Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu

This authentic Italian slow-cooked Lamb Ragu recipe is super easy to make and packed with flavors everyone will love. It is rich, hearty, and meaty-ultimate comfort food for lazy weekends or special occasions such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter.

And it goes perfectly with pasta (of your choice), gnocchi or polenta, and a glass of red wine!

Jump to:

• What is Ragu?
• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragu?
• Serving Suggestions
• Top Tips From The Chef
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu

This cosy and comforting dish is also a great way to use up any leftover lamb meat you have from your Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner. Serve this braised lamb ragu with some crusty garlic bread to mop up every last bit of the delicious sauce.

What is Ragu?

Ragu is a classic meat-based Italian sauce usually served with pasta. The type of meat can be minced/ chopped pork, lamb, beef, chicken, or duck.

The meat is usually braised with some vegetables (onions, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots), some stock (lamb, beef, or chicken), and aromatics (rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves) low and slow.

The most famous ragu is the Bolognese Sauce and it is usually served with pasta or used as a filling for Lasagna.

Why This Recipe Works

• This Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu recipe is very easy to follow with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

• It makes the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday lunch with a minimum of preparation.

• You can use leftover lamb from your roast dinner to make this delicious braised Lamb Ragu.

• It's hearty, delicious, and full of Mediterranean flavors.

• The leftovers of Lamb Ragu freeze beautifully. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months!

Ingredients and Substitutes

What Part Of Lamb is Best For Ragu?

I use lamb shoulder for this recipe but you can use any other part of the lamb as long as they are marbled with some fat. You can cut your lamb chunkier to avoid extra hard work but make sure you cook long enough to achieve a "fall-apart" texture for the meat.

Alternatively, you can use ground lamb or leftover roast lamb as well. Just make sure you reduce the cooking time to one hour and only use half the amount of liquid.

Other ingredients for lamb ragu are:

• Garlic - For a less garlicky flavor you can use whole garlic and discard it after browning with oil but I prefer chopping and letting it cook together with the lamb.

• Tomatoes - Any type of tomatoes you have in hand works well with this recipe. I even use cherry tomatoes if that's all I have in the fridge.

• Tomato paste - It is a great ingredient to enhance the tomato flavor as well as give a bright color and umami taste to the dish.

• Dry white wine - Red meat generally requires red wine but this recipe works perfectly with white wine or vermouth. Use any type of white wine that you would happily drink.

• Stock - A good homemade chicken stock is a key to delicious ragu. You need a small amount of liquid if your lamb is diced small. Add extra stock if you cut your lamb chunkier.

• Cheese - Use your favorite hard cheese but pecorino or parmesan are the best options for pasta dishes. Try and avoid ready-grated cheese as it contains preservatives and they don't melt together as well when cooking.

How to Make Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragu?

Making this comforting dish is very easy and straightforward. However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps:

Brown the Meat

Heat a large wok or heavy-based pan on low heat then add olive oil, garlic and bay leaves. Sauté until the garlic slightly turns brown.

Turn the heat up, add the lamb and sauté until brown. You can skip browning the meat if you are using leftover lamb for your ragu sauce.

Simmer The Sauce

Pour the dry white wine into the pan and reduce until syrupy consistency. Add the sweet red peppers and chilli (if using), then sauté for a few minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste then add the chopped tomatoes, black pepper, salt and stock. Bring the pan to a boil and lower the heat.

Gently simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender and there is hardly any liquid in the pan.

Serve

When the sauce is ready, cook your choice of pasta al dente. Don't cook the pasta all the way as it will cook extra few more minutes with the ragu which will help the sauce comes together with the pasta.

Add some pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Add chopped parsley, stir well and serve with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe!

Serving Suggestions

Although it is more common to serve Lamb Ragu with pappardelle, I love serving this hearty sauce with pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, or tortiglioni as the meaty chunks are easily mopped up by tube-shaped pasta.

You can also serve this versatile sauce on a bowl of Pomme Puree (Creamy Mashed Potatoes) along with some green salad such as Beetroot and Feta Salad, Lebanese Fattoush Salad, or Rocket Salad With Parmesan.

Top Tips From The Chef

• If the sauce is too thick, you can simply add a bit of water or stock to loosen it up.

• Don't cook the pasta all the way as it will cook extra few more minutes with the ragu.

• You can use leftover lamb meat for this recipe. Just make sure you reduce the cooking time to one hour and only use half the amount of liquid.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious lamb 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 delicious Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu served with pasta as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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