This hearty Rosemary Garlic Lamb Skillet combines fresh-frozen ground lamb with tender potatoes and caramelized onions for a comforting, low histamine meal. Infused with fragrant rosemary and high-quality olive oil, it’s perfect for cozy fall and winter dinners. Versatile and flavorful, this dish can easily be adapted with other meats like bison or beef to suit your preferences.
If you're looking for other grain-free meals, also try my squash and apples chicken, and sumac chicken with potatoes.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
A Note on Ground Meat: some people don't tolerate pre-ground meats so well, and can't grind their own for some reason. Alternatives in this case include tolerated sources of venison, bison, elk, goat, or even beef (if unaged).
Grain-Free Meal: while this tastes great with a side of potatoes, altogether this garlic lamb skillet is a meal in its own right, with no additions needed.
Antihistamine Herbs & Spices: between the garlic, onion, rosemary, oregano, and basil, this dish is packed with strongly antihistamine foods, meaning that they contain plant chemicals which inherently help your body calm histamine production and inflammation.
🥔 Ingredients
Olive Oil: I used a fresh extra-virgin olive oil here, though you could alternately use the same amount of any low histamine oil you like (though something like flax oil might be too strong).
Ground Lamb: this can be somewhat hard to handle for those with histamine intolerance, because ground meats can develop histamine more quickly than other types, due tot he increased air exposure during processing. If possible, grind your own meat at home. If that's not an option, buy fresh-frozen directly from your local farm; most will have some already-frozen options for you.
Potatoes: you can use any variety of firm potatoes for this recipe, but I highly recommend a creamier type, like the Yukon Gold potatoes I use here. If you can't find them, there are plenty of substitutes for Yukon Gold potatoes, including any type of yellow potato.
Carrots: these orange veggies are a great way to get your daily Vitamin A and fiber, and they're a great base for almost any low histamine dinner. In this case, they need to be peeled and chopped before you start cooking, though frozen versions work just fine.
Onion: sweet onion forms half the base for this dish, breaking down and browning beautifully at various stages of the cooking process.
Raw Garlic: when chopped, this adds a bite of umami and sharpness to the lamb skillet, as well as strongly antibacterial properties.
Jalapeño or Serrano Pepper: adds a mild to moderate heat and bright, fresh flavor to the lamb skillet, enhancing the savory lamb without overpowering the dish. Use sparingly or omit if you prefer less spice.
Rosemary: ideally you'd use fresh rosemary, but you can also swap it for dried rosemary and/or add a smattering of other fresh herbs; use whatever combination of low histamine herbs you enjoy!
Oregano & Basil: these are my herbs of choice to complement this particular dish, but that's mainly because they are what I already have in my pantry. If you have other favorites or other herbs on hand, you can choose any fresh herbs that tickle your taste buds.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🥘 How to Make Rosemary Lamb Skillet (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) First, cube your carrots and potatoes, and mince the garlic.
Step 2) Heat the olive oil on low; meanwhile begin chopping your onion.
Step 3) Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and brown for one minute (image 1), then add the onion and cook until caramelized (about 4 more minutes on low) (image 2).
Step 4) Add all the carrots and potatoes, and toss everything until evenly coated (image 3). Continue to stir regularly until the potatoes are just starting to crisp on the outside (about 10 minutes).
Step 5) While that cooks, remove the top off your serrano pepper, and then mince it as small you can get it.
Step 6) Once the potatoes are just starting to crisp, add the lamb, serrano pepper, rosemary, salt, oregano, basil, and any black pepper you'd like (I recommend ½ teaspoon) (image 4). Mix everything evenly, especially ensuring that the ground lamb isn't in any large lumps.
Step 7) Cook for 8-10 more minutes, or until lamb is fully browned and shows no more pink; the potatoes should be browned and the carrots softened, but if they're not, give it a couple more minutes (image 5).
Step 8) Serve— and freeze leftovers— immediately; a little fresh basil on top adds a nice pop!
🥬 Variations
Add Fresh Leafy Greens: Stir in chopped kale or Swiss chard near the end of cooking for added color and nutrients.
Add Low Histamine Vegetables: Incorporate peeled zucchini or parsnips for extra texture and nutrition.
Finish with a Splash of Fresh Lemon Juice: Add a small amount of fresh lemon juice just before serving to brighten the flavors without increasing histamine significantly.
🫕 Freezing and Reheating
This dish freezes very well, particularly with the potatoes & carrots (or any alternate root vegetables). I like to freeze it in a few different serving sizes so I can pick how much of it to eat for one meal, but it generally makes about 4 full meals as written. For non-low histamine readers, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or you can safely freeze it for up to 6 months, if you didn't originally use frozen meat (or don't mind the change in texture).
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Nightshade-Free Option: If you can't tolerate nightshades, feel free to omit the hot pepper & use sweet potatoes rather than regular ones.
Meat Substitutions: Bison, turkey, or chicken could be used in place of the ground lamb, but it really should be ground meat.
Alternative Cooking Fats and Herbs: Avocado oil or ghee would work in place of the olive oil (or lard or tallow), and you can use slightly different herbs where needed.
Onion and Garlic Restrictions: If you can't use the onion or garlic, then I wouldn't try to substitute with garlic-flavored oils or anything like that; I'd just make a different dish.
Batch Cooking and Freezing: This recipe is very easy to double, and it freezes beautifully.
❓ What to Serve With Rosemary Lamb Skillet
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can omit the pepper or substitute with fresh ginger for a milder, low histamine heat.
Fresh herbs are preferred for lower histamine content, but small amounts of dried herbs may be tolerated by some.
No, you can add other low histamine vegetables like zucchini, or parsnips for variety.
The heat level depends on the pepper used; you can adjust or omit the jalapeño or serrano to suit your taste and tolerance.
Have you tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil lard or tallow also work well
- 16 oz. ground lamb
- 2 large potatoes or two small
- 2 large carrots
- 1 small onion or ½ large onion
- 8-10 cloves of garlic
- 1 small jalapeño or serrano pepper, diced optional
- 1.5 Tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1T dry
- 1 teaspoon sea salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper optional
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil or 1oz. fresh basil, torn
Instructions
- First, cube your carrots and potatoes, and mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil on low; meanwhile begin chopping your onion.
- Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and brown for one minute, then add the onion and cook until caramelized (about 4 more minutes on low).
- Add all the carrots and potatoes, and toss everything until evenly coated. Continue to stir regularly until the potatoes are just starting to crisp on the outside (about 10 minutes).
- While that cooks, remove the top off your serrano pepper, and then mince it as small you can get it.
- Once the potatoes are just starting to crisp, add the lamb, serrano pepper, rosemary, salt, oregano, basil, and any black pepper you'd like (I recommend ½ teaspoon). Mix everything evenly, especially ensuring that the ground lamb isn't in any large lumps.
- Cook for 8-10 more minutes, or until lamb is fully browned and shows no more pink; the potatoes should be browned and the carrots softened, but if they're not, give it a couple more minutes.
- Serve— and freeze leftovers— immediately; a little fresh basil on top adds a nice pop!
Notes
Nutrition
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