Lamb ragu is an easy dish that combines minced lamb with sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies cooked in red wine, perfect with pappardelle pasta!
As with all classic ragu recipes, this first and foremost is a meat sauce, and just like all others, this is remarkably versatile. Great on everything from baked potatoes to stuffed in a toastie, you'll love this!
Lamb Pasta Sauce
You could be forgiven for thinking that Ragu and I have a thing going on... and to be honest, you would not be too far from the truth.
Gimme a piece of meat, and I'll turn it into a semi-traditional meat sauce at some point in time!
This lamb ragu is far from my first rodeo! It joins dishes like wild boar ragu, duck ragu, venison ragu, beef cheek ragu, pasta Genovese and pastitsada from Corfu.
It's not all meaty either, I even have a vegan mushroom ragu and fishy sardine pasta bolognese.
This recipe is super simple on the flavour front, with big flavours that just work with lamb.
We have sundried tomatoes and anchovies, and the herbs rosemary and thyme. All cooked in red wine and just enough tomato passata to form a sauce.
A ragu should be a meat sauce and not a tomato sauce with meat.
It is a fantastic, rich and bold sauce that is guaranteed to keep you warm all winter.
If you are looking for a different approach to lamb pasta, you should definitely check out my take on youvetsi, a Greek lamb and orzo bake!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use lean lamb?
Nooooo! Please do not do that because ragu sauces need fat to give them their glorious mouth feel. Failing to do that will lead to dry balls of meat in a sauce, and that is about as rubbish as it sounds.
Look for minced lamb with 15-20% fat.
What is tomato passata?
Ok, so the tomato thing... Depending on where you are in the world, this can be complicated.
Tomato passata is essentially sieved tomatoes, no flavouring or seasonings and is called passata almost universally across Europe.
In the US, it is called tomato puree and can sometimes be either concentrated or flavoured.
If you can not get neat tomato puree, fear not, because you can just blend a tin of tomatoes. It will be a little thinner, and you will need to cook it for a little longer, so add it to the ragu half an hour earlier.
Do I have to use anchovies?
You don't "have" to do anything, but do give them a try; they add a subtle, rich meatiness to the dish that is irreplaceable with any other ingredient.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this is a great meal to prepare ahead of time or even to scale up and store as leftovers. It will be fine in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 days and will freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
As you can see, I serve my lamb ragu with pappardelle pasta, made with my own duck egg pasta, no less. But store-bought works just as well, I promise!
But it is very easy to get bogged down serving ragu sauces with pasta.
They are great with so much more. This is fantastic served over cheesy polenta porridge, and awesome ladled over buttered baked potatoes.
But why stop there?
Make a big batch and spoon it into a toastie or sprinkle some over nachos and whack it in the oven because ragu ain't just for pasta!
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 20cm or 8" saucepan with a lid.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- Slotted spoon, stirring and serving spoons.
Lamb Ragu Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g Minced Lamb 10oz
- 1 Medium-Large Echalion or Banana Shallot 50g
- 1 Small Carrot 50g
- 1 Small Celery Stick 35g
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 50 g Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil ¼ Cup
- 4 Anchovy Fillets
- 1 tablespoon Oil The oil from the sun dried tomatoes is perfect
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 125 ml Red Wine ½ Cup
- 1 Medium-Large Tomato 150g
- 1-2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1-2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 75 ml Tomato Passata ⅓ Cup
Instructions
- Dice the shallot, carrot and celery as finely as you can.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan (20cm or 8") over a medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook until golden, then remove the lamb with a slotted spoon.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced shallot, celery and carrot and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Peel and slice the garlic as finely as you can.
- Cut the tomato into a 1cm (½") dice.
- Cut the sundried tomatoes into a 3-5mm (⅛-¼") dice.
- Add the garlic, anchovies and diced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Increase the heat to high and pour in the wine, and reduce by two-thirds.
- Return the meat, add the salt, tomatoes and herbs and stir to mix everything together.
- Reduce the heat to low, add a lid and simmer for 2 hours.
- Remove the lid, pour in the tomato passata, and stir.
- Simmer on low heat for a final 30-45 minutes or until you get to the texture you desire.