Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu Recipe
Rich and meaty lamb ragu recipe with tender braised lamb in wine-tomato sauce. Perfect over pasta, polenta, or mashed potatoes. Easy comfort food!
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 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 fresh rosemary sprigs tied together with kitchen string
- 3 tbsp 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 whole plum tomatoes canned
- 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 tomatoes to the pot. Squeeze the tomatoes in your hand over the pot to crush them and then add your meat back in. Preheat the oven to 300 °F. Cover the pot and place it into the oven, 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 pappardelli pasta, gnocchi, polenta, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
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- Prep time includes browning time
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- This recipe can cook up to 16 hours in the slow cooker for ultra-tender results
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- The ragu tastes even better the next day - make it ahead for best flavor!
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- Freezes beautifully for up to 3 months
- Alternately, you can simmer it on the stovetop. However, by letting it slow cook in the oven, it bakes together verses boiling.
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2115IU | Vitamin C: 17.2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2.7mg
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