This rich and delicious lamb ragu with a tomato and red wine sauce is slow cooked in the oven until melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Serve with pappardelle and plenty of grated parmesan for a hearty family dinner that also doubles as the ultimate winter comfort food!
This lamb ragu recipe with fall-apart tender lamb in a rich red wine and tomato gravy, is the perfect comfort food for the cooler weather! If you are anything like me, as soon as the temperatures dip, I crave pasta, soups and slow cooker meals - dishes that will warm you up from the inside out! And this lamb ragu with pappardelle will do exactly that!
Like my Italian beef ragu, slow cooker lamb shanks, beef lasagne and gnocchi bolognese, this lamb ragu recipe is a guaranteed crowd pleaser too!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe - taking just 20 minutes to prepare, leave the oven to do the rest of the work, then cook some pasta, and serve!
- Family dinner - kids AND adults love this lamb ragu with pappardelle!
- Comfort food - with its rich and flavourful sauce, pasta, and sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, this ragu is the BEST comfort food.
- Feeds a crowd - this recipe makes a big batch, perfect for entertaining a crowd, or for freezing half for later!
What You Need
You only need a handful of easy to find ingredients to make this delicious lamb leg ragu.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Olive oil - to fry both the lamb and the vegetables in.
- Butterflied lamb leg - this boneless lamb leg is cut open to create a butterfly shape, so it cooks quicker than a full leg of lamb.
- Brown onion - or yellow onion.
- Carrot - adds a sweetness to the lamb ragu.
- Celery - along with the carrot and onion, celery makes up the Italian soffritto which is the basis of many Italian ragus and risottos.
- Garlic - you can use fresh garlic cloves and mince them yourself, or use a store bought minced garlic.
- Dried thyme - thyme is the perfect partner to lamb.
- Tomato paste - this thick, concentrated tomato sauce helps create a rich ragu sauce.
- Red wine - red wine gives the ragu a wonderfully rich flavour. The alcohol cooks off, so it is fine to serve to the whole family. If you don't want to use wine, you can substitute with extra beef stock, however the finished sauce won't have quite the same depth of flavour.
- Beef stock - you could use vegetable stock or chicken stock, however beef stock adds a richer flavour.
- Diced tomatoes - or use plum tomatoes and crush them with the back of a spoon.
- Sea salt and cracked pepper - to season.
- Cooked pasta - to serve, see 'Expert Tips' below for my favourite types of pasta to serve with lamb ragu.
- Parmesan cheese - finely grated, to serve.
Equipment Required
The only equipment you need to make lamb ragu is:
- Frying pan or cast iron pan - for searing the lamb and cooking the vegetables.
- Dutch oven or other oven proof dish with a lid - for baking the ragu in the oven (or use the same dish to sear the lamb and then cook it in the oven if you have one that goes on the stovetop as well as in the oven).
- Oven - I use a fan-forced oven. If you use a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 Degrees Celsius.
Step By Step Instructions
This lamb ragu with pasta takes 20 minutes to prepare, then leave the oven to do the rest of the work for you!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Step 1 - Sear The Lamb
Preheat the oven.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan (or cast iron pan). Cut the lamb into four equal sized portions. Season with salt and pepper and then sear on all sides until browned. Remove from the pan, and place on a plate, set aside.
Step 2 - Cook The Vegetables
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the finely diced onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened.
Step 3 - Add The Garlic And Thyme
And the minced garlic and thyme and cook for a minute.
Step 4 - Add The Tomato Paste
Stir through the tomato paste.
Step 5 - Add The Wine
Pour in the red wine, if using.
Step 6 - Add The Beef Stock And Tomatoes
Simmer the wine for a couple of minutes before adding the liquid beef stock and diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Step 7 - Place Everything In An Ovenproof Dish
Place the lamb and any juices, and the tomato-vegetable sauce into a large cast iron dish or dutch oven.
Step 8 - Cook In The Oven
Put the lid on the pan, place in the preheated oven and cook for 2 ½ hours.
Step 9 - Shred The Lamb
Take the pieces of cooked lamb out of the gravy and place on a plate. Use two forks to shred the lamb.
Step 10 - Return The Lamb To The Sauce
Return the shredded lamb to the sauce and stir.
Place the pan onto the stovetop on a low heat while you boil the pasta.
Step 11 - Serve
Add the cooked pasta to the pan of lamb ragu, together with a splash of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Stir to combine.
Serve lamb ragu immediately with plenty of grated parmesan cheese over the top.
Expert Tips
- Pan - use a large cast iron pan or Dutch oven for the best results, as these ensure an even temperature throughout the cooking.
- Best types of pasta to serve with lamb ragu: Ragu should be served with large pasta shells or ribbons to catch all of the sauce. Pappardelle, tagliatelle or rigatoni are all perfect options.
- If the ragu is too thick - add a little of the pasta water. This not only helps to thin the sauce, but the starch in the pasta water will help the sauce stick to the pasta.
- Storage - store any leftover lamb ragu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze.
FAQs
Both ragu and bolognese are meat sauces, however the word, 'ragu' actually covers a variety of tomato-rich sauces, whereas bolognese is a specific type of sauce which uses less tomatoes, and often includes milk.
Absolutely! Lamb ragu will freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat until piping hot.
Add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the ragu to help it coat the pasta.
Related Recipes
For more easy, comforting family dinners, here are some winter warmers that are always greeted with big smiles from all the family (including fussy eaters!)
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Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 3 tbs olive oil
- sea salt and cracked pepper to season
- 1.2 kg butterflied lamb leg cut into 4 equal sized pieces
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 1 cup carrot finely diced, approximately 2 large
- 1 cup celery finely diced, approximately 4 stalks
- 3 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic, crushed)
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tbs tomato paste
- 250 ml red wine
- 500 ml beef stock
- 800 g diced tomatoes
- 500 g cooked pasta to serve, see tips
- parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Heat 2 tbs of the olive oil over high heat in a frying pan (or cast iron pan). Season the lamb with salt and pepper and then sear on all sides until browned (approximately 5 minutes each side). Set the lamb aside on a separate plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. And the garlic and thyme to the pan and cook for a further 1 minute.
- Stir through the tomato paste.
- Pour in the wine and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the liquid beef stock and the diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
- Return the lamb (plus any juices) to the pan.
- Place the lamb and sauce into an ovenproof dish with a lid (cast iron dish or dutch oven).
- Cook for 2 ½ hours (without checking).
- Place the pieces of lamb onto a plate and shred with two forks. Return the shredded lamb to the sauce and stir.
- Place the pan onto the stovetop and continue cooking on low while you cook the pasta.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan of lamb ragu (add a splash of the pasta water if needed).
- Serve immediately with plenty of grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Pan - use a large cast iron pan or Dutch oven for the best results, as these ensure an even temperature throughout the cooking.
- Best types of pasta to serve with ragu: Ragu should be served with large pasta shells or ribbons to catch all of the sauce. Pappardelle, tagliatelle or rigatoni are all perfect options.
- If the ragu is too thick - add a little of the pasta water. This not only helps to thin the sauce, but the starch in the pasta water will help the sauce stick to stick to the pasta.
- Storage - store any leftover ragu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze - for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat until piping hot.
Sue Nagel says
Can I cook this recipe in my slow cooker (not oven). If so approx how long on slow for. Thank you in advance. Sue
Lucy says
Sure! This is I would do:
Sear the Lamb – Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add a little oil, and sear the lamb pieces on all sides until browned. This step adds depth of flavour, but you can skip it if you’re in a hurry.
Sauté – In the same pan, cook the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery for a few minutes until softened. Again, optional, but enhances the flavour!
Transfer to Slow Cooker – Add the seared lamb and sautéed veggies to the slow cooker.
Add the Remaining Ingredients – Pour in the passata, canned tomatoes, stock, wine (if using), herbs, and seasoning. Give everything a gentle stir.
Slow Cook – Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the lamb is meltingly tender and shreds easily.