Quick Lamb Ragù Recipe (2024)

o anchovies anchovies I do love you socould 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 dropped the lamb and substituted tofu. Some leftover hot dog water and ketchup with jello and brown rice topped it off. it was great!

We made this exactly as described. I have no patience with reviews where they substituted the lamb with tempeh and the goat cheese with yogurt. It is a very nice recipe and perfect for dark and cold February, but somewhat under seasoned in our opinion and admittedly the author states as much, suggesting you add your own touches. We came back a second time and added rosemary, oregano, cumin, sweet paprika, celery salt and a tiny bit of ginger. Lovely.

You can substitute nam pla (Thai/vietnamese fish sauce) for the anchovies for the same umami-splendid result

I was diagnosed with Leukemia about a year ago and went through chemo and bone marrow transplant (Cancer-free now!) Still down 35 lbs from pre-transplant weight so doc says eat all the fat and protein you can. Ummm OK! I'm STILL off work so I spend my days cooking recipes like this one (This was my post-breakfast, mid-morning meal lol). I had some prefried ground lamb in my freezer that I was itching to use. This was the perfect dish. I included the anchovies and top with dollop of ricotta.

This is great, just don’t add the water! I love ground lamb. The fat is magical and I am lucky enough to have a local farmer making wonderful ground lamb. As soon as I added the water I knew it was a mistake. Skip it! Maybe use half as much GOOD dry red wine — not too juicy, or you will disrespect the wonderful taste of the lamb fat. If you don’t have that then a scant 1/8 c water or a dry white. With the full water, I added a full 45 min to the cook time, in my Le Creuset on my gas range.

Excellent. This is 90% of Marcella's Bolognese flavor for 50% of the work and time.

This was so good! I added fennel and bit of red wine, but other than that no changes. It was great after about 35 minutes of simmering, but I had some time and let it go for an hour and it was even better. I have a feeling as it sits overnight in the fridge the flavors will come together even better. A winner, and good for a weeknight meal’

Made it exactly to recipe. Make sure you add salt and pepper as directed. Also I will not add 1/2 can of water next time. Overall delish and super easy.

Great recipe when you don’t want to spend 5-8 hours on a bolognese. Fresh mint at the end is also a nice twist. Red wine instead of water (I actually deglazed the pan with a little before adding the crushed tomatoes) and pecorino romano is a must for finishing. It stands up to the lamb better than parmigiano reggiano.

As with any quick ragu sauce, the flavor wasn't super deep. It is a solid recipe to use when you are short on time or if you have more time and want to play around. It is similar to a recipe I have used from Food & Wine for awhile, which is more flavorful because of the additional ingredients. I followed this recipe to a T and then added a sprig of rosemary after the crushed tomatoes went in since I was concerned it might be too bland. I recommend doctoring it with spices to your preferences.

Just warn your guests that you've used anchovies. I'm highly allergic to them and I find people often don't think to ask about this obscure fish allergy.

Loved this. Made it last night, with red wine instead of water. To deglaze the pan, of course! Deeply delish, and so easy. Looking forward to it over polenta tomorrow night!

I love this recipe, and have made it many times. Just drain the fat before you add the tomatoes!

The family raves about this recipe every time I make it, including the child that doesn’t like lamb. I followed the recipe but used anchovy paste instead of anchovies.

So so good! There are lots of options for additions, but I must say adding a dash of fennel seeds with the onions as one person recommended made this dish a 12/10! Otherwise, made as instructed with a few more anchovies so i didn’t waste them. This was a really great and easy dish.

I had some additions. Added a 1/4 of a peeled carrot, red wine, parmesan rind to the sauce(saw this in another comment), halved the water recommended and at the end burrata and chopped fresh basil over Bucatini pasta. I also simmered the sauce for 40 minutes and added salt as needed. Came out amazing. Thanks!

try making mirepoix first next time

please don't tell us how much COOKED pasta to use. how can we know how much to make unless you tell us how much we need to cook to GET the 12 ounces.

I meant wine instead of water

Outstanding. I don't like lamb or anchovies, but I loved this meal. It was a crowd pleaser, too. I cannot wait to have it again. I also added a splash of red wine, as others recommend.

Do use anchovies. They add richness. Love this recipe.

As per all Alison’s recipes, this is amazing. I did not use anchovy and used beef instead and still so delish. You cannot go wrong with an Alison Roman recipe.

Incorporated many suggestions from the notes. Increased the garlic. Big pinch of fennel seeds with the onions. Did the optional red pepper flakes. Entire tin of anchovies. Red wine instead of water, less quantity. About 6 finely chopped sage leaves in with the wine since I happened to have some. Simmered with parmesan rind. Grated pecorino and fresh thyme for serving. I used too much wine and black pepper but it was still pretty delicious. Best change was the fennel seed, 100% recommend.

Filipino here, didn't have anchovies, used patis. Thank-you for the tip to the person who used Nam pla!

Also - use just enough water to clean can

This was easy and delicious. I used 1/4 of a tin of red wine in place of the water and added a sprig of rosemary, a stem of sage and a parmesan rind when I added the tomatoes. I let it simmer longer - maybe an hour. Yum!

I added red wine instead of water per other comments and thought it created a richer less diluted sauce. Also added fresh oregano and Italian parsley at the end, which was delicious. One criticism I have of the recipe is not including the weight for dry pasta. I used pappardelle per another reader and ended up cooking a lot less than I needed.