ragu sauce recipe

Succulent lamb shoulder is slowly braised with onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, &amp; hardy herbs, yielding an intensely flavorful Braised Lamb Ragu Sauce, perfectly paired with pappardelle, gnocchi, polenta, or any pasta you love! Slow cooker &amp; Instant Pot directions provided in the Recipe Notes!

Slowly Braised Lamb Ragu

olive oil, divided

½ pounds lamb shoulder, excess fat

carrots,

celery,

yellow onion, finely diced

garlic,

tomato paste

dry red wine (such

low-sodium beef stock

tomatoes

bay leaves

rosemary

thyme

salt black pepper, to season

16-24 ounces pasta (pappardelle, bucatini, rigatoni, etc.) or gnocchi

heavy cream (roughly 1 tablespoon per serving)

Brown the lamb shoulder

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high heat (I use a 4-qt Dutch oven). Use paper towel to pat the lamb as dry as possible, then season generously with 1 teaspoon each kosher salt &amp; ground black pepper. Add the seasoned lamb to the Dutch oven and cook until deeply browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Work in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding the pot, which prevents browning. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside. At this point, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cook the aromatics

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot &amp; reduce the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot &amp; shimmers, add in the onion, carrots, and celery, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened &amp; deeply browned, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, stirring to coat the veggies, and cook for 1-2 minutes more, caramelizing the tomato paste.

Deglaze

Slowly pour the red wine into the Dutch oven, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits that have formed at the bottom of the pot &#8211; that’s where all the flavor is! Let the red wine reduce by about half (this goes by quickly!), then pour in the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, and the herbs. I like to use kitchen twine to tie them into a little bundle for easy removal. Return the lamb to the Dutch oven.

Braise

Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven to braise for 2 &#8211; 2 ½ hours. When it’s ready, the lamb should shred very easily &#8211; it’ll be tender enough that you should be able to shred it right in the ragu by using the back of a wooden spoon. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove &amp; discard the spent bay leaves &amp; herbs. Shred the lamb &amp; stir to combine. At this point, you can cool &amp; store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage &amp; freezing instructions), or proceed with prepping lamb ragu pappardelle or gnocchi (below).

Boil the pasta: 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi or pasta to al dente according to package directions. Before draining, carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water &amp; set aside. Carefully drain the pasta (or gnocchi) &amp; set aside &#8211; do NOT rinse hot pasta/gnocchi!

Finish the Braised Lamb Ragu sauce: 

Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, bring the braised pork ragu to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream &amp; grated parmesan. Reduce heat to low &amp; continue to simmer, stirring occasionally as needed.

Lamb ragu pasta: 

Add the al dente pasta or gnocchi to the simmering ragu sauce, tossing to coat such that the pasta is evenly coated in sauce. If the ragu is thick &amp; needs to loosen up some, drizzle in some of the reserved starchy pasta water. If the pasta is loose &amp; needs to thicken up some, sprinkle in some extra grated parm. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until the pasta or gnocchi absorbs some of the ragu &amp; the ragu clings to the pasta or gnocchi beautifully. 

Serve: 

Portion the lamb ragu pasta into individual pasta bowls. Finish with some grated parm or finely chopped herbs as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

We made this lamb ragu for a special Sunday night family dinner and absolutely LOVED it. We paired it with homemade pasta, but we are excited to make again with the gnocchi. My girls (4 and 1.5) devoured it!

AMAZING! Deffs recommend it. Easy and mouth watering.

I made a mistake thinking I'd have leftovers...

Made this in the slow cooker, then served it with pumpkin gnocchi. The smell while cooking was great and it tastes even better. Will make this again.

Made this for dinner tonight. It is delicious! And my house smells amazing from having it in the oven this afternoon!

Made this last night and it was soooo delicious! Fabulous flavours and my kitchen smelled heavenly. I really appreciated the detailed instruction (deep browning of the veggies was a revelation!). Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe.  It will be on repeat in our home.

This is a great recipe! It was perfect for this rainy winter night and there are enough leftovers for at least another night. My kitchen smells just like my grandmother’s used to, so you get a sixth star for nostalgia.

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Rich & meaty Slowly Braised Lamb Ragu, the ultimate Italian comfort food! Succulent lamb shoulder is slowly braised with onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, & hardy herbs, yielding an intensely flavorful lamb ragu sauce perfectly paired with pappardelle, gnocchi, polenta, or any pasta you love! Stovetop, oven, slow cooker & Instant Pot directions provided. #lambragu #lambragupappardelle #lambrecipes #ragurecipes #ragusaucerecipes #comfortfood #italianrecipes #pastadishes #instantpotrecipes 

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