Greek-Style Lamb Shank Recipe
Published March 24, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This amazing Greek-Style Lamb shank is seared and braised in a delicious Greek tomato sauce with spice and herbs and served over orzo pasta. Once you try this recipe, it will quickly become one of your favorites.
Lamb is one of my all-time favorite things to make and eat. If you love it as much as I do, try my Scotch Broth Soup or Lamb Persillade.
Greek Lamb Shanks
Greek-style lamb is lamb shanks that are seared and slow braised in a Greek tomato sauce until tender and fall off the bone. The sauce is an essential part of the dish as it is used to infuse its flavor into the lamb while cooking it. While this isn’t an incredibly well-known dish, it is commonly served at Greek restaurants.
This is a dish that my dad and I love and always order when we visit Pegasus in Greek Town, Detroit. The flavors in the light tomato sauce are delicious and do a fantastic job of flavoring the entire dish. While I served the lamb shank over orzo, it can also be served with Greek-Style rice.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lamb – You will need bone-in lamb shanks for this recipe.
- Tomatoes – I used canned whole peeled tomatoes that I then crushed by hand. Feel free to use any home-canned tomatoes.
- Spices – You will need some cinnamon sticks and whole allspice berries.
- Herbs – A combination of dry thyme and oregano is used in the saw. In addition, I garnished it with chopped fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley.
- Onions – You can use a white, yellow, or sweet onion.
- Celery – This is optional but will add flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic – A couple of cloves make the sauce delicious.
- Carrots – This is optional, but it will add flavor to the sauce.
- Orzo – This is used as the base of the dish and is served under the lamb shank.
- Wine – Any good red wine like a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, or something from Greece will work.
- Oil – You will need olive oil for this recipe.
How to Make a Greek-Style Lamb Shank
Finely grate the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots into their own bowls.
Season the lamb shanks well on all sides with salt and pepper.
Add the oil to a large rondeau pot over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
Add the lamb shanks to the pot, turn the heat to medium-high heat, and sear them until well browned on all 4 sides.
Set the lamb to the side. Drain off the oil if it is too dark and appears burned, and replace it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add onions and cook until browned over low to medium heat, which takes about 20 minutes.
Stir in the celery and carrots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
Deglaze with the wine and cook until au sec or almost gone.
Next, add in the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, all-spice berries, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
Place back in the lamb shanks, cover with a lid, and bake in the oven for 2 ½ hours or until they are tender enough to fall off the bone.
With about 20 minutes left in the lamb braising process, add the orzo to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until al dente.
Drain the orzo completely.
Next, add the orzo to a large sauté pan with olive oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat to gently toast the orzo.
Season with salt and set to the side, and keep warm.
Add some orzo to a serving bowl and place the lamb on top with sauce and chopped fresh herbs.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten once it is finished cooking. However, keep it warm over very low simmering heat for 1 hour before serving.
How to store: Cover and store the lamb in the sauce in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can cover it and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired number of lamb shanks to a rondeau or saucepot along with some of the sauce and cover and heat in the oven at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until hot.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Substitute 1 cinnamon stick with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- You can use 1/2 teaspoon of ground all-spice instead of the whole berries.
More Lamb Recipes
Video
Greek-Style Lamb Shank Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 peeled and finely grated yellow onion
- 1 rib of finely grated celery
- 1 peeled and finely grated carrot
- 4 finely grated garlic cloves
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 28- ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
- 2 teaspoons dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 8 all-spice berries
- 1 pound orzo
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- optional chopped fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley for garnish
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 350.
- Season the lamb shanks well on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to a large rondeau pot over high heat until it smokes lightly.
- Add the lamb shanks to the pot, turn the heat to medium-high heat, and sear them until well browned on all 4 sides.
- Set the lamb to the side. Drain off the oil if it is too dark and appears burned, and replace it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add onions and cook until browned over low to medium heat, which takes about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the celery and carrots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
- Deglaze with the wine and cook until au sec or almost gone.
- Next, add the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, all-spice berries, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
- Place back in the lamb shanks, cover with a lid, and bake in the oven at 350 for 2 ½ hours or until they are tender enough to fall off the bone.
- With about 20 minutes left in the lamb braising process, add the orzo to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until al dente.
- Drain the orzo completely.
- Next, add the orzo to a large sauté pan with olive oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat to gently toast the orzo.
- Season with salt and set to the side, and keep warm.
- Add some orzo to a serving bowl and place the lamb on top with some of the sauce and chopped fresh herbs.
I found this as I am looking to replicate the amazing dish at Pegasus, haha. Can’t wait to try it!