Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri
This easy to make Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb is served with a side of mint chimichurri and is crazy delicious. Whether you're looking for simple weekend dinner or an impressive Easter main course, this is it. It's also naturally gluten-free + paleo + Whole30 approved. Dig in!
It's (almost) Easter weekend!
We'll be having a big family dinner at my handsome man's mom's house. While we don't always play to traditions (we once had a big pizza party for Easter), I think there's a pretty good chance we'll be eating a roast bird with all the fixings. Lamb is off the menu for sure as his family doesn't eat it. When we first met, most of his family were vegan. I'm not going to lie, I'm selfishly happy they've started eating chicken again cause his mom makes the best roast chicken ever.
But back to this herb roasted rack of lamb …
It is basically the easiest and most delicious dinner to make, which is extra awesome cause racks of lamb always look super impressive. When you pull them out of the oven, you can pat yourself on the back for making the prettiest looking dinner. ?
And then there's the mint chimichurri. Normally, chimichurri is made with a mix of parsley and cilantro and spooned over the top of hanger steak. By replacing the cilantro with mint, it becomes lamb's best friend. It's a richly flavored, vinegary sauce that's totally addicting.
This rack of lamb also fully fits into The Whole30 Program, which is taking over my life (and the blog) this month. Let's give it up for wickedly delicious healthy recipes!
So this Whole30 adventure …
It's day three, and I'm wavering between “this is so easy” and “omg I NEED those chips/ chocolate/glass of red wine to wash down the herb roasted rack of lamb!”
I honestly wasn't expecting the cravings to hit so soon. Yesterday, I opened the fridge door and spent five minutes staring down some chocolate bark my handsome man's mom gave us a few days pre-Whole30. The struggle was real. It was intense.
But I won, and here we are, counting down the next 27 days.
From a meal perspective, I love Whole30. Working within the confines of the diet, I feel I'm able to be more creative. Last night we adapted my favorite fish recipe (I'll be sharing the recipe next week) to make it Whole30 compliant. This morning we roasted some onions, tomatoes, and potatoes and scrambled some eggs. We had this herb roasted lamb on day 1 with roast potatoes and a salad.
Not exactly suffering in the meal department.
Are we friends on Instagram? I'm sharing all my adventures over there. I'd love it if you tagged #Whole30groupies on your Whole30 IG posts so we can do this together. Let's support each other!
Your herb roasted rack of lamb game plan
♡ Pop the herbs, garlic, and olive oil into your food processor and blend until smooth-ish.
♡ Rub the racks of lamb with Dijon then coat them with the herbs. Let them sit while you sit and relax.
♡ Mince some herbs and mix them with vinegar and olive oil.
♡ Pop the lamb into the oven.
♡ Eat!
See how ridiculously easy that was?
Here's something else awesome about this herb roasted rack of lamb recipe: It can totally be made ahead of time. Instead of letting the prepared lamb sit on your counter for an hour before you cook it, simply cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and pop it into your fridge. This way, all you have to do when company arrives is pull the lamb out of the fridge. Awesome, right?
Herb and Garlic Roast Rack of Lamb
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- Olive oil, for the pan
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon each: cayenne and black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, Read the label if you're doing Whole30. Maille Dijon is Whole30 compliant
- 2 racks lamb, 2 – 2 ½ lbs. total
Mint Chimichurri
- ½ cup fresh parsley, minced
- ½ cup fresh mint, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- ½ tablespoon oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar, Or sub 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Optional: 1 red chili, minced
Instructions
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the parsley, oregano, sea salt, cayenne, black pepper, garlic, and olive oil in your food processor and blend until combined. It will still be a bit chunky. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop everything by hand.½ cup fresh parsley, ¼ cup fresh oregano, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon each: cayenne and black pepper, 4 cloves garlic, ¼ cup olive oil
- Spread the Dijon mustard evenly over the meat on both sides of the racks of lamb. Rub a little of the herb mix over the back side (the concave side) of the lamb then place the racks, back side down, on the baking sheet. Press the remaining herb mix onto the meaty part of the lamb. Set aside at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 racks lamb
- While the lamb is sitting, prepare the mint chimichurri. Stir all the chimichurri ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. If you prefer, you can use your food processor, but I like the results of hand mincing the herbs better. Set aside.½ cup fresh parsley, ½ cup fresh mint, 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot, ½ tablespoon oregano, 2 cloves garlic, 6 tablespoons olive oil, 2 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar, Optional: 1 red chili
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (See notes) When your oven is hot, put the lamb inside. Cook the lamb for 25 minutes for medium-rare or 30 minutes for medium. Remove the lamb and cover loosely with aluminum foil and let it stand for 10 minutes before carving.
- Serve the herb roasted rack of lamb with the mint chimichurri on the side.
This was such a treat. I made it when I had a few friends over the other day and it looked and tasted spectacular. Thank you!