Lamb ragu

Move over Bolognese, this lamb ragu pasta sauce is even more delicious and comforting. Packed with rich flavor, it's easy to make and perfect for making ahead. 

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If you're a regular here, you'll know I am a big fan of lamb. It's one of the things I am a little conscious of in the US. As a Brit, especially a Scot, I grew up eating quite a lot of lamb but it's far less popular in the US.

I always remember my now mother in law visiting the UK for many reasons, but food is one of them. I think I made her two lamb dishes that week (moussaka and a version of lamb tagine with apricots). Up until then, she hadn't had lamb so I guess I changed that!

Now we are living in Australia for a little while, I'm back in lamb-loving country. And I have to say, I'm pretty happy about it. As I get things together in our kitchen, I haven't yet got a food processor to make our fallback arugula pesto. So, I took the opportunity to make this delicious lamb meat sauce instead. As if I really needed the excuse, it's so good.

What is a ragu?

Ragu is the Italian word for a meat sauce, generally served with pasta (although not always), with Bolognese being one of the best known ("ragu alla Bolognese"). 

You'll find differences around the country using different meats and different additional ingredients, particularly between North and South.

In the North, ground meat or small cut meat cooked in a range of liquids from wine to broth. Most usually saute vegetables as part of the sauce too and while there may be some tomatoes, you won't find too many, if any. 

In Southern Italy, the meat is still the main event but it's more likely to be a bigger piece. You typically braise it with vegetables and other ingredients. Tomatoes are more common and can make up a bigger part of the sauce. The slow cooked meat might be served as a dish in itself here, too.

What's the difference between ragu and ragout?

The main difference is ragu is Italian and ragout is French. The Italian ragu actually derives from the French ragout. They are similar in some ways, being a slow cooked stew, but they can have very different ingredients. Ragu is pretty much always meat, while ragout can be made with fish or just vegetables.

The idea and name came to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy during Napoleonic times and evolved from there. It's probably fitting Bolognese is the best known version of ragu and comes from that area (see more about food here in my food in Bologna post).

I make a version of Bolognese relatively often, and this has some similarities, but I have to say I think this wins for depth of flavor. Or maybe I'm just biased in my love of lamb, but I promise, it's worth trying either way.

Lamb ragu ingredients

This uses a fairly simple set of ingredients that combine to add lots of tasty flavor:

• Lamb shoulder - while this can be a tougher cut, it's perfect for slow cooking as after a long braise, the connective tissue melts leaving tender, juicy meat.
• Onion, carrot and celery - these are a common trio to create an aromatic base to the sauce. Cut them small so they don't end up taking over texture-wise. Make sure you give them time to soften and bring out their natural sweetness before you add in the liquids.
• Garlic - another classic addition to add flavor.
• Olive oil - you need just a bit to sear the meat then soften the vegetables before you add in your liquids.
• Red wine - use this to deglaze the pan to capture any tasty browning that may have formed. It adds depth and flavor to the sauce. Various kinds work, but I'd opt for dry and something relatively full-bodied.
• Stock (or water) - since the sauce cooks a while, you want to make sure there's enough liquid it doesn't get too dry of thick.
• Tomatoes - I tend to use passata, pureed strained tomatoes, so the sauce is smoother, but you can also use chopped tomaotes.
• Dried herbs - I use a combination of oregano, thyme, sage and marjoram, or a ready-made blend of these. They add more depth and flavor to the sauce. You don't need to be too precise on the amount, and feel free to add more to taste, if you like.

I'm sure the decent amount of red wine helps, but the long slow cook also creates tender lamb that melts in your mouth, much as another of our favorites, braised lamb shanks. Make sure you don't skip searing the meat and adding a little color to the vegetables to really build those layers of flavor.

Preparing ahead and storage

One of the great things with a slow cooked dish like this is it's perfect for making ahead of time. In fact, in many ways the flavors are better on day two. You can easily make the sauce a day or two in advance, refrigerate, and then just warm when you need it and mix with freshly cooked pasta.

The sauce will freeze as well, so it's worth making a bigger batch and freezing some for another time. However, pasta doesn't tend to freeze well, so I'd recommend you still cook that at the time you want it.

The ragu sauce works with pretty much any kind of pasta - different shapes, fresh or dried all work. I like it with casarecce as they hold a bit of the sauce, but aren't as messy to eat as longer linguine etc. The sauce also pairs well with gnocchi or polenta if you prefer not to serve with pasta.

Lamb ragu is one incredibly comforting and delicious dish that's worth adding to your regular rotation. Easy to make, perfect for preparing ahead, it's packed with flavor everyone will love.

Try these other tasty pasta dishes:

• Spaghetti alla carbonara with mushrooms
• Scallop pasta with garlic and white wine
• Pasta puttanesca
• Plus get more comforting winter recipes and Italian recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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