This boneless lamb roast recipe is impressive enough for company and holidays. Filled with aromatic white beans, tender swiss chard and sweet, chewy sun-dried tomatoes it’s full of surprises. This stuffed leg of lamb is ready in about two hours from start to finish, including resting time. Want to make it for your crowd? I’ll show you how to cook boneless leg of lamb to a perfect doneness.
This recipe reminds me a bit of my grandfather who passed away earlier this year. Our family gatherings have always revolved around food and the entire group loves lamb. It usually makes an appearance for holidays like Christmas and Easter. My grandfather was famous for his whole leg of lamb — it was richly seasoned with loads of garlic and herbs.
This stuffed leg of lamb takes a cue from his recipe with plenty of aromatics to season the beans and chard — not to mention the lamb itself. This boneless lamb roast recipe is also partially inspired by Sara Foster’s recipe in The Foster’s Market Cookbook, one of the favorites in my cookbook collection.
Roast lamb makes a beautiful centerpiece dish and when it’s prepared well, stuffed leg of lamb is fabulous. Of course, when it’s not done well… that’s another story. This method ensures a golden crusted lamb that’s cooked to perfection.
How To’s For Boneless Lamb Roast Recipe:
- Stuffing the lamb is really easy to do. The key is not to over-stuff.
- Have your butcher butterfly and trim the leg of lamb. Lay the lamb out flat on a work surface.
- Spread the fillings in a thin layer, side by side.
- Carefully roll the lamb over onto itself, tucking the filling inside.
- Tie the lamb firmly crosswise and lengthwise with kitchen twine.
- Make small slits in the lamb and insert slices of garlic.
- Season with herbs, kosher salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil an enameled dutch oven and sear the stuffed leg of lamb on all sides.
- Add red wine to the pot to prevent the roast from burning on the bottom (and to make a lovely jus.)
- Transfer the lamb to the oven (uncovered) and roast for 50 minutes to an hour.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the stuffed leg of lamb to a cutting board to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
- I spoon the drippings over the roast, but a good gravy served on the side would be delicious too
This is a large roast (five pounds) which will easily feed 8-10 people, making it great for celebrations.
After the meat rests, use a sharp carving knife to cut it into 3/4″ slices and arrange on a serving platter. Surround the stuffed leg of lamb with the remaining seasoned white beans to serve.
Your house will smell absolutely heavenly while this roast is cooking and resting. The aroma is enough to make everyone’s stomachs grumble. Of course the real oohs and aahs come when you bring out the carved lamb. The stuffing is a wonderful surprise, so colorful and savory. Each slice will have it’s own uniqueness. End pieces are a little more cooked for those who prefer medium roasts, but the interior will be perfectly rosy for anyone who loves medium rare roasts (like me).
Since this is the first Christmas without my grandfather, I think we’ll be serving this boneless lamb roast recipe in his honor and we’ll give a proper toast to him before digging in. He’d like that.
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Ingredients
- 5 pound boneless leg of lamb
- 6 large cloves of garlic divided
- 1 large shallot
- 4 teaspoons fresh rosemary divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 large bunch swiss chard white or red, stems trimmed, roughly chopped
- 2 15 ounce cans navy beans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil julienned
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Finely chop 4 cloves of the garlic, shallot, 3 teaspoons of rosemary and thyme and transfer to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Place a large saucepan over medium to medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add half of the shallot mixture to the pot and sauté until tender and fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
Add the swiss chard to the pot and saute until the the leaves wilt. Adjust the heat so the chard wilts and becomes tender. If it's not getting tender, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pot and let it braise for a few minutes. Transfer the chard mixture to a small bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pot over medium high heat. Add the remaining shallot mixture and saute until tender and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the navy beans (liquid and all) and heat through. Add half teaspoon of the black pepper and kosher salt to season. Set aside.
Lay the lamb, fat side down on the cutting board. If the butcher has done a nice job of butterflying begin to fill the lamb. If the lamb isn't laying quite flat, butterfly the lamb by opening up the lamb and cutting down through any thicker parts, to give an even thickness. Remove any excess fat and sinew.
Spread the center portion of the lamb with the swiss chard in an even layer. Use a slotted spoon to portion out about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture next to the chard. (Slightly strain the liquid from the beans). Layer the sun-dried tomatoes next to the chard.
Carefully roll up the lamb leg and secure with several pieces of kitchen twine, both horizontally and vertically, so that the filling doesn't escape.
Heat a large dutch oven over a medium high heat. Add one tablespoon olive oil. When oil is hot, transfer the leg of lamb to the dutch oven and sear on all sides, carefully rotating after a few minutes on each side (about 10 minutes total).
Cut the remaining cloves of garlic into thin slices. With a sharp paring knife, cut slits over the top of the lamb. Insert garlic slices into the slits. Drizzle final tablespoon of olive oil over the lamb. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary, salt and pepper.
Add the wine to the pot and cook for 55-60 minutes for medium. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes before moving to a cutting board. Slice lamb into 1" thick pieces and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with reserved white beans on the side.
Pin “Chard and White Bean Stuffed Leg of Lamb” For Later!
More Holiday and Celebration Mains:
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- Easiest Ever Baked Ham
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- Whole Smoked Turkey with Cider Gravy
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- Cherry Apple Stuffed Pork Loin
I love a good leg of lamb for the holidays! This chard and white bean stuffing sounds delicious and what an impressive presentation the stuffed lamb makes as a centerpiece to the dinner table. It’s totally “do-able” too, thanks to your step by step tips. It’s such a busy time of year and it’s great to have everything so clearly laid out like this and ready to go!
So, I’m one of those weird people whose favorite food is beans. Not cheese, not cookies, not pizza….beans. This recipe immediately got my attention for the white beans in it, and now I can’t imagine ever having a leg of lamb without them! I love all of the seasonal flavors and how such a humble ingredient can elevate a meal so much. I can’t wait to make it over and over! Thank you for the great recipe, and condolences on the passing of your grandfather. I love how recipes like this help them live on with us!
If you’re a bean lover, then this leg of lamb recipe is definitely for you. You can make extra legumes if you like…
Just beautiful! What a great idea for a truly festive and elegant New Years Eve dish. Thanks for the clear and step by step direction too….makes it look very manageable.
Holy WOW Lisa! How is this recipe not breaking the Internet right now?! I don’t think I’ve ever seen navy beans and swiss chard stuffed in leg of lamb and captured so gorgeously in photos. Of course I love it that you season this with rosemary and thyme. You’ve won me over again…and again 🙂 Thanks for sharing this beauty!
Talk about a show stopper. This is gorgeous and sooo elegant. My husband was talking about doing a leg of lamb for Christmas but I wasn’t sure since I’ve never done one, but your step by step instructions make it seem way less daunting. Thank you!
Tracy — this was very easy to do — it only “looks” daunting.
Wow, this is such a holiday showstopper! I also love the flavors your have combined here and how impressive this looks. I would love to try this out, as it sounds so tasty and perfect for the season. Thanks for the inspiration.
This needs to be on my dinner table ASAP! The stuffing looks delicious and I love how juicy it came out. I’m sorry to hear your grandfather passed this year. I’m sure he would have loved this stuffed leg of lamb.
Thank you, Carmy! It was a tough year for us, losing him, however, you’re right! He would have loved this leg of lamb.
I’m so sorry to hear about your grandfather, Lisa. Sharing recipes inspired by him is such a beautiful way to remember him this Christmas. CHEERS, GRANDPA! And can I just say…. I want to eat those beans with a spoon!
Thank you Trish. He was a very special man — and he’d have been first at the table for this lamb and beans.
Oh wow. Look at this! Honestly, I’ve never made lamb because I’m mostly unfamiliar with it and I find it a bit intimidating. But this is the post that will have me stepping out of my comfort zone. Your explanations and steps are clear and the entire time I was reading this I thought to myself, “I can totally do this!” I love the flavors you’ve chosen here, too. Lamb always seemed to be rubbed with mint. But I’m really digging the combo of earthy herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and red wine. Delish!
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I want this. Lamb is one of my favorite meats. Never thought to stuff it before roasting. What a great idea – so much flavor!
Hubby and I LOVE lamb, but we have NOT had stuffed lamb. This looks and sounds delicious. The perfect presentation for a holiday meal. I really need to get a leg of lamb and give this a try. The stuffing sounds so good, and what a great way to use swiss chard and navy beans.
Oh gosh, this looks absolutely incredible! I would have never thought that you could stuff the lamb with beans. It’s genius! I think that my whole family would just eat it in total silence. That’s how good it must be!
Well, you might hear a few grunts of appreciation… Thanks Edyta!
Your grandfather’s favorite was a whole roast leg of lamb! He would love your version!
I remember. His was always superb!
Holy moly, this looks good. Preparing a large chunk of meat intimidates me. Like what if I overcook it and ruin the whole thing? BUTTT if I follow your instructions, I’m confident nothing will go wrong! You provided such a detailed explanation. You put a lot of work into this recipe and it shows. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I admit that every time I prepare a large chunk of meat — I get butterflies hoping I didn’t over cook it.
Lisa, you’ve outdone yourself here! This lamb is simply stunning. I can only imagine how delicious this must be and how wonderful it made the house smell as it roasted away.
I appreciate that Catherine! It really does get oohs and aah from the crowd — and it’s not hard to make, either.
Holy cow, can I come to your house for Christmas dinner? This looks completely amazing! My stomach is growling just reading about it.
I’m so glad you like it, Lisa! It feeds a crowd, so come on over!
This stuffed leg of lamb looks like so tasty and juicy! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂