Looking for the best quick and easy pasta dish, but sick of the same old spaghetti and meatballs? Try this life-changing delicious lamb ragu recipe for the ultimate weeknight spaghetti.
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Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic recipe that can easily be tossed together for a delicious weeknight meal. But what do you make for spaghetti night when you are sick and tired of the same old dish? As a pasta lover myself, I am always searching for new ways to eat my favorite food.
This is the ultimate lamb ragu recipe for the most delicious weeknight dinner. Spaghetti will never be boring again! (Although I can honestly say that spaghetti never seems to bore me, even if it’s plain!)
When you see how quickly this recipe comes together, and how deep and rich the flavors are, it is sure to become a staple in your weeknight recipe rotation. Sometimes the flavor of lamb can take some getting used to, but that makes this recipe the perfect introduction to lamb. With its more mild lamb flavor, this is a meal that the whole family will love!
This post is all about the best lamb ragu recipe that you’ll want to eat every week!
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Lamb Ragu Ingredients
Traditional lamb ragu recipes require a big cut of lamb like the shoulder or leg, 2-3 hours of cooking time, and cutting and shredding all of the meat. This recipe is so convenient because it takes less than half the time of the traditional version! Instead of big cuts of lamb, this recipe uses ground lamb. This makes it much quicker and easier to prepare since cooking the ground meat is really only one step and only a few minutes of waiting for it to brown!
Other recipes also enhance flavor with soffritto. Soffritto is an aromatic flavor base used in much of Italian cooking. It consists of carrots, celery, and onions, finely chopped and gently sautéed in olive oil. It’s considered the holy trinity of Italian cooking! This may seem a bit sacrileges considering this fact, but I leave this out of the lamb ragu! (Eek!).
Cooking Inspiration
This recipe is adapted from the one in New York Times Cooking by Alison Roman, one of my favorite cooks! Every single recipe she creates is delicious and inspired. Her cookbooks are each cooking treasures and I often cook from both of them! Check out her most recent book called Nothing Fancy, and her first book called Dining In!
1. Ground Lamb
I typically find ground lamb in packs of three at Costco. Costco’s meat department is great. The quality is wonderful and the prices are reasonable. Any ground lamb will do though.
2. Anchovy Paste and Tomato Paste
Okay, I know what you’re probably thinking. You decidedly don’t include soffritto, but you choose to use anchovy paste?! Alison suggests whole anchovy filets in her recipe. I’m not quite that brave and I don’t feel it necessary to use the filets. With that being said, I do love the umami flavor that the anchovy provides. Therefore I choose to use the paste. When the lamb is not stewing for hours on end you need something else to add to the richness and depth of flavor. Tomato paste, with its concentration of tomatoey flavor, works perfectly for this. (I suggest using the one in the tube though, so that no paste is wasted!)
3. Onion and Garlic
Although I do not include a full soffritto in this lamb ragu recipe, I do include onion. I also add garlic because I absolutely love the taste of garlic. Perhaps the people around me don’t enjoy my love of garlic quite as much, but I feel it adds a necessary kick to the dish. In fact, most Italians do not typically cook with a lot of garlic, but it seems to be a popular ingredient among Italian-Americans.
4. Red Pepper Flakes
This is optional depending on how much heat you like your food to have. I love spicy food, but my husband does not. However, this is one of his most favorite dishes, so the pepper flakes do add a subtle heat and flavor that I feel is totally necessary. Lamb and pepper flakes go together so nicely. You can skip these flakes, but I wouldn’t.
5. San Marzano Tomatoes
The base of all tomato sauces is in fact tomato! Sometimes we get so wrapped up in adding flavors that we forget to appreciate the simplicity of the main ingredients. Tomato is delicious. The best tasting tomatoes for sauce are San Marzano tomatoes a variety of plum tomatoes. They are sweet, have intense tomato flavor, and are mildly acidic. They are a meaty variety of tomato with fewer seeds.
What Does It Mean To Be A San Marzano Tomato?
- Authentic San Marzano tomatoes can only come from San Marzano sul Sarno near Naples. They grow in the rich volcanic soil of the Sarno River Valley, which is near Mount Vesuvius. This gives the tomatoes their trademark flavor.
- Just as French champagne has specific guidelines it must follow to be labeled as true authentic French champagne, so has a San Marzano tomato. Regional agricultural products are protected and promoted by strict rules for growing and producing. In Italy, D.O.P. (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) rules are set to ensure that only growers within a certain defined area, who are adhering to the specific farming and canning methods, are allowed to sell tomatoes labeled as “San Marzano.”
- D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes are only sold in cans. Never in jars. They are peeled whole or cut in half.
The Ultimate Weeknight Lamb Ragu Recipe
Equipment
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 whole onion, finely diced * I use sweet onion but any onion would work here.
- 4 cloves garlic (to taste), finely diced
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 3 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 28 oz. San Marzano tomatoes (in tomato puree) (1 large can)
- salt * I use the Diamond Crystal brand.
- pepper
- 1/4 cup red wine (dry red wine) * This is completely optional. I don't typically add it, but red wine adds another layer of flavor and richness.
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil into the skillet. Once oil is shimmering and hot, sauté the diced onion. As the onion softens, add the diced garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent. Season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. If you want to add the red pepper flakes, now is the time to stir them in.
- Next, add the anchovy paste and the tomato paste. Let the pastes sauté in the oil for about 1 minute to enhance the flavors. Stir them into the mixture until they dissolve.
- Add the ground lamb. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure to break up the meat and stir well to incorporate. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until the meat is browned. (You should also see some brown bits in the pan. These add to the flavor!). If you plan to add red wine, add a splash now so that it has time to cook down (about 5 minutes) and reduce.
- Add the San Marzano tomatoes. I prefer to use the whole tomatoes in puree because I find it makes for a thicker ragu. You can crush the tomatoes by hand, but I like to add them into the skillet and then use a a potato masher to gently crush the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper (and onion and garlic powders if you want the slightly stronger flavor, but it's not essential). Simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering on medium-low heat, cook your pasta. I love this dish with spaghetti, but it also goes great with rigatoni! Whatever pasta you choose to make, be sure you cook it al dente! Buon appetito!
Notes
