Quick Lamb Ragù
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional)
- 2anchovy fillets (optional)
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1pound ground lamb
- 1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 12ounces cooked pasta, noodles or tubes, for serving
- A good hunk of Parmesan or pecorino, for serving
- A small handful of marjoram, oregano or thyme, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
552 calories; 27 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 703 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a pinch of red-pepper flakes and anchovies, if using, and cook for a minute or two, just to toast the spices and melt the anchovies.
- Step 2
Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally so it has a chance to stick to the bottom of the pot and caramelize a bit, 2 or 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Add lamb and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir lamb until the fat starts to soften and the meat begins to break down. Continue to cook, stirring rather frequently until the lamb begins to brown and sizzle in its own fat, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Step 4
Add crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Fill the tomato can halfway with water and swirl around to get all the remaining tomato, then add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until sauce is thickened and insanely flavorful, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Step 5
Serve sauce mixed into and over pasta with plenty of cheese for grating over the top, scattered with a small handful of marjoram, oregano or thyme leaves if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
o anchovies anchovies I do love you so could never turn vegan this much I know
A nice dish that comes together easily. I think the lamb is key here as it adds a complexity that beef and pork can lack. I added a bit more red pepper and anchovy. I also hand crushed san marzano canned tomatoes so they are less uniform and more rustic. Next time I would simmer with a Parmesan rind. I served with pappardelle which was good. A dollop of ricotta on top would be amazing next time!
The title was so screwball that I read the article. “Ragu”?...just a super thick pasta sauce looking for a name. Picking apart and spreading quickly and evenly the ground lamb in a very shallow covering of water in a saucepan already brought to a simmer will leach away most of the fat. Remove the meat as it just begins to pinken, and the flavor will not be diminished. The addition of water is a mistake. Try a 1/4 C of red wine with very finely chopped sage and reduce. “Bucatini!”
I make this at least 2-3/mo for my family with garlic bread - huge hit. Notes: double the garlic, double the anchovies, and use wine instead of water.
Ok, this isn’t meant as a criticism, but I understand how it might seem like it, so here goes. I’ve made this recipe 150 times. That’s right, 150 times. I make almost all of the NYTimes recipes I’ve saved multiple times, even hundreds of times. This recipe is perfect as written. Yes, some may say that it lacks spice. But it’s a ragù and ragù aren’t spicy, in their basic form. I’m generous with my pepper flakes. I use gochugaru flakes. They give a nice sweet spicy flavor that lingers, but doesn’t scorch the tongue or throat. It’s pleasant. Let’s move on to another criticism of this recipe, or one of the parts of step 3: fill the can of tomatoes with water to get all of the remaining tomato and pour it into the pot.” Over 350 of you said it “ruined the ragù”. Perhaps it’s your stove or or the type of pot you use but I use my Staub 4 quart cocotte and it’s simmering in it right now and the liquid has already reduced by more than half. I make a lot of tomato preserve. I grow 12 different varieties. My tomatoes are in this ragù, each and every time and I always add the water and have never had an issue with it being watery. So, to do continue, after I add the half can of watery tomato liquid, I simmer it for 30 minutes, and by that point it’s reduced by half. Then, using my immersion blender I blend it all. This way it sticks to the pasta better. Add to pasta, grate Parmigiano Reggiano on top. Enjoy. Buon Appetito!
An awesome family dinner that deviates from the usual chicken/beef and comes together in no time at all. We don't add anchovies (little kids) but I'm sure it would only be tastier.
@Sara you don’t taste the anchovies at all. In Italian cooking it’s required to have them in ragù because they add so much flavor and help bind it together. Kids don’t like anchovies? Need to expand their horizons