it. I love the idea of serving lamb from family farmers because it’s a great way to try new things.
Love this recipe! It makes lamb very accessible and easy to serve at home. I have always been too intimidated to cook it, but this looks so delicious and perfect for Fall! Thanks for sharing!
I need to make this! I also love knowing that my purchases are supporting family farmers.
I haven’t cooked lamb myself, but I would like to branch out and try! Slow cooker seems like a good method to learn on!
This looks so yummy! I love supporting local farmers and I think trying different types of meats that are healthy would help people from being “bored” of the same meats. That’s one complaint I usually get from patients, and they’re always looking for different meats to cook, lamb is definitely one I’ll have to start suggesting. :) Great nutrition benefits!
I love slow cooking food! I have a good lamb recipe that I use, but an American style stew sounds really good. Plus I can use my CSA veggies in this.
Growing up, I stayed at my relative’s sheep farm a few times, and it was amazing to see the care and effort it takes to care for sheep. (Fun fact: Before shearing them, her and her dog would initiate “bath time” by driving the sheep through her pond for a quick swim). With those memories, I’m all for supporting family run farms through grocery store purchases. Plus, I recently had a slow cooked lamb stew at a friend’s dinner party that was divine, AND my boyfriend recently got a slow cooker. Now with this recipe, looks like it’s lamb time!
I love that I am supporting family farmers instead of the mass farming that is slowly taking over our country. Family farmers put so much more hard work into their jobs and I feel for them!
That lamb looks really yummy – I love how you can just throw everything into a slow cooker and it is pretty much guaranteed to be amazing!
So I have a confession; I’ve never tried lamb before. BUT, I love making new dishes at home so it would be fun to give your slow cooker recipe a shot! I enjoy supporting family farms because I feel like the owners put their heart into their work and products rather than just pumping out products for cash.
I normally don’t like to consume lamb because it is not produced sustainable or ethically, but would be thrilled to cook and share with my family lamb that were raised well and would provide such great nutrition.
My family and I are huge fans of lamb and one of the major concerns when buying it is always how it was raised. Knowing it’s been raised by family farmers is great for peace of mind and supporting local farmers!
I love lamb so much! My family loves slow cooker meals, and I love the idea of supporting small farming families while my family enjoys amazing quality meat and a healthy meal.
There’s just something about eating a baby animal that gets me. I just can’t do it. Just go do a Google Image search for “lamb” and then try to eat one…
I love the idea of introducing new proteins to my family, and having it come from a local farmer is even better!!
I think purchasing anything from family farmers is such a great idea. The quality is better and I love supporting small family businesses.
I love lamb! It’s perfect for colder weather. When I buy meat, I try to buy sustainable sourced meat.
tasty!
Looks wonderful; nothing like slow-cooked lamb!
I was born and raised on a family owned cattle farm in Michigan and I love wholesome farm fresh meats and vegetables. I’d love to try lamb.
It is so important to support family farms – especially local if possible! I don’t cook lamb enough at home so this is a great reminder.
Not only does it sound delicious, but I always try to support small businesses
Fall is my favorite time of year to use the crock pot. This sounds delicious and seems really easy to make. Rigatoni is a favorite in my house.
It is so great to support local and family farms! I am like you and never cook lamb and don’t see many recipes with it, so thanks for switching it up and give me inspiration!
Local farmers are the best! It’s good to see exactly where my grocery dollars go! And I love lamb, never tried it in a slow cooker before so excited to test it out!
This is such an awesome way to try a new protein while supporting local farmers! Looks delicious!
I’ve never cooked lamb before, but I’d love to try it! Also, I love my slow cooker and family run businesses.
My boyfriend loves ordering lamb at restaurants, but we never cook it at home. This recipe has inspired me to give it a try! I love supporting family farmers because they are the backbone to keeping America healthy. As the years go by it has become increasingly harder for family farmers to stay afloat and they need our support to thrive.
It’s a great way to make something special without a lot of fuss!
A healthy, hearty meal to share with all my roommates as a special home cooked dinner! And the principle of subsidiarity is a bonus….support locally!