Kleftiko is one of the best and easiest ways to cook lamb. Baked inside parchment paper along with veggies, and then covered with aluminum foil on top, to make sure all of the delicious aromas lock inside the meat and no flavor escapes!
And once the lamb has slow-cooked to the point it falls off the bone, you raise the temperature, unwrap the lamb parcels and toss the cheese on top. Leaving the meat to get that perfect roast and the cheese to melt on top.
2 Ways To Make Lamb Kleftiko
Lamb Kleftiko is usually made with potatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, dried Greek oregano, and feta cheese. This is the classic Greek version of making it. But I wanted to share with you my personal favorite which is made with potatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchinis, carrots, Greek Kefalotyri or Graviera cheese and flavored with mustard, and thyme.
I like this version best because a). I’m a huge fan of zucchinis and carrots, and b). I like how mustard breaks that fatty lamb flavor. So in this recipe, I’ve included both ways of making it and you can choose which one you like best.
The ingredients are for making 1 portion of each so you can easily adjust the amount of ingredients according to the number of servings you wish to make.
Lamb Cuts For Making Kleftiko
Although lamb shanks are possibly the best part of lamb, it is not the ideal cut for making Kleftiko because the long bone is difficult to wrap inside a parcel. So stick to leg cut or shoulder cuts preferably with bone. The bone helps to keep the meat nice and juicy.
Check out Jamie Oliver’s guide on – How To Choose The Right Cut Of Lamb
As For The Veggies…
Just cut them into chunky pieces and mix together in a bowl with the instructed seasonings and then place all around the lamb.
A Few Things To Keep In Mind:
- The Lamb parcels are baked inside a pan that’s covered with 2 fingers of water in the bottom. Make sure to keep an eye while baking to make sure there is always water in the pan. This prevents the food from burning and sticking at the bottom.
- Don’t skip the wine. It helps soften and tenderize the meat while it bakes.
Kleftiko- Greek Lamb With Vegetables (2 ways)
Ingredients
- aluminum foil
- parchment paper
Option 1 (with tomato, feta + oregano) :
- 350 grams lamb leg or shoulder cut (with bone)
- 1 small potato peeled
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 small tomato
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 45 grams feta cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Option 2 (with zucchini, carrot, mustard, thyme + Kefalotyri cheese):
- 350 grams lamb leg or shoulder cut (with bone)
- 1 small potato peeled
- 1/2 small zucchini
- 1/2 carrot
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon mild mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 45 grams Greek Kefalotyri or Graviera cheese
Instructions
For Option 1 (with tomato, feta + oregano) :
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F.
- Take a large piece of parchment paper and place the piece of lamb in the center, after you rinsed and drained it. Season the meat with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Peel and cut the potato to 2-inch (5-6 cm) pieces. Place in a mixing bowl.
- Cut the green bell pepper, tomato, and onion into bite-sized pieces and toss in the bowl as well.
- Add also the garlic clove cut in half, the oregano, and season with a bit of kosher salt and pepper. Mix all the veggies well and place them all around the lamb. Drizzle with olive oil and white wine.
- Wrap the parchment paper over the lamb and veggies to create a parcel. Take a big piece of aluminum foil and wrap it all around the parchment paper to secure it and make sure no steam or aromas escape. Then place in a baking pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with 2 fingers of water (so the food won't stick at the bottom) and make sure that throughout baking there is still water in the pan, otherwise add some.
- Repeat process for as many servings you like and then bake for 2-2 and a half hours.
- Take the pan out of the oven and carefully unwrap a parcel. Prick the meat with a knife and if it feels tender enough to the point it looks like falling off the bone, unwrap the other parcels as well (if not close it again and cook a bit more). Toss the cheese on top and roast the Kleftiko for 5-10 minutes by raising the temperature to 230°C / 446°F.
For Option 2 (with zucchini, carrot, mustard, thyme + Kefalotyri cheese):
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F.
- Take a large piece of parchment paper and place the piece of lamb in the center, after you rinsed and drained it. Season the meat with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Peel and cut the potato to 2-inch (5-6 cm) pieces. Place in a mixing bowl.
- Cut the carrot, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl as well.
- Add also the garlic clove cut in half, the mustard, olive oil, and white wine. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and rub all the veggies well. Then place them all around the lamb. Place the sprigs of thyme on top.
- Repeat steps 6,7,8 as shown in Option No1.
Nutrition
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Disappointing. I must have done something wrong as I cooked at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. and the potatoes and carrots needed more cooking. There was so much liquid in the dish and the meat seemed chewy and overcooked. Also, I placed all this in a roasting pan with water. It is very heavy and dangerous if you spilled the hot water. Would not want to use a heavy roasting pan again with all that water. It is also expensive with all the foil and parchment paper.