This Sun Dried Tomato Crusted Rack of American Lamb served with a sun dried tomato pesto is juicy, tender and delicious. Cooked in the oven to a perfect medium-rare and packed with so much umami flavor from the sun dried tomatoes.
Table of Contents
I teamed up with the American Lamb Board to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
When you want a recipe in your arsenal that makes a showstopper of a dinner entree suitable for any dinner party, but also want a recipe that can be on your dinner table in a hurry with little fuss, this is the recipe for you – sun dried tomato crusted rack of lamb.
This would be the perfect dish for the holidays, but it’s delicious for any occasion!
Ingredient notes
- Rack of Lamb – Look for a rack that is approximately 1¼ pounds, or 2-3 rib chops per person that you’re serving. You’ll want a rack of lamb that has been frenched, meaning that the rib bones are exposed. Most racks of lamb will already come this way, but you can also ask your butcher to do this for you.
- Olive Oil
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Bread Crumbs – I like to use Italian seasoned bread crumbs or panko.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Rosemary & Basil
- Pine Nuts
- Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
A note on the lamb
You’ll want a frenched rack of lamb, meaning that the rib bones are exposed. Most racks of lamb will already come this way, but you can also ask your butcher to do this for you.
I’ve mentioned before how I prefer cooking with American Lamb, but just to recap, here’s why I choose it over lamb from Australia or New Zealand:
- By choosing American Lamb, you’re supporting local farmers and ranchers throughout the US.
- Raising lamb in the US is a family affair with more than 80,000 family owned operations.
- Sheep improve pasture quality by recycling vital nutrients back into the soil, minimizing erosion and encouraging plant growth.
- The majority of sheep in the states graze pastures for most of their lives.
How to make it
- Sear it: Start this rack of lamb on the stove top in a skillet that’s scorching hot. You want to sear all the sides to a golden brown. This should only take about 10 minutes total.
- Coat it in the sun dried tomato crust: After that, I let it rest for a bit while I prepare the sun dried tomato and herb crust. Once cool, I pat the mixture all over the rack of lamb and place it in a 450-degree oven.
- Bake: Bake your crusted lamb rack for 20-30 minutes. You’ll want to take it out of the oven when it is about 5 degrees below your desired temperature since as it rests, the temperature will continue to increase. See the cooking temperatures below for more information.
- Make the pesto: While the lamb is roasting, it’s the perfect time to make the pesto. Simply pop all the ingredients into a food processor, give it a whirl, and stream in some olive oil to create the perfect consistency.
- Rest & carve: Let rest 10 minutes then slice between the bones into individual chops, allowing about two per person.
- Serve: Serve the lamb chops topped with dollops of the sun dried tomato pesto.
Cooking temperature
- Rare: 120-130 degrees (very red inside)
- Medium-Rare: 130-140 degrees (bright pink inside)
- Medium: 140-145 degrees (light pink inside)
- Medium-Well: 145-150 degrees (barely any pink left)
- Well-Done: 150-160 degrees (no pink)
USDA recommends cooking lamb to an internal temperature of 145F with a 3 minute rest.
Erin’s wine pairings
- Cabernet is an excellent pairing with the rich lamb and its herbal notes are echoed in the herb crust.
- Petite Sirah is another great match for this lamb. Its flavors of plum, berries and black pepper pair wonderfully with stronger flavored meats.
- Malbec with medium body and smooth tannins makes an excellent pairing for the rich rack of lamb.
- MORE → my 8 favorite lamb wine pairings.
More lamb recipes
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Full Recipe
Sun Dried Tomato Crusted Rack of Lamb
Ingredients
Sun Dried Tomato Crust
- 1/2 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan (grated )
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 clove garlic (grated or fine minced)
Lamb
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 2-pound rack of lamb (8 chops, trimmed, frenched)
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- 1/2 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil, or 1/2 cup dry packed sun dried tomatoes*)
- 1 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 2 Tablespoons pine nuts
- 1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin, up to ⅓ cup)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Drizzle lamb with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and let rest for 20-30 minutes, to cool slightly.
- Preheat your oven to 450-degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine sun dried tomatoes and the oil they’re packed in, bread crumbs, Parmesan, rosemary and garlic. Pulse until a paste form, then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pat the sun dried tomato mixture over the lamb rack in an even layer.
- Bake 20-30 minutes, to a temperature of 120-degrees for medium rare (the temperature will continue to rise to 125-degrees as the lamb sits). Let rest 10 minutes then slice between the bones into individual chops, allowing about two per person.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Combine sun dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt, basil and pine nuts in a food processor, and process until finely chopped.
- With the machine running, drizzle in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the parmesan and lemon juice and pulse a few times to combine.
Serve
- Slice the lamb between the bones into individual chops, allowing about 2 per person. Serve with sun dried tomato pesto and any of the crust that's fallen of dolloped on top.
Notes
- Rare: 120-130 degrees (very red inside)
- Medium-Rare: 130-140 degrees (bright pink inside)
- Medium: 140-145 degrees (light pink inside)
- Medium-Well: 145-150 degrees (barely any pink left)
- Well-Done: 150-160 degrees (no pink)
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