This rich and meaty Lamb Bolognese with Linguine is very easy to make and extremely tasty, the perfect family meal for special occasions. Cook this delicious Italian sauce in batches and freeze for later for a quick weekday meal or for last-minute guests.
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This Lamb Bolognese sauce pairs perfectly with linguini pasta. However, you can use spaghetti, rigatoni, or any shape of pasta you have in hand. If you have leftover roast lamb from your Sunday lunch and you don't know what to do with it, this lamb bolognese sauce is the perfect way to use them.
You don't need a huge list of expensive ingredients to create this Lamb Bolognese Sauce. What you need is good browning of the meat and some low and slow cooking for the sauce to achieve the ideal thick and velvety texture.
It will take between 1 and 1.5 hours for the sauce to develop the flavor and create the most delicious Lamb Bolognese sauce. However, you can speed things up and cook the sauce for 30 minutes if you are after a quick and easy weekday meal.
Why This Recipe Works?
- This lamb bolognese recipe is very easy to make yet extremely delicious.
- Everybody loves a good Bolognese sauce over pasta, perfect for entertaining a crowd including kids.
- You can freeze the leftovers and keep them for up to 3 months.
- This Lamb Bolognese With Linguine recipe is the perfect way to use up your leftover roast lamb.
- You can prepare the sauce up to three days in advance, perfect for meal prep. Simply reheat it on low heat while cooking the pasta!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Minced lamb - ground lamb - I use high-fat content lamb mince for flavor. Also, it releases enough fat for cooking the onions and vegetables without needing any olive oil. You can substitute it with your favorite mince or leftover roast lamb.
- Tinned tomatoes - You can use fresh tomatoes in the summer when juicy and ripen ones are in season.
- Mirepoix - It is a mixture of diced onions, celery, and carrots. It is the seasoning and flavoring base for meat-based dishes such as bolognese, ragout, or Bourguignon.
- Tomato paste - It adds extra red color to the sauce as well as an umami taste. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops or buy it online from Amazon.
- Red wine - It is the traditional ingredient for bolognese but you can skip it if you are cooking for kids. Use a good quality wine that you would be happy to drink.
- Chilli - It is optional and should be adjusted to your taste. You can substitute it with flaked chilies.
- Stock - The best choice is to use lamb stock but Homemade Beef Stock would work as well as a good quality shop-bought stock or stock cubes.
- Seasoning - Make sure you add the seasoning at the end of the cooking and check before you add any salt. Always be careful when adding the salt if using store-bought beef stock or stock cubes as they contain salt already.
- Herbs - Thyme and bay leaves are traditional herbs for bolognese. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce before serving it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making this lamb bolognese sauce is very easy. However, to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few tips and simple steps:
Prepare the Flavor Base
Place the mince in a Dutch oven or a heavy-based pan to brown the mince. Stir occasionally and break the mince down into small pieces with a wooden spoon to achieve a smooth sauce.
After browning the mince, lower the heat and add olive oil if necessary. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.
Add the carrots along with celery and then sauté for another five minutes.
Let The Sauce Simmer
The secret to the best bolognese sauce is cooking it low and slow. When the vegetables are softened enough, deglaze the pan with red wine.
Let the alcohol evaporate then add the tomato paste. Add chili (optional) along with chopped tomatoes, black pepper, sugar, stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir well until combined.
Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes, preferably for up to 2 hours on low heat with a lid on. If you want to thicken the sauce, cook it without the lid until it has the desired consistency.
Stir occasionally while cooking to make sure there is enough liquid and it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed.
Cook The Pasta
Start cooking the pasta 15 minute before the sauce is ready, following the cooking instructions on the packaging. To serve, place a portion of cooked pasta on a plate and top it with bolognese sauce. Or simply toss the pasta with the sauce. Garnish with plenty of grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Top Tips From The Chef
- You can make Lamb Bolognese Sauce up to 3 days ahead and gently reheat it before serving. It tastes better a day after as the flavors develop overnight.
- Browning the mince on high heat produces the rich, deep meaty colors, flavors, and aromas we love.
- I always prefer minced meat with a minimum of 15% fat as it releases enough fat for me to cook the onions without needing any extra oil.
Recipe FAQs
Although bolognese sauce is usually paired with linguini or spaghetti, you can use any shaped pasta you have in your pantry! Cook your sauce, choose your pasta and serve it with a slice of Homemade Toast Bread or garlic bread for mopping the sauce.
Add a bowl of green salad such as Rocket Salad With Parmesan, Indian Chickpea Salad, or Greek Cucumber Salad for a family feast.
Alternatively, you can serve this delicious lamb bolognese sauce with jacket potatoes, steamed vegetables, or on top of some fries.
Yes, you can freeze the sauce and keep it for up to 3 months. To freeze the bolognese sauce, let it cool down and place it into an airtight container or a freezing bag. When you want to eat it, defrost it in the fridge overnight and gently reheat in a saucepan until piping hot.
Yes, this easy bolognese sauce or ragu alla bolognese is great for Homemade Lasagna or any flat-shaped pasta as it blends much better.
Related Recipes
Love Pasta? For other great pasta recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this quick&easy yet extremely tasty Lamb Bolognese With Linguine as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Lamb Bolognese With Linguine
Equipment
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
- 500 g lamb mince
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 large carrot (finely diced)
- 2 sticks celery (finely diced)
- 120 ml red wine (optional)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 red chilli (optional) (finely chopped)
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (use fresh or tinned) (1 tin chopped tomato)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup lamb stock (240 ml)
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs thyme (only leaves and finely chopped)
- salt to taste
- 400 g linguine
- 50 g grated parmesan cheese (to serve)
Instructions
- Put a large pan or a dutch oven on medium heat and brown the mince, stirring occasionally to make sure there are no lumps left.
- Add olive oil if necessary, the mince will release some fat so you might not need to add any.
- Add the onions and garlic, sauté until soft and translucent.
- When the onions are softened, add celery and carrots, sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add the red wine, deglaze the pan and let it totally evaporate.
- Stir in the tomato paste, chili (optional), chopped tomatoes, black pepper, sugar, stock, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes, preferably for up to 2 hours on low heat with a lid on. If you want to thicken the sauce, cook it without the lid until it has the desired consistency.
- Stir occasionally while cooking to make sure there is enough liquid and it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed.
- Start cooking the pasta 15 minute before the sauce is ready, following the cooking instructions on the packaging.
- To serve, place a portion of cooked pasta on a plate and top it with bolognese sauce. Or simply toss the pasta with the sauce.
- Garnish with plenty of grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Notes
- You can freeze the leftovers and keep them for up to 3 months.
- Make this delicious Lamb Bolognese Sauce up to 3 days ahead and gently reheat it before serving. It tastes better a day after as the flavors develop overnight.
- Browning the mince on high heat produces the rich, deep meaty colors, flavors, and aromas we love.
- Stir occasionally and break the mince down into small pieces with a wooden spoon to achieve a smooth sauce.
- I always prefer minced meat with a minimum of 15% fat as it releases enough fat for me to cook the onions without needing any extra oil.
- Stir the sauce occasionally while cooking to make sure there is enough liquid and it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Nutrition
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Beth
Looks delicious. Can’t wait to try this recipe.