Italian Lamb Ragu, Ragu di Agnello

How to make the most good Italian Lamb Ragu with vegetables, red wine and rosemary. This ragu is easy to make and is suited to 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 suited to 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 good 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.

• 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 works with the rich lamb.
• Lamb – We 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 – We 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 amps up the flavour, you could also use white wine if you prefer.
• Rosemary and bay leaf – 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 – We recommend using Pecorino cheese to grate on top of your ragu instead of parmesan.

Can we prepare this in advance?

Absolutely, the ragu tastes even better the next day but will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

Can we freeze this?

Yes, you can freeze the ragu for up to 3 months. Defrost the ragu completely before reheating.

• Italian Beef Ragu
• Authentic Bolognese Sauce (Ragu alla Bolongese)
• Vegetable Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta
• Venetian Duck Ragu with Pappardelle

Ingredients

Makes 4 - 6 servings

• 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

Method

1. 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.

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).

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

Kitchen 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 We 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.