Mediterranean Baked Lamb Chops with Roasted Vegetables

You’ll love this easy sheet pan dinner featuring baked lamb chops, roasted carrots, acorn squash, and warm Mediterranean spices.

This Mediterranean lamb chop recipe may be super simple to whip up, but it is bursting with 5-star flavor. I’m a big fan of lamb—it’s my Mediterranean blood for sure, and this is one of my go-to weeknight-friendly recipes.

For this recipe, I wanted an all-in-one meal, so I combined protein-rich lamb loin chops with roasted carrots, sweet potatoes, and acorn squash for a gluten-free sheet pan dinner recipe everyone in my house loves. The loin chops cook quickly, which is another weeknight dinner win.

Lamb chops are packed with rich meaty flavor, so they take on bold flavors from marinades and spices like allspice, paprika, and nutmeg well. This recipe is easily adaptable for what you have on hand, so feel free to mix up the veggies and make the most of what is in your fridge. 

Baked Lamb Chop Ingredients

What makes all the difference in this Mediterranean baked lamb chops recipe is the special marinade with extra virgin olive oil, lots of fresh garlic, and warm spices, including allspice, paprika, and a little ground nutmeg!

• Lamb loin chops are a rich meat with 23 grams of protein for a 3-ounce serving. They cook quickly, which is why I love them for a weeknight sheet pan dinner.
• Kosher salt enhances the flavors of everything else and keeps the lamb juicy and tender.
• Head of garlic. Yes! A whole head! Lamb can handle bold flavors, and remember you are making lamb and vegetables. So there is a lot to season.
• Extra virgin olive oil. When you grow up along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, olive oil is considered liquid gold. My olive oil of choice for this recipe is Greek Private Reserve, because I like the fruity flavor and peppery finish. But you can use whatever quality olive oil you have on hand.
• Spices. I use warming spices like allspice, black pepper, sweet Spanish paprika, and nutmeg with this recipe to balance the sweetness from the roasted vegetables and squash.  
• Veggies. I love this combination of acorn squash, red onion, sweet potato, and carrots because they finish cooking at the same time, and their natural sugars concentrate and sweeten as they roast in the oven.  
• White wine vinegar. The acid from the vinegar helps tenderize the lamb. You can also use apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar.
• Honey adds a touch of sweetness at the end of the recipe. All you need is a little drizzle.
• Parsley adds a pop of color and a touch of freshness to the finished dish.
• Tahini sauce is optional, but I love the toasted, nutty finish it adds to the finished dish. Just serve it on the side and let people drizzle at will!

How to Make Baked Lamb Chops

One of the biggest benefits of this cut of lamb is they cook fast, usually within 10 minutes for a beautiful medium-rare, which is recommended (but you can go a little bit longer if you prefer a more medium finish). The fast cooking time makes them ideal for weeknight dinners. 

• Season the lamb and preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season both sides of the lamb chops with kosher salt. Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
• Prepare acorn squash. Microwave the acorn squash for 1 to 2 minutes; this helps soften it a bit for cutting. When cool enough to handle, place acorn squash on a cutting board. Cut the stem off and trim both ends about 1/4 inch. Cut acorn squash in half crosswise, and scoop out the seeds. Now, take each half and cut into 1/2-inch thick rings.
• Make the marinade. In a large bowl, combine minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Mix well. (Leave remaining spices for later.)
• Dip vegetables in marinade. Add the vegetables (sliced acorn squash, onions, sweet potatoes, and carrots) to the marinade bowl with the garlic marinade. You may need to do this in stages. Give them a quick toss, then transfer vegetables to a large sheet pan. Season with kosher salt.
• Marinate lamb. To the marinade bowl, add more extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, and the remaining spices. Mix well. Add lamb chops and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate while you roast the vegetables.
• Bake vegetables. Place vegetables in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• Sear the lamb. While the vegetables are roasting, sear the lamb. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet in a thin layer. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add lamb chops and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. 
• Put everything together. Once the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, transfer the lamb to the sheet pan with the vegetables, and place back in the oven for 10 minutes. The vegetables should be fork-tender, and the lamb will be cooked to medium-rare to medium.
• Drizzle with honey. Immediately drizzle honey all over the lamb and vegetables. An optional step, but I highly recommend it. A little floral sweetness from the honey pairs incredibly well with the warm spices and helps balance out the bright acidity from the white wine vinegar. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with parsley. 
• Rest and Enjoy! Let lamb chops sit for 10 minutes before serving to keep them tender and moist. Serve with Tahini sauce

Pro Tips for Making Baked Lamb Chops

• Lamb chops vs. lamb lollipops vs. lamb loin chops. Lamb chops is a broad term that refers to lamb lollipops, which are cut from the rib, and lamb loin chops, which are cut from the waist and look like small T-bone steaks. I like lamb loin chops for this recipe because they are easy to sear and they are the perfect size (3 to 4 ounces apiece) for dinner!
• Salt. Salting the lamb and letting it sit for a bit allows the meat to tenderize, so your lamb is more succulent. The salt has a hydrating effect on the meat but will also penetrate the lamb for more flavor all the way through your lamb chop. Although you are not letting the lamb sit with the salt for hours, salting in addition to a properly balanced marinade is the secret to juicy baked lamb chops.
• Don’t skip the vinegar! While the EVOO provides juiciness and the spices provide flavor, we need the acid from the white wine vinegar to help break down the proteins in the lamb chops so the spices penetrate more deeply. Acidic ingredients will further tenderize the lamb, ensuring that when your lamb comes out of the oven, it is not dry. If you don’t have white wine vinegar, you can substitute apple cider vinegar or plain white vinegar.
• Don’t overcook! Lamb chops only need about 10 minutes in the 400°F oven, so I add them after roasting the vegetables for a bit. I like to give the lamb chops a quick sear on both sides in a skillet before adding them to my sheet pan to finish cooking in the oven.
• Let the baked lamb chops rest for 10 minutes or so before cutting into them. This allows them to retain their juices and stay nice and tender. 

Swaps and Substitutions

I went with sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and acorn squash, but feel free to mix things up. I’ve also made this recipe with:

• turnips
• parsnips
• rutabaga
• fennel
• butternut squash
• delicata squash
• purple sweet potatoes

Make It a Meal

The beauty of sheet pan dinners is that you don’t really need to do much else to complete the meal. I love a drizzle of tahini sauce on my lamb chops (completely optional).

Two great starter salads would be this Easy Mediterranean Orange and Pomegranate Salad or this Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Honey-Citrus Dressing!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• To Store Leftover Lamb Chops: Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days after cooking.
• To reheat, warm your oven to 300-325°F. The lower heat will be less likely to dry out and overcook your lamb. Place in a pan and warm for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the chops are warmed through.

Try These Lamb Recipes Next

Lamb is versatile and is perfect for a casual dinner or made extra fancy for a special occasion. If we’re talking a big family feast or holiday dinner, it’s definitely these glorious wine-braised lamb shanks. 

*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.