If there’s one protein source that I don’t think gets enough attention, it’s lamb! This spiced lamb, zucchini, and rice dish is a fantastic way to use ground lamb in a nutritious, balanced meal. As a registered dietitian, I love that this recipe checks a lot of boxes: high-quality protein from the lamb, fitness-fueling carbs from the rice, a nice dose of produce in the zucchini, and a whole lot of flavor thanks to the spices and add-ins.
And bonus: it’s a one pot meal and works great for meal prep!
(Side note – this feta-stuffed lamb burger is another ground lamb fav if you’re looking for more ideas, too).
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of everything you’ll need, along with some ingredient notes:
Lamb: Ground lamb works great here because it cooks quickly, making it nice for a weeknight meal. You could also use chopped lamb shoulder or leg too, it’ll just take a bit longer to cook. As a quick tip – If you’re local to the Northeast, I highly recommend using Walden Local (referral link) for purchasing lamb and other meat. The quality is amazing! You can find a full Walden review here.
Spices: Please don’t be scared by the long ingredient list, as most are spices, haha! This is what creates powerful flavor in this recipe.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by heating some oil in a skillet, then adding the ground lamb, zucchini, and onion. You want to cook that for about 6-7 minutes, until the lamb is browned. Use a slanted spatula to break apart the lamb as it cooks.
At this point, there may be some excess fat in the pan, depending on the fat content of the ground lamb. If there is, drain any excess fat, leaving just a small amount in the pan. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to carefully tilt the skillet and push all the ingredients to one side and let the oil drain to the other side. Then just use a large cooking spoon to scoop out most of the oil and set it aside in a bowl to cool and later dispose of.
Next, add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Cook for a minute; everything should get nice and fragrant.
Add the instant rice to the pan and stir, letting it toast in the pan for about 30 seconds.
Then add the broth and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and stir. Cover again and let sit for 3 minutes.
Stir in the raisins, almonds, pistachios, parsley, and cilantro, and serve!
Recipe FAQ
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes! Ground beef can work well in this recipe with the same spice profile. The flavor will be a bit different, but still delicious.
Sure. Regular rice is great for active folks that need the carbs. But if you’re on a lower carb diet, you can swap cauliflower rice for half or all of the rice in this recipe. If using cauliflower rice as a full swap, you won’t need the chicken broth in the recipe. Just toss in a bag of frozen cauli rice and cook until warm throughout.
More Healthy Dinner Recipes
Need more nutritious and delicious dinners? Try one of these!
- Marry me sweet potatoes and white beans
- Sheet pan steak and veggies
- Sheet pan chicken drumsticks and veggies
- Kale shrimp salad with miso dressing
- Baked salmon with herbed yogurt, pistachios, and golden raisins (clearly I’m a fan of golden raisins in recipes, haha)
I hope this spiced lamb and rice recipe makes it onto your dinner table soon! If you give it a try, feel free to leave a rating or comment below.
Spiced Lamb, Zucchini, and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 medium zucchini, peeled and diced (large dice)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups instant white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lamb, zucchini, and onion. Cook for about 6-7 minutes, breaking apart the lamb as it cooks, until the lamb is browned.
- Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir everything together. Cook for 30 seconds (to toast the rice), then add the chicken broth and stir well.
- Cover the mixture and continue to cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir the mixture and cover again. Let sit off heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the raisins, almonds, pistachios, parsley, and cilantro. Stir well to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The easiest way I’ve found to drain excess fat from the pan is to carefully tilt the skillet and push all the ingredients to one side and let the oil drain to the other side. Then just use a large cooking spoon to scoop out most of the oil and set it aside in a bowl.
Nutrition
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