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Home » All Recipes » Easy Entertaining » Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

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Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

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Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh - pinnable image for Pinterest

Meltingly tender slow-roast lamb flavoured with wonderful, fragrant North African spices and served with a Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh, this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb would make an amazing alternative to the traditional Easter roast lamb dinner or a delicious Sunday roast. It also makes great leftovers!

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

After reviewing Persiana a couple of weeks ago, I ended up with most of a jar of ras el hanout left over and was wondering what to do with it. The recipe I reviewed in Persiana was for Ras el Hanout Chicken Wraps which were amazing and I will almost certainly be making those again. But I wanted to do something different with my jar of ras el hanout and thought it might pair well with slow roast lamb – I was not wrong!

In fact, the only thing I got wrong the first time round trying this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb was I didn’t use enough ras el hanout. The brand I have: Santa Maria Moroccan Ras el Hanout Blend, is quite mild and the long, slow cooking definitely softens the flavours. Plus lamb has a much more robust flavour than chicken, so needs a heavier hand with the spices… Second time round I used 4 tablespoons of ras el hanout and that was just perfect. The flavour of the ras el hanout does not dominate but it complements the lamb beautifully.

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

Ras el hanout is a traditional spice blend used extensively in North African cooking. Ras el hanout means “head of the shop” in Arabic and is essentially a mixture of the best spices available. For this reason there is no standard composition (it’s a bit like garam masala, in this respect).

The blend often contains over a dozen different spices and each shop or family will have their own blend. Typically it might include: cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander – among others. The blend I bought contains coriander, paprika, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, turmeric, cloves and cayenne pepper. It’s wonderfully fragrant but not at all hot. It’s widely available in the shops or why not make your own? I found this great recipe for ras el hanout on BBC Good Food.

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

To go with this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb I have made a version of tabbouleh using quinoa instead of the traditional bulgur wheat. I was first introduced to quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) when I reviewed Jamie Oliver’s Everyday Super Food, back in January. It’s an amazing wonderfood which you will often find in lists of the top 10 superfoods.

It looks like a grain but is in fact a seed. It’s naturally gluten-free and a complete protein, meaning it’s a really useful addition in vegan and vegetarian diets and it is also a great source of  fibre, iron and magnesium and has a whole host of other health benefits besides. I promised myself in January that I would eat more of the stuff. What’s great is it is very versatile. You can use it in place of rice, couscous or, as I have done here, bulgur wheat. (If you’d rather serve your lamb with a more traditional style tabbouleh then you can find my recipe for Easy Tabbouleh Salad here)

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

As well as replacing the bulgur wheat in my tabbouleh recipe with quinoa, I’ve also added in some delicious pomegranate seeds. Not only do they look great, but they also add in extra goodness. They are a source of vitamins A, C and E, iron and antioxidants. Better still, it is claimed that eating pomegranates is beneficial in the prevention of heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers.  They also happen to look really pretty and taste fabulous. I’ve been sprinkling them on everything lately!

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the lamb in about 5 minutes and the tabbouleh in about 20 minutes. Pop the lamb in the oven and the tabbouleh in the fridge and then forget about dinner until you are just about ready to serve. I’ve added in a green salad too for extra flavour and goodness and a little yogurt dip (you can find the recipe for the yogurt dip in my post on lamb koftes) plus some pitta breads to turn this into a mini feast – perfect for Easter Day or as an alternative to Sunday roast! But just the lamb and tabbouleh on their own are enough for an everyday meal.

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

And don’t forget to make extra for leftovers the next day! The lamb and tabbouleh actually taste better the next day and if you make this as your Sunday roast you can take the leftovers into work the next day and make all your colleagues extremely jealous. The recipe below is for 4 but with enough leftovers for at least 1 person probably 2.

If you don’t fancy serving this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with tabbouleh, it would also go brilliantly with couscous, bulgur wheat, flatbreads or rice. Alternatively it would go brilliantly with my Persian Jewelled Rice or my Classic Tabbouleh. Wine-wise I would serve this with a French Grenache or Spanish Garnacha.

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

 

Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh
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Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh

Meltingly tender slow-roast lamb flavoured with wonderful, fragrant North African spices and served with a Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh, this Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb would make an amazing alternative to the traditional Easter roast lamb dinner or your usual Sunday roast. It also makes great leftovers! (Serves 4-6, depending on appetite.)
Prevent your screen from going dark
Course Main Course
Cuisine North African
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 323kcal
Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

Lamb

  • 1.2 kg lamb shoulder
  • 4 tablespoons ras el hanout spice blend
  • Salt and pepper
  • 300 ml cold water

Tabbouleh

  • 100 g quinoa
  • 400 ml boiling water
  • ½ a cucumber chopped finely
  • 2 large tomatoes or 12 cherry tomatoes chopped finely
  • 2 spring onions chopped finely
  • 4 tablespoons parsley chopped finely
  • 4 tablespoons mint chopped finely
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 100 g pomegranate seeds (roughly half a small pomegranate)

Instructions

Lamb

  • Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
  • Rub salt, pepper and ras el hanout all over the lamb and place in an oven proof dish or roasting tray.
  • Pour 300ml cold water around the lamb (but not over the top or you’ll wash all the spices off!)
  • Cover the lamb with the lid of the casserole dish or tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours or until the lamb is meltingly tender and will come away from the bone easily.

Tabbouleh

  • As soon as the lamb has gone into the oven, start making the tabbouleh. First rinse the quinoa in a sieve, then place the quinoa into a saucepan. Cover with 400ml boiling water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, chop up the cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and herbs finely and place in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus some salt and pepper and half the pomegranate seeds.
  • When the quinoa is cooked, drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until completely cold. Drain thoroughly (or your salad will be watery) and add to the chopped vegetables and herbs. Stir well and cover with clingfilm. Put in the fridge until it is needed.

Serving up

  • When the lamb is ready, take it out of the oven and remove from the casserole dish /roasting tray from the oven. Take the lamb out of the casserole dish and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then shred using forks and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle over some of the juices that are left in the casserole dish and pour the rest of the juices into a small jug.
  • Put the lamb and jug of meat juices on the table together. Remove the tabbouleh from the fridge. Spoon it out into a serving dish and sprinkle over the remaining pomegranate seeds. Serve with the lamb. You could also add a green salad, a yogurt dressing and some pittas or flatbreads if you like.

Notes

  1. Suitable for freezing (lamb only).
  2. Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Facts
Slow Roast Ras el Hanout Lamb with Pomegranate and Quinoa Tabbouleh
Amount Per Serving
Calories 323 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 80mg27%
Sodium 96mg4%
Potassium 794mg23%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 935IU19%
Vitamin C 13.7mg17%
Calcium 203mg20%
Iron 7.2mg40%
* % Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet
Tried this recipe?I'd love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comments below.

 

Love Lamb? Check out my collection of Easy & Delicious Lamb Recipes

Love Lamb? Check out my collection of Easy and Delicious Lamb Recipes!

 

Fancy trying something new for Easter? Why not check out my other easy alternatives to traditional Easter lamb? 

4 Easy Alternatives to Traditional Easter Lamb

 

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Comments

  1. Only Crumbs Remain / Angela says

    15th March 2016 at 3:42 pm

    I love the colours in your pomegranate tabbouleh Eb, they’re so cheery and vibrant…….and work so well with your new red cooking pot 😉
    Angela x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      15th March 2016 at 3:59 pm

      Thanks, Angela. I LOVE pomegranate seeds – they look fab, taste fab, are super good for you AND they go well with my new pot. What more can you ask for? 😉 Eb x

      Reply
  2. Louise Fairweather says

    15th March 2016 at 10:35 pm

    This is the kind of dish that I would never think of making but it looks fantastic. I love pomegranates and have recently discovered quinoa. Will have to give it a go #cookblogshare

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      15th March 2016 at 10:52 pm

      Thank you, Louise. Pomegranates are fab, aren’t they? I like to liberally sprinkle them on everything – I even put them on avocado on toast! Quinoa’s great too. I always feel super healthy eating it! Let me know how it goes if you try this 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  3. Angela says

    16th March 2016 at 1:35 am

    This sounds wonderful! My entire family loves lamb, so this will be a great dish to try. I had not heard of the Ras el Hanout blend before, so thank you for sharing the link on making your own! Pinned 🙂

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      16th March 2016 at 10:29 am

      My family too – especially slow roasted or slow cooked! Ras el Hanout is fab…lovely North African flavours which go so well with lamb and chicken (and probably a whole load of other things I haven’t tried yet!) It’s great for easy speedy cooking because you have lots of different spices in one pot. Thanks for commenting. Eb x

      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    16th March 2016 at 12:19 pm

    Sounds fantastic, Eb. A delightful change from the usual lamb roast. 🙂

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      16th March 2016 at 3:21 pm

      Thank you, Sarah 🙂 It really is…nothing wrong with the traditional lamb roast, mind…but it is nice to have a change! Eb x

      Reply
  5. Alison says

    16th March 2016 at 1:50 pm

    I never knew how you pronounced quinoa! I have been saying it wrong for ages. This lamb looks lovely

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      16th March 2016 at 3:14 pm

      Thanks Alison! Ha, yes I really, really want to call it quin-OH-ah. I often get it wrong and have to correct myself. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Martin @ The Why Chef says

    16th March 2016 at 2:19 pm

    Ras el hanout is one of my favourite spices to use! Not cooked a tabbouleh before but have always meant to, so this is my excuse to crack it out! 🙂

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      16th March 2016 at 3:17 pm

      It’s a fab spice blend, isn’t it – although vary variable. Must try a few other brands and see how they compare…and/or mix up my own! Tabbouleh is awesome!! I usually do it with bulgur wheat but I fancied a change and just knew it would work really well with quinoa and pomegranate. I’m on a mission to eat more of both as they are both so nutritious! 🙂

      Reply
      • Martin @ The Why Chef says

        16th March 2016 at 5:32 pm

        I don’t get enough pomegranate in my food! Love the little bursts of flavour when you get a little nugget in a mouthful! 🙂 I have quinoa by the kilo at home so a switch from bulgur saves me a trip to the shops!

        Reply
        • Eb Gargano says

          16th March 2016 at 9:38 pm

          Pomegranates are so fab – yes it’s exactly that, “the little bursts of flavour”, that I just love about them! Haha – glad I’ve saved you a trip to the shops – is there a particular reason why you have so much quinoa? 🙂

          Reply
          • Martin @ The Why Chef says

            17th March 2016 at 9:39 am

            A mix of trying to eat much healthier, and learning to use a new ingredient to its full potential! Exactly how this recipe is doing 🙂

            Reply
            • Eb Gargano says

              17th March 2016 at 10:45 am

              Wow – I admire your dedication to quinoa 🙂 Have fun! I look forward to seeing the results on your blog 🙂

              Reply
  7. Corina says

    16th March 2016 at 3:01 pm

    This is a lovely recipe for Easter Day. I actually am not keen on lamb unless it it cooked with spices and then it becomes one of my favourite meats. I’d certainly enjoy this!

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      16th March 2016 at 3:19 pm

      Oooh that’s very interesting – clearly the perfect recipe for you! I am much keener on lamb slow cooked/roasted than fast cooked…in fact I’m coming to the conclusion that’s the case for pretty much all meats – something magical happens when you cook meat slowly! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  8. Mandy says

    16th March 2016 at 4:05 pm

    What a lovely healthy dish! I bet it tastes delicious. Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare this week x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      16th March 2016 at 4:46 pm

      Thank you, Mandy. It really was…still is in fact – there’s a little bit left in the fridge! Thanks for hosting! 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  9. Charlotte Oates says

    19th March 2016 at 11:06 pm

    Oh yum again! Now I don’t know which one to make as I can’t sneak two lamb dishes onto the dinner menu without leaving a decent gap in between 🙂 decisions, decisions – help me choose 🙂

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      20th March 2016 at 6:57 pm

      I like them both (obviously – or I wouldn’t have put them on my blog!) but if I had to just choose one it would be the Greek-style traybake. The flavours are just fabulous. It’s my favourite dish at the moment and is amazing reheated the next day too. x

      Reply
  10. Kate - gluten free alchemist says

    20th March 2016 at 5:31 pm

    Wow! Loving this! I visited Morocco a few years ago and loved the combination of spices they use. Ras el Hanout is is good!
    It’s great to see that you have used quinoa in your tabbouleh…… I was so relieved when I discovered that I could use it to substitute for both cous cous and bulgar wheat…….!

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      20th March 2016 at 7:01 pm

      Oooh whereabouts did you go? I love North African flavours – I have a cupboard full of cumin, coriander, etc. I really like quinoa, but it must be so useful if you GF. And it’s so healthy! Definitely trying to include more quinoa in my diet 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
      • Kate - gluten free alchemist says

        30th March 2016 at 1:02 pm

        We travelled all over…. starting in Rabat…. through Fez…. in a big loop through the mountains down to Essouira and then up to Marrakesh….. Loved it! The colours, the smells, the flavours…. I would thoroughly recommend a trip that way!

        Reply
        • Eb Gargano says

          31st March 2016 at 11:47 am

          Wow, sounds amazing! I’d love to go one day 🙂 Eb x

          Reply
  11. jenny walters says

    23rd March 2018 at 5:21 pm

    Gosh this looks wonderful! What a fabulous Easter Lunch, perfect for a crowd too.Right up my street-wonderful,help yourself food x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      25th March 2018 at 4:26 pm

      Thanks Jenny – I’m a big fan of help-yourself food 😀 Eb x

      Reply
  12. Jo Allison - Jo's Kitchen Larder says

    23rd March 2018 at 10:15 pm

    What a delicious lamb roast Eb! I like the tabbouleh as a side instead of traditional roasties too especially with lovely pomegranate. I think it would make gorgeous Easter lunch next week! x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      25th March 2018 at 4:26 pm

      Thanks Jo – the tabbouleh really does go so well with the spicy lamb 😀 Eb x

      Reply
  13. Corina Blum says

    24th March 2018 at 3:23 pm

    This looks so good Eb! There looks to be loads of flavour in that lamb, which is great. Ras el hanout is one of may favourite spice blends and I use it a lot at the moment – on meat or stirred into couscous or yoghurt. It’s just so tasty and would go perfectly with this quinoa tabbouleh. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      25th March 2018 at 4:29 pm

      Aw, thanks Corina. I am a big fan of ras el hanout too…it’s so versatile 🙂 Eb x

      Reply
  14. Monika Dabrowski says

    24th March 2018 at 11:01 pm

    The lamb looks amazing and I am sure it’s as tender and delicious as you promise! Shared the recipe around though couldn’t share it to Pinterest as your description was apparently too long. Thought you might like to know:)

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      25th March 2018 at 4:31 pm

      Thanks Monika. It most definitely is tender and delicious, that’s for sure. Thanks for the heads up about the pin – how frustrating you couldn’t pin it! I’ve shortened the description and double checked and it definitely works now. Eb x

      Reply
  15. Mel says

    31st March 2018 at 9:12 pm

    I love Ras El Hanout, but I’ve only ever used it in my fish tajine recipe. Your lamb looks like it’s going to be melting in the mouth: perfect! Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.

    Reply
    • Eb Gargano says

      4th April 2018 at 4:16 pm

      Aw, thanks Mel – it’s such a yummy spice blend, isn’t it? Goes with so many things 😀 Eb x

      Reply

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Hi and welcome to Easy Peasy Foodie! I’m Eb – a professional blogger, busy mum and passionate foodie and it is my mission in life to make cooking EASIER and MORE DELICIOUS! READ MORE

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