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How to make the most incredible Italian Lamb Ragu with vegetables, red wine and rosemary. This ragu is super easy to make and is perfect for serving up for a weekend family dinner. Serve with pappardelle pasta and shavings of Pecorino cheese.
Lamb ragu (Ragu di Agnello) is the ultimate comfort food dish that’s perfect for celebrating Easter, Spring or a weekend family dinner.
It’s made into a rich, slowly simmered sauce with tomatoes, red wine and fresh rosemary then tossed with silky pappardelle pasta or made into a hearty lasagna.
Don’t forget the crusty bread so you can mop up every last bit of the incredible sauce (fare la scarpetta!).
Ingredients – what you need
See the photo below that shows you all of the ingredients you need plus some important notes.
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Pin It- Carrot, celery & onion – also known as soffritto this mix of finely chopped vegetables gives a real depth of flavour to the ragu. It’s important to sauté them slowly so they are soft but not browned.
- Garlic – most often in Italian cuisine onion and garlic are not used together it’s either one or the other but it really works with the rich lamb in this recipe.
- Lamb – I use 20% fat ground lamb (mince UK). If you can’t get ground meat it’s totally fine to use lamb shoulder cut into 1-inch pieces it’ll break up as it cooks.
- Tomatoes – I use high quality canned whole plum tomatoes but you can also use chopped tomatoes or passata.
- Chicken stock – use a low sodium stock if possible.
- Red wine – a dry red wine really amps up the flavour, you could also use white wine if you prefer.
- Rosemary and bay leaf – make sure to use fresh sprigs of rosemary and not dried.
- Salt – it’s so important to season your food. When the ragu is done taste it to see if you’ve added enough and add more as needed (a little at a time).
Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to a Dutch oven or large pan and brown the lamb. Drain away the excess fat and transfer the lamb to a bowl (photos 1 & 2).
Add another 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to the same pan you browned the lamb in and saute the finely chopped carrot, celery and onion slowly until soft but not browned (about 10 minutes) (photos 3 & 4).
Once soft, add the finely chopped garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the lamb back to the pan and mix to combine. Add the red wine and reduce by half (photos 5 & 6).
Once reduced, add the stock and canned tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with your spoon and stir to combine. Add the rosemary and bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper (photo 7).
Let the ragu simmer slowly, uncovered for 3 hours. If it starts to dry out too much add a little more water or stock (photo 8).
Once ready, taste and add more salt as needed. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta of choice until al dente while keeping the ragu warm.
Once the pasta is cooked transfer it to the ragu and toss until completely combined in the sauce. Serve in bowls topped with pecorino cheese
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Drain the fat – once you have browned the lamb drain off any excess fat if there is any or your ragu will be a little too greasy.
- Add more stock if needed – if your ragu reduces too much too quickly you can add a little more stock as needed.
- Pasta to serve it with – we recommend serving your lamb ragu with pappardelle pasta but you can choose your favourite! Gnocchi is also a great choice.
- Make it into lasagna – lasagna is such a great way to use up this ragu, follow our recipe for lasagne al forno but replace the beef ragu with this recipe.
- Pecorino cheese – I really recommend using Pecorino cheese to grate on top of your ragu instead of parmesan.
Absolutely, the ragu tastes even better the next day but will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze the ragu for up to 3 months. Defrost the ragu completely before reheating.
More Italian ragu recipes
- Italian Beef Ragu
- Authentic Bolognese Sauce (Ragu alla Bolongese)
- Vegetable Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta
- Venetian Duck Ragu with Pappardelle
If you’ve tried this Lamb Ragu or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lb ground lamb, mince UK (500g)
- 1 cup red wine, (240ml)
- 28 oz canned whole plum tomatoes, (800g)
- 2 cups chicken stock, (500ml)
- 2-3 rosemary sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For serving (optional)
- 1.1 lbs Pappardelle pasta or pasta of choice, (500g)
- Pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to a Dutch oven or large pan and brown the lamb. Drain away the excess fat and transfer the lamb to a bowl.
- Add another 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to the same pan you browned the lamb in and saute the finely chopped carrot, celery and onion slowly until soft but not browned (about 10 minutes).
- Once soft, add the finely chopped garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the lamb back to the pan and mix to combine. Add the red wine and reduce by half.
- Once reduced, add the stock and canned tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with your spoon and stir to combine. Add the rosemary and bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Let the ragu simmer slowly on a medium-low heat, uncovered for 3 hours. If it starts to dry out too much add a little more water or stock.
- Once ready, taste and add more salt as needed. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta of choice until al dente while keeping the ragu warm.
- Once the pasta is cooked transfer it to the ragu and toss until completely combined in the sauce. Serve in bowls topped with pecorino cheese.
Video
Notes
- Drain the fat – once you have browned the lamb drain off any excess fat if there is any or your ragu will be a little too greasy.
- Add more stock if needed – if your ragu reduces too much too quickly you can add a little more stock as needed.
- Pasta to serve it with – we recommend serving your lamb ragu with pappardelle pasta but you can choose your favourite! Gnocchi is also a great choice.
- Make it into lasagna – lasagna is such a great way to use up this ragu, follow our recipe for lasagne al forno but replace the beef ragu with this recipe.
- Pecorino cheese – I really recommend using Pecorino cheese to grate on top of your ragu instead of parmesan.
- Storage – leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost completely before reheating.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks like a great recipe. By any chance, can the ragu be simmered in a slow cooker? Thank you.
Ciao Fredina, although I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker I don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
I love this recipe so much! I can’t eat garlic so I do add a little more onion and instead of two cups broth and one cup wine, I do it the reverse. I also add just a tad of crushed red pepper. I’ve made this probably 4-5 times and every time it is delicious. A really great recipe. Thank you.
Excellent. Have now made it 3 times, whenever ground lamb on sale locally. My only deviation was adding parm rind while it simmers (this time @ 4 hours.) Freezes beautifully, which is why I’m freezing this batch…base for future holiday lasagne.
I LOVE this recipe! Can’t wait to try it in your Lasagna al Forno recipe.
I use internet recipes all the time, but this is the first time I’ve ever rated one with such enthusiasm. Really delicious and easy to prepare.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! The wine provided a lot of flavor. Even my 1 year old was a fan, and she’s a bit picky! ☺️
Aw, I’m so happy you all enjoyed it!
I’ve made this about a dozen times. I do tend to season as I brown the meat with s&p as well as when sautéing the vegetables. I make a double batch so I can freeze some sauce & use later for lasagna.
Everyone seems to enjoy this recipe
Hi Nannette, thank you for your lovely comment, that’s a great idea to make a double batch for freezing. Also, using the ragu for lasagna is such a delicious way of using it we’re posting our lamb lasagna recipe this week!