Lamb Chop with Cilantro Mint Sauce
and roasted cauliflower / bulgur
Lamb and mint sauce are a classic spring combination, and the sauce we included in this version is bright and fresh. Cilantro and lemon juice balance out the sometimes intense flavor of mint.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower - 1 head, florets
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Lamb loin chops - 4 (sub pork chops or your favorite cut of steak)
- Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
- Cilantro leaves - 1/4 cup, packed
- Mint leaves - 1/4 cup, packed
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1/4 cup
- Ginger, fresh - 1 tsp, grated
- Garlic - 1 clove, peeled
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Honey - 1/2 tsp
- Bulgur, uncooked - 1 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Cook bulgur - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating first.) Combine bulgur with 2x the amount of water (or use stock if you prefer) in a saucepan. Add in some salt. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Cauliflower - Chop into florets. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make cilantro-mint sauce - Combine lemon juice, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, yogurt, ginger, garlic, salt, and honey. Blend using a standing blender or immersion blender until nearly smooth. Add some water, if needed, to help the sauce blend. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Lamb - Tenderize with a fork. Season with some salt and pepper.
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Make
- Heat oven to 400F / 204C.
- Toss cauliflower with olive oil and some salt. Spread out on a sheet pan. Roast, turning with a spatula halfway through cooking, until tender and golden brown, ~30 minutes.
- When cauliflower is about halfway through roasting, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then lamb chops. Put the chops in the pan with the fat facing down and cook until the fat renders and becomes crisp (it’s okay if the chops are touching during this step), 4 to 5 minutes. Then sear on all sides until lamb chops are golden brown and cooked to your liking (130F / 54C degrees for medium-rare, 140F / 60C for medium, and 150F / 66C degrees for well-done).
- Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
- If bulgur was made ahead, reheat in the microwave.
- Serve lamb over bulgur with cauliflower on the side. Give sauce a good stir and serve over everything. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
11 reviews
This is probably pretty good.... But I struggled big time. Do not get whole entire loin because it's cheaper!! I thought I would just cut it down when it's time... NOPE. that was a disaster. Then (probably because of my uneven cuts) the chops were super seared but not done in the middle so I had to bake them. Rating is all do to my error but I'd like to give this another shot next time this comes around
0 HelpfulUsed pork chops and farro, but made the sauce as is. We were surprised we enjoyed this, but we wouldn't go out of our way to make it again. I do loved roasted cauliflower! Sauce flavors were very strong, just not our favorite flavor profile.
0 HelpfulI really liked the previous black bean falafel recipe so I was excited to see this on the menu. The sauce was great for spring, though I could have used more - and I’m not usually in the double the sauce crowd! Overall, this was a great meal, and I like how flexible it is in the ability to switch out the sides for different vegetables or grains.
0 HelpfulI used more cilantro than mint because my mint plant in the garden is still a baby. I couldn't find bulgar, so I used Israeli pearl couscous. It was a perfect meal.
0 HelpfulThe lamb chops turned out perfect in my cast iron pan. Made farro instead of bulgur since it was already in the pantry. The cauliflower was perfect after just 20 minutes. Even my 4 year old who never eats her dinner gobbled everything up. I wound up with too much mint sauce, but looking ahead at the green goddess dressing coming up, I'll probably just add the avocado to the leftovers since they're basically the same flavors. In the future, I will likely roast some chickpeas along with the cauliflower and add some spices.
0 HelpfulI'm surprised that there was no recommended seasoning for the lamb loin chops before cooking them. I added a mix of spices to mine including salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, and a little cayenne. Otherwise the sauce was very good and I also added some smoked paprika to the cauliflower which was very delicious.
0 Helpful