Mary’s Greek Lamb Chili

"In the 1970s, when all of my friends were eating spaghetti on Wednesday nights, my beautiful mother, Mary, was cooking lamb stew and shish kabobs. My siblings and I developed a passion for lamb at an early age and most of us still eat it today as often as we eat beef or chicken. When I got older, I wanted to put a modern twist on mom’s lamb stew, which is how I came up with “Mary’s Greek Lamb Chili”, in honor of my wonderful mother."

Prep Time

25 min

Cook Time

6-8 hours

Paired With

Pinot Noir

Main Protein

Wild Game

Ingredients

IngredientQuantity
Olive oil 1 Tbsp, 1, 1/2 cup, 2, 1 lb, 2 cups, 1 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tsp, 2, 1, 1 cup each
Medium onion, chopped
Celery, chopped
Garlic cloves, chopped
Boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into cubes
Beef broth
Dried oregano
Green seasoning
Marjoram, ground
15.5 oz can Northern White Beans
3-inch piece Kasseri cheese rind, plus shredded kasseri for topping
Shredded Kasseri, Kalamata Olives chopped, Tzatziki Sauce, Pita Bread, Diced Tomatoes, Crumbled Feta

Directions

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic 
  • 1 lb boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into cubes
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon ground marjoram 
  • 2 cans Northern white beans 
  • 1 3-inch piece Kasseri cheese rind, plus shredded kasseri for topping
 

Toppings 

  • Shredded Kasseri cheese 
  • Kalamata olives, chopped
  • Tzatziki Sauce (store bought is fine)
  • Pita Bread
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Feta Cheese 

Slow Cooker Directions

  1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are transparent.
  2. Salt and pepper the lamb cubes. 
  3. Add the lamb cubes to the sauce pan and brown on all sides. 
  4. Add onion mixture and lamb into your slow cooker, along with any bits scraped from the pan. 
  5. Add broth, tomatoes, spices, and beans to your slow cooker.
  6. Add kasseri rind to your slow cooker. 
  7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours
  8. Remove Kasseri rind and discard.Divide among bowls, season with salt and pepper, and serve with shredded kasseri and other toppings.