Lamb Ragu

Lamb Ragu in a white bowl on a wooden table next to a white bowl with more lamb rage and little bowls of condiments

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5 from 14 votes

This quick and easy lamb ragu is a hearty sauce that's perfect with pasta, polenta, or riced or mashed veggies.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 415kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive or avocado oil
⅓ cup diced shallots
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, plus more to taste
4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound ground lamb
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5) oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 (8) oz. can tomato sauce
2 teaspoon dried mint
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh mint, divided

Serve with:

1 pound (16 oz.) gluten-free pasta, especially noodles like spaghetti, tagliatelle or linguine
warm, soft polenta
riced or mashed vegetables or veggie noodles (for Whole30)

Instructions

Add the oil to a 12" skillet or large saucepan over medium heat.
Once hot, add the shallots and ⅛ tsp. salt. Stir occasionally until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir for 30-60 seconds, until the garlic becomes golden and the paste has melted into the mixture. You can use the back of your spoon to mash the paste and spread it around.
Add the ground lamb. Break up the meat into smaller and smaller chunks as it browns.
As the lamb is browning, pour the can of whole peeled tomatoes and their juices into a bowl. Crush them by hand (careful, they squirt!) until they reach a chunky consistency. Add the balsamic vinegar to the empty can and swirl it around to pick up the last of the tomato juices and add it to the tomatoes.
Once brown, scoot the lamb away from the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste directly to the pan. Stir the paste for 30-60 seconds until it starts to darken.
Pour in the tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, dried mint and ⅛ tsp. salt and carefully stir through. Bring to a simmer and let it gently bubble for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has slightly reduced and thickened to your liking. We're looking for a meat sauce with tomatoes here, not a tomato sauce with some meat in it. Taste and add salt, if necessary (I usually add another ⅛ tsp salt here).
Stir in 2 tablespoons of the fresh mint and a good grinding of black pepper. Serve the sauce with any of the recommended pairings, sprinkling the rest of the fresh mint over the top.

Notes

Nutrition note: The nutritional info does not include any noodles, spaghetti squash, polenta, etc.

No anchovy paste but you have anchovies? Use 2 anchovies instead, drained, rinsed, patted dry and minced.

The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in the fridge. You can add the 2 tablespoons of fresh mint to the sauce either before chilling it or as you're heating it up again (I recommend the latter). Either way, I wouldn't add the last 2 tablespoons of fresh mint until just before serving.

The sauce can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Refer to the above options for how to include the fresh mint.

The recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled to feed a crowd, just make sure you use a large enough pot.

Nutrition