Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni

Lamb ragu with rigatoni is a hearty dish full of comforting flavor.  Red wine, rosemary, tomato, carrots, and lamb are braised in a Dutch oven for hours allowing the flavors to create a perfect union before being tossed with al dente pasta and topped with copious amounts of Parmigiano Reggiano!

For me, cooler weather is the perfect excuse to make a ragu.  

Ragu typically refers to a sauce that is made with braised meat, possibly vegetables, and served over pasta.

The ragu you may be most familiar with is Ragu alla Bolognese, the official pasta of the city of Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. 

This rigatoni lamb ragu borrows heavily from Bolognese with a few changes including forgoing the milk, the inclusion of rosemary, and of course substituting lamb for beef.

The lamb and red wine add additional depth of flavor here that is so comforting and so good. 

But don't take my word for it - these step-by-step instructions will walk you through how to make this yourself.

How to make it

Each numbered pic corresponds to the numbered written instructions below.

1. Begin by cubing the lamb shoulder.  Remove the bones and trim off any large pieces of fat.  The bones can be saved for a stock.  Also, dice 2 medium carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 1 medium onion. 

2. Heat a large Dutch oven to medium.  After the pot is hot add the olive oil.   Season the lamb pieces with salt and pepper on all sides then add to the pot.   Sear the lamb in batches to avoid overcrowding.  Place the seared lamb on a plate and set aside.
3. Next, turn the heat down to medium-low.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute until the veggies are very soft (about 12-15 minutes).  Take your time so the veggies get very soft.  Next, add in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently.

4. Add the wine and beef stock and turn heat to medium-high.  Using a wooden spoon scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  After cooking the wine for 3 minutes, add the plum tomatoes and rosemary and bring to a simmer. 
5. Once simmering add the lamb pieces to the pot, stir, then turn off and cover. Cook the ragu in the oven until the lamb is very tender and falling apart (about 3 hours).

6. After 3 hours check and make sure the lamb is tender.  If not, return to the oven for 30 more minutes.  Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt) and cook the rigatoni until very al dente. While the pasta is boiling taste test the ragu and make final adjustments to salt and pepper.
7. Heat a large pan to medium-low heat and add in 2 cups of the lamb ragu.  If the ragu is a bit dry add a ladle of pasta water.

8. Add the pasta to the pan and cook for 1-2 more minutes until al dente mixing well to thoroughly coat the pasta.  If needed just add a touch more pasta water to loosen it up.  Serve with grated parmesan.

Top Tips 

• Sub ground lamb for the lamb shoulder.  Ground lamb can often be found for a great price and can easily be subbed.  It does tend to have more fat than the trimmed shoulder.   You can simply remove some of the fat by spooning it out before adding the tomatoes.  Shoot for having about a ¼ inch or less fat in the pot after browning the lamb.  In the attached video below I used ground lamb and removed almost a half cup of fat after browning.
• Make ahead. Lamb ragu, like any ragu, soup, chili, etc. will always taste better the next day.  Making this ragu 24 hours in advance and refrigerating overnight will yield even better flavor.  This will also allow you to remove some of the fat that will rise to the top after being chilled.  When you're ready to eat, simply reheat the ragu in the pot, boil some al dente pasta, and serve.  
• Add water. Since this is being cooked in the oven for a few hours, evaporation will take place.  If you find that the sauce is too thick, you can simply add a bit of water or beef stock to loosen it up.
• Flexible servings. This recipe will yield 4 large servings and 6 moderate servings.  You can stretch it even further if you plan to serve this as an appetizer as opposed to the main course.
• Cheese rinds.  If you hoard cheese rinds as I do, feel free to throw one in with the ragu while it's cooking.  I use cheese rinds all the time in soups, like Italian wedding soup and pasta e ceci and always have them on hand!

Lamb ragu substitutions and variations

This recipe calls for lamb shoulder.  If you're unable to find lamb shoulder, you can absolutely use ground lamb. 

If opting for ground lamb, the cooking time may decrease a little, but to maximize flavor, you can definitely cook for the full 3 hours.

If you prefer to omit wine from the recipe, replace the 1 cup of wine with a cup of stock or water.  

If using wine, a dry red such as a Sangiovese works well.

If you'd like to add additional flavor to the dish, you can start your ragu by sauteing pancetta, similar to the process in Bolognese.

While I'm using rigatoni for this recipe, you can feel free to use other pasta shapes. 

Tagliatelle and pappardelle work particularly well with ragus.  

More hearty dishes you'll love

If you find comfort in a big bowl of pasta or stew, you've come to the right place.  Here are our favorite tried and true recipes for pastas that warm your soul. 

• Short rib ragu with pappardelle - Beef short ribs braised in tomato and red wine and tossed with pappardelle ribbons and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
• Pasta alla Genovese - This rustic dish combines beef chuck roast, pancetta, and 5 pounds of onions.
• Meatballs and Sunday sauce - The quintessential Italian-American Sunday dinner.
• Pasta al forno - Baked pasta with meat sauce.
• Italian beef stew - Chuck beef braised with carrots, celery, mushrooms, red wine, and rosemary.

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