Lamb tomato and sweet spices

Name: Lamb tomato and sweet spices
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 4cm piece finely chopped ginger; 2 cloves peeled and chopped garlic; 800g peeled and chopped tomatoes; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp caster sugar; 50 vine leaves; 1 large fennel bulb; 400g lamb mince; 1 medium onion; 1 small peeled and coarsely grated potatoes; 2 tbsp basmati rice; 2 tbsp chopped parsley; 2 tbsp chopped coriander; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 cloves garlic; ½ tsp ground clove; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 2 medium tomatoes

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Lamb recipe with Moroccan flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 63 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 42 min total

2 tbsp Olive Oil
4cm piece finely chopped Ginger
2 cloves peeled and chopped Garlic
800g peeled and chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Caster Sugar
50 Vine Leaves
1 large Fennel Bulb
400g Lamb Mince
1 medium Onion
1 small peeled and coarsely grated Potatoes
2 tbsp Basmati Rice
2 tbsp Chopped Parsley
2 tbsp chopped Coriander
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 cloves Garlic
½ tsp ground Clove
½ tsp ground Cinnamon
2 medium Tomatoes

Step-by-step instructions

Use pickled vine leaves here, preserved in brine. Small delicate leaves are better than the large bristly ones but, if only large leaves are to hand, then trim them to roughly 12 by 12 cms so that you don't get too many layers of leaves around the filling. And remove any stalks. Drain the preserved leaves, immerse them in boiling water for 10 minutes and then leave to dry on a tea towel before use.
Basmati rice with butter and pine nuts is an ideal accompaniment. Couscous is great, too. Serves four.
First make the filling. Put all the ingredients, apart from the tomatoes, in a bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half, coarsely grate into the bowl and discard the skins. Add half a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper, and stir. Leave on the side, or in the fridge, for up to a day. Before using, gently squeeze with your hands and drain away any juices that come out.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium pan. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for a minute or two, taking care not to burn them, then add the tomato, lemon juice and sugar. Season, and simmer for 20 minutes.
While the sauce is bubbling away, prepare the vine leaves. Use any torn or broken leaves to line the base of a wide, heavy saucepan. Trim any leaves from the fennel, cut it vertically into 0.5cm-thick slices and spread over the base of the pan to cover completely.
Lay a prepared vine leaf (see intro) on a work surface, veiny side up. Put two teaspoons of filling at the base of the leaf in a 2cm-long by 1cm-wide strip. Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling, then roll it tightly from bottom to top, in a cigar shape. Place in the pan, seam down, and repeat with the remaining leaves, placing them tightly next to each other in lines or circles (in two layers if necessary).
Pour the sauce over the leaves (and, if needed, add water just to cover). Place a plate on top, to weigh the leaves down, then cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook on a bare simmer for 70 minutes. Most of the liquid should evaporate. Remove from the heat, and leave to cool a little - they are best served warm. When serving, bring to the table in the pan - it looks great. Serve a few vine leaves and fennel slices with warm rice. Spoon the braising juices on top and garnish with coriander.

Why this works on a weeknight

Lamb tomato and sweet spices lands at about 42 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Lamb tomato and sweet spices actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Lamb Moroccan Sweet