Leftover Lamb Recipes

The traditional centrepiece of your Easter lunch, lamb is always my sign that spring has sprung! However, plenty of us cook more than we need for our celebration and end up throwing away succulent lamb that could be made into some absolutely delicious leftover dishes! Read on to learn some new ideas for recipes that will make you forget it's a leftover meal!

*Remember to store your cooled leftover lamb in the fridge in an airtight container in the fridge asap and for up to 2-3 days. Always ensure the meat is thoroughly heated through before serving and use judgement on using leftovers carefully.

Lamb & potato hash brunch!

If you need the best brunch dish for Easter Monday, then look no further! This uses your leftover lamb and possibly any leftover roast potatoes too! If you don't have leftover roasties don't fear as you can simply boil fresh potatoes. The hash is made nice and crunchy by frying ingredients without stirring before scraping the crispy bits off the pan and uses onions, lamb, spring onions & spring greens. I love that you could easily adapt this with different potatoes, spinach instead of greens or other additions from your fridge too. Finish the dish off with either a squeeze of lemon juice or a drizzle of hot sauce depending on your tastes. Find the recipe here!

Lamb Pitta or Flatbreads.

You should always try to use your leftovers as close to the date of cooking as possible, so Sunday roasts often can make the best Monday sandwiches and/or salads.  For a quick, delicious option I love a Greek inspired lamb pitta. Warm your leftover lamb slices under a grill and toast your flatbreads/pittas. Stuff the pittas with the lamb, sliced tomato, cucumber, feta and sprinkled oregano. You can also make these on a simple flatbread by spreading tzatziki and piling on your toppings before folding to eat.

Crispy Lamb salad

A favourite of mine for a healthy lunch after all the Easter eggs is this Crispy Lamb salad! The lamb is given a new crunch by coating in cornflour and flash frying in hot oil. The salad is dressed with a fresh balsamic & olive oil vinaigrette and you can adjust the salad to your tastes. I like to use mixed salad leaves, red onion, sun-dried or cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese as per the recipe, but would happily add other salad items I had in the house. Find the recipe from Kitchen Sanctuary blog here

Lamb kothu roti

Kothu roti was one of my favourite street food discoveries when I travelled through Sri Lanka & it's a wonderful dish to make and devour at home, especially with lamb leftovers! Start by turning your lamb into a delicious dry-ish curry with 1 chopped onion, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 1 diced  green chili and 1 tbsp curry powder & 1 tbsp garam masala  - by using leftover lamb you will save so much cooking time, ensure it's thoroughly cooked through before removing from the pan.

Fry 1 chopped red onion, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds & cumin seeds, 2 curry leaves until fragrant and soft, before adding 2 eggs to scramble. Add a selection of thinly sliced vegetables like carrot & white cabbage and the lamb curry back in. Chop store-bought rotis and add those to the pan before sprinkling spring onions on top to serve!

Greek style lamb nachos

This was one of my favourite ways to use up leftover lamb into a delicious bowl of Greek inspired pitta nachos that were ready in only 15 minutes! It's such a simple dish as you reheat lamb carefully before layering up pitta chips (M&S do some fantastic ones) with the lamb & cheeses under the grill. Top with a fresh zingy tomato salsa, tzatziki and mint! Find the recipe on Taste AU here.

Creamy lamb, spinach & cashew curry

When you use the leftovers in a new meal they can be frozen again, but only reheated once. Therefore I like to save the last of the lamb to go into a curry, which can be frozen for another evening if you are fed up of lamb by this point! This creamy curry remains healthy by using a homemade cashew nut & coconut paste and is mild enough for the whole family.  Find the recipe from Olive magazine here.

Lamb shepherds pie

The perfect comfort food to use your leftover lamb in a spiced shepherds pie & hearty veg. Ideal if the spring weather decides to go missing (as it often does in the UK!). Using only 300g of leftover lamb diced, with warming spices of ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon, topped with a creamy mashed potatoes this will serve up to 6 people & can be frozen for a later date too! Find the recipe here.

How did you use your leftover lamb? Let me know which recipes you tried or any new ideas!

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