Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu Recipe
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Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu is the perfect dish for entertaining, the holidays or just when you are craving an amazing meal!
It wasn’t all that long ago that I declared that I didn’t like lamb. I guess it was more like a petulant child making that declaration. When we would have friends over, John would grill lamb and serve it as an appetizer. Proving that I wasn’t a big ole baby, I’d give it a try….and I always liked it. I decided that I liked lamb when John made it. Now that was before Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu entered my life!
When I came across this recipe from the popular cooking show “The Kitchn”, I knew that it was time for me to try my hand at cooking lamb. I love long-braised meats. The flavor is so rich and deep. I served my ragu over cheesy polenta instead of pasta. Either would be delicious, but I loved the combination. Mashed potatoes or cheesy mashed potatoes would be another great combination too.
You guys, I have replaced my favorite meal! This Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu is now my very favorite dish. I often change things up when I find a recipe that I want to try. That wasn’t the case with this recipe. I officially have changed my lamb mantra with I love it!
Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew lamb cut 1-1/2 to 2 inch chunks (I used a boneless leg of lamb)
- 2 yellow onions peeled and roughly chopped into large chunks
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary tied together with kitchen string
- 3 tablespoons fresh sage about 6 leaves
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 2 cups red wine
- 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes
- Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish
Instructions
- Thoroughly salt and pepper the chunks of lamb. Set aside.
- Drizzle olive oil to thinly cover the bottom of an oven-proof Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the lamb in batches if necessary. You want the meat deeply browned. Each batch can take up to 10 minutes. Don’t crown or meat will steam not brown. Don’t worry about the meat drying out. You want the flavor of the browned meat. Remove each batch of meat to a bowl after browning.
- When the meat is thoroughly browned, add the onions and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook slowly for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add the rosemary, sage, garlic, and carrots. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until vegetables are softened about 5 minutes.
- Add wine and simmer until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the from the tomatoes to the pot. Squeeze the tomatoes in your hand over the pot to crush and then add your meat back in. Simmer in the oven 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. (I simmer mine all afternoon.)
- You can put everything into a slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or at least 8 hours (or longer) on LOW. The longer it cooks the more tender it will be. When ready to serve, go through with two forks and shred any remaining chunks of meat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over pasta, polenta or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
We love comfort food dishes that are just as good on the second day as the first. If you do too, take a look at our Pork Stew with Rice recipe.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
Oh my goodness, I am a ninny when it comes to eating lamb too, but THIS looks amazing!!
Thank you, Kathleen!
This ragu looks delicious. Thanks for sharing. Pinned and stumbled.
Thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate your support.
Julie, this looks so good. And I like that you put it over cheesy polenta instead of pasta, it’s a nice twist. I’m a huge fan of slow roasted lamb, so this is a recipe I’ll definitely need to come back to 🙂
Thank you Natalie! It will definitely be a mainstay for special meals for us too!
This sounds so full of flavor! Love the pictures Julie!
Thank you Lynz! It is definitely a favorite of ours.
The perfect Easter meal Julie. Your lamb looks delicious, I love slow cooked lamb , it’s the best way to cook it. Thanks for sharing, pinned for later x
Thank you Sarah! I hope you had a great Easter weekend too!
Nothing is better than a glorious lamb ragu, and this looks the most glorious of all that I’ve seen!! The flavors, sound amazing and it looks hearty and delicious!! Now I wish I had bought that lamb in the weekend to make this…
Thank you so much Dini! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
I love lamb and I LOVE that you served it with polenta. I’m not sure I would’ve thought of that myself but I know I would love it.
Thank you Christine! It was a match we really loved!
Is this the ragu you mentioned? If so glad you re-made it, it looks fantastic!
Thank you Caroline! It was so delicious! Yes it is, I originally deleted all of my photos like a real bone head! Happy Easter Caroline!
This does look delicious, especially with that creamy polenta. My only problem with lamb is that I can’t find a good source of it always, unless I can order some from a local farmer when it’s available. Most of what is in the grocery stores has been brought all the way from New Zealand! However, I am going to see if I can get some at one of the local butchers because I have decided this is what I want for Easter dinner. Wish me luck!
I feel your pain Hilda! We can’t get fresh seafood. It’s all frozen, thawed and often mushy. I sincerely hope you are able to find some lamb! If you make this please let me know what you think. Next time I’ll double the recipe and freeze it in serving sizes. It would be like gold in my freezer!
Love the idea of serving it over the polenta.
Thank you Nadia! It just made sense to me too.
Your ragu really sounds delicious Julie as I love lamb! I’m glad you like it now as it can be used in so many ways 🙂
Judi, what is so weird is I’m the one who likes everything and John is Mr. Picky, but it was reversed with lamb. I think I had it once and it was so gamey that it just didn’t sit with me. I’m over it now thank goodness!
Julie, this sounds too good. I adore slow cooked lamb and beef and the way they suck up that special red wine flavour, so this is right up there for me. How clever to make the simple change from potatoes to polenta as well.
Thank you Jane! I’m with you on meat and wine. It’s divine!
This seriously has me sooo hungry! I love lamb, and that flavorful sauce over polenta? I love it. I have never served a sauce like this over polenta but I love the idea. Pinning this!
Thank you so much Meghan!
Oh wow this looks so amazing! I looks so homely and the meat looks falling-apart-perfect!
Awe thank you so much Petra.
Isn’t it just wonderful when you find a new favorite dish? Love how hearty and cozy this dish looks, Julie! And two hi-fives for working not one, but TWO glasses of red wine into this dish. 🙂
Thank you! I wonder how mac and cheese would turn out with a bit of white wine? LOL.
“I officially have changed my lamb mantra with I love it!” I love that! What can be better than lamb, polenta and red wine??? We eat polenta very often and we also love lamb. You just gave me an idea for this weekend – thank you, Julie! 🙂
Thank you Ana! Please let me know how you like it if you make it. How’s the blog going?
Julie, I know nothing about lamb, other than the meat needs to be extremely fresh. I’m scared of it. You’re helping me get over my fears with this!
I didn’t even know that Debbie! I was a lamb chicken too, but this recipe is out of the park!
Oh my….lamb, just in time for Easter. I always associated a roast lamb with the Easter holiday. I love lamb myself, but have a few friends who cannot handle it. Your recipe sounds wonderful, and oddly enough, I’ve never cooked polenta before and always wanted to know how. So I cheated this past week and bought polenta from Trader Joes in a tube. They told me to cut it in rounds and pan fry them. I also saw Chef Mimi’s blog with her version of “the other polenta”. So tell me, how did you cook yours? The lamb looks lovely over that yellow.
Thank you so much Loretta! Lamb reminded me of Easter too. My polenta is from America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School cookbook. It really is a wonderful cookbook. I’ve purged a lot of recipe books, but this one I’ll never get rid of. I’ve even froze this polenta tbefore and just added a bit of milk when reheating it and it came back together perfectely.
This looks so lovely. I love lamb, but no one else does. Even a couple of my girlfriends. And I have a rack in my freezer. So sad.
Very sad indeed! I had lamb once and it was very gamey and I was convinced that I didn’t like it. The right recipe and it’s rich not gamey.
New favorite meal? I think I know why… It looks fabulous! I imagine the depth of flavor was amazing. Looks like the perfect meal on a damp, cool spring day. Delicious, Julie!
Thank you so much Nancy! I am definitely a convert.