> Skip to content

Recipe  •  23 April 2026

 

Cumin-spiced Lamb Chops with Roasted Squash

When you’re short on time but want something that feels a little fancy, this Indian style traybake is a lifesaver.

Tiny cubes of butternut squash – small enough to roast quickly – go golden and crispy in the oven with some hearty chickpeas. Spiced lamb chops and cherry tomatoes are layered on top, and their juices marry together to create a lovely mellow sauce. To finish, I love a generous dollop of lime pickle yoghurt that melts so satisfyingly over everything on your plate.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (about 550g in total) squash, cut into 0.5–1cm cubes
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 300g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2½ tsp garam masala
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground fenugreek
  • 8 (about 700g in total) lamb chops
  • 300g Greek yoghurt – I use 10% fat
  • 2 tbsp lime pickle
  • A handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves
  • salt and pepper

 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan/gas 7. Chuck the squash into a 30x40cm roasting tin and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss together and roast for 10 minutes to start softening the squash.
  2. Put the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garam masala and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a mixing bowl and toss together. Add to the tray with the squash. Mix well and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, the remaining 1½ teaspoons of garam masala, the cumin, fenugreek and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, then chuck in the lamb chops and mix together.
  4. Arrange the chops on top of the squash in the roasting tin and roast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the lamb is cooked on the outside but still pink in the middle.
  5. While the lamb cooks, mix the yoghurt with the lime pickle and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
  6. Scatter the coriander over the lamb, chickpeas and veg and divide between four serving plates. Serve immediately with big dollops of yoghurt on the side.

Feature Title

The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever

100 effortless traybake recipes that use supermarket ingredients and focus on big flavour by content creator, TV personality and bestselling cookbook author, John Gregory Smith

Read more

More features

See all recipes
Recipe
Persian style chicken and rice

Perfumed with saffron and cardamom, with crispy chicken and fluffy rice, this is one of the most exquisite traybakes around.

Recipe
Seoulful Korean Garlic Chicken

This is my take on dak-dori-tang, a Korean chicken and potato stew, reimagined as a quick and easy traybake.

Recipe
Butter chicken mac & cheese

Comfort food with a Desi twist, this rich, spiced butter chicken is folded through creamy, cheesy macaroni for a fusion that’s both indulgent and seriously satisfying.

Recipe
Chicken meatballs

This light meal option is packed with lean proteins, herbs and citrus for freshness.

Recipe
Amatriciana: Roman tomato, guanciale and pecorino sauce

The first time I put amatriciana on the menu at Tiella I was incredibly nervous.

Recipe
Rhubarb cake with custard sauce

You might think this is absurd, but I miss my rhubarb plants in Copenhagen.

Recipe
Single serve self-saucing pudding

Self-saucing pudding is exactly what I want when I'm suggesting 'a little something sweet.

Recipe
Cinnamon roll snickerdoodle cookies

I absolutely love a fresh cinnamon roll, so it only felt right to turn it into a cookie.

Recipe
Red Camargue and wild rice, with roast chicken, chorizo, tomatoes, sweetcorn, sugar snap peas and aioli

Years ago, there was a bit of a craze for self-saucing puddings, and every time I make this, I really think I ought to call it a self-saucing salad!

Recipe
Saké cup

One of the first cocktails to be produced industrially was Pimm's, where, in addition to the Pimm's No. 1 liqueur, all you need is ice and a mixer and you're done!

Recipe
Low-carb protein pancakes

If you're craving pancakes but want a lower-carb option, these are fantastic.

Looking for more recipes?

See all recipes
penguin pop image
penguin pop image