Lamb Ragù is a wonderful way to use lamb shoulder for a generous, slow-cooked meal that feels far more luxurious than the cost suggests. This is the sort of cooking I love – humble ingredients, cooked with care, turned into something special, comforting and utterly delicious!
Slow Cooked Rosemary Lamb Ragù
I have a huge soft spot for ragù pastas (proof – beef, mushroom, sausage, fish, chicken in Dinner and duck in Tonight). And now we’ve arrived at lamb, which had me briefly worried – have I come to the end of my ragù journey?
That thought was fleeting because there are so many more! Firstly, I haven’t even shared Ragu alla Bolognese yet, then there’s Neapolitan Ragù, Genovese, pork ragù, countless more seafood ragùs and will I venture into exotic meats….?? (Boar, hare, rabbit!). Clearly, we’re nowhere near the end. 😂
But today, it’s good old lamb. We Aussies love lamb – and wow, ragu is a spectacular way to use it that really makes the most of this rich meat!! I also love that one lamb shoulder makes a generous 7 to 8 servings – almost twice as many as when I serve it as a roast. More lamb to go around! 🙂
A note on authentic lamb ragù – Ragù d’Agnello
Ragù d’Agnello is a traditional Italian lamb ragu, particularly in central and southern Italy where lamb is widely used, though like so many Italian dishes there are countless regional and family variations. The lamb is often chopped into small pieces then slowly simmered in a red wine and tomato sauce.
My version today uses large pieces of lamb shoulder which I slow cook until fall-apart tender before shredding – I love how the strands act like mops for the rich sauce. Though I shred rather than stew lamb pieces, the flavours and cooking method are very typical of traditional Italian Ragù d’Agnello – the use of red wine in a tomato base sauce that is built around a soffrito, infused with beautiful rosemary flavour. And slow cooking patience to let the flavours develop and the lamb to become beautifully tender.
Also, introducing a new pasta shape today – capunti paesani! Love seeing more rustic Italian pasta shapes filling the shelves these days, this canoe-shaped pasta is ideal for shredded-meat-catching!
Ingredients in Slow Cooked Rosemary Lamb Ragu
Here’s what you need to make Lamb Ragu.
1. BONELESS LAMB SHOULDER
Lamb shoulder works best for this ragu. It’s a slow cooking cut of lamb that shreds beautifully, it’s literally made for ragu! I use boneless lamb shoulder then cut it into 3 equal pieces for more surface area to brown (which = flavour) and is easier to handle than one large piece.
Other cuts – Lamb shank would be my next best substitute (the meat only, if it’s on the bone there’s too much volume for the amount of liquid here), a wonderful lamb cut for slow cooking except the big difference is that it doesn’t shred into strands like shoulder does. It kind of crumbles into smaller pieces. Beautiful flavour, just a different texture – if you use shanks, use short pastas (orecchiette would be ideal).
Boneless lamb leg will work too, though bear in mind leg is actually quite lean, it is not marbled with fat like shoulder so the meat won’t be as succulent. The sauce goes a long way to compensate though. 🙂
2. for the ragu
And here’s everything else you need:
Rosemary – 3 long sprigs, enough to cut 5 x 10cm/4″ sprigs and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary. Rosemary goes so well with lamb and the rosemary flavour in this is un-missable! But we don’t venture into the too-much-rosemary territory which can make things taste a little soapy. It really can.
Fresh rosemary infuses the ragu with rosemary flavour in a way that dried never can, but if that’s all you’ve got, it wouldn’t stop me from making this!
Bay leaves – A classic slow-cooking herb that adds subtle earthy, savoury depth to the ragu. Fresh is best if you can, though dried will work too.
Red wine – Adds richness, depth and complexity to the ragu. We reduce it well so the alcohol cooks off and the flavour concentrates, leaving behind savoury sweetness rather than a winey taste. Use a full-bodied one if you’ve got it (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), else anything that’s not too sweet or woody (pinot noir always works). Substitute with 0% wine or more chicken stock.
Canned tomato – Just one can. I don’t want the sauce too tomatoey which can overwhelm the lamb flavour.
Tomato paste – This helps thicken the sauce and add tomatoey richness. But it’s not sour nor does it make the ragu overly tomatoey because it’s cooked off before adding the liquids which rounds the flavour and deepens the colour from red to a dark crimson.
Chicken rather than beef stock (broth) – This is the liquid for the ragu. I did try with water initially but just felt it wouldn’t hurt for a bit more depth in the sauce. I opted for chicken rather than beef stock because it lets the flavour of the lamb come through more, especially because I also use beef stock cubes (below).
Beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes) – This is what I use for most of the seasoning in this ragu, rather than salt, because it has more flavour and gives the sauce more depth of flavour. You can substitute with chicken stock cubes, or salt if you don’t have either.
Onion, carrot, celery and garlic – These make the soffritto, the classic Italian flavour base made by gently cooking finely chopped vegetables until soft and sweet. I grate the carrot and celery so they cook faster and practically melt into the ragu, adding flavour without noticeable chunks.
3. best pasta for ragu
To choose a pasta shape, just think – meat catching abilities. 🙂 My (current) go-tos are pappardelle (classic choice) and capunti paesani, the rustic Italian boat shaped pasta pictured in this post (I get it from Harris Farms).
Pappardelle is the popular choice for rich meat-based ragus because its wide surface gives all that sauce and shredded meat plenty to cling to. But there’s many other options! Any not-too-delicate pasta shapes that is shaped so the shredded meat will tangle or catch will be great here, such as:
mafaldine (fettuccine with curly ridges)
rigatoni
capunti paesani (as mentioned above the photo)
casarecce
fusilloni (large spirals)
paccheri (large tubes)
Basically, if you look at a pasta shape and think yep, bits of lamb will get stuck in that, it’s a good choice. 🙂
Just avoid fine pastas (like angel hair) and really small pastas (like risoni/orzo or ditalini). The hearty ragù will just swamp them.
How to make Slow Cooked Rosemary Shredded Lamb Ragu
This will take close to 3 hours to cook – 2 1/2 hours of slow cooking plus searing and sautéing time. It keeps perfectly so it’s a good one for making up to 3 days ahead, or you can even freeze it for up to 3 months. But the tossing with pasta part must be done just prior to serving, for optimal eating experience!
1. Cooking the ragu
Brown lamb pieces – Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper, then brown the pieces well in a large heavy based pot. We’re not trying to cook them through here, we are just getting colour on the surface which adds flavour into the ragu – both on the lamb itself and from the brown bits left on the base of the pot (called fond). Once browned, transfer into a bowl.
Don’t skimp on the oil else the lamb will just burn rather than go golden brown. And work in batches, whatever you can fit in your pot. I do 2 in the first batch, then 1 for the second batch.
Slow soffritto – Let the pot cool slightly and scrape out any black bits (loose pepper, meat scraps). If the pot is looking dry (depends how fatty your lamb was), add a bit more oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the onion, grated carrot, celery, garlic and chopped rosemary – this is our soffritto, the flavour base for the ragu. Cook slowly until the vegetables are soft and sweet, about 7 – 8 minutes. Don’t let them brown and don’t rush this step – it’s key for building beautiful flavour in the ragu.
Tomato paste – Turn the heat up to high and add the tomato paste. Cook it for 1 1/2 minutes or until it changes from red to dark crimson. In this step we’re taking the sourness out of the tomato paste and adding depth of flavour by caramelising it.
Wine reduction – Add the wine and bring it to a simmer, scraping the base of the pot, to release any fond so it dissolves into the liquid. Simmer rapidly until it reduces by half. Concentrating the flavour of the wine adds richness into the ragu sauce, as well as cooking out the alcohol and winey flavour.
Ragu sauce – Add all the ragu sauce ingredients in: tomato, stock, bay leaves, 3 rosemary sprigs (reserve the other 2), crumbled beef stock cubes, salt and pepper. Mix, then add the lamb in along with any juices pooled in the bowl.
Slow cook – Bring it to a simmer, then put the lid on and reduce the heat to low so it’s simmering very gently, just a few gentle bubbles here and there. Slow cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is easy to shred with 2 forks. (Well marbled meat softens faster).
Shred lamb – Remove lamb from the pot, and leave the pot on the stove. Turn the heat up to medium and let it simmer without the lid to start reducing and concentrating the flavour of the sauce. Shred the lamb with two forks. Use scissors if needed to cut really long strands! Then return the lamb into the pot.
Simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat, stirring every now and then to make sure the base doesn’t catch, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened into a rich ragu sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Then turn the stove off, cover, and keep warm while you cook the pasta. Or let it cool and keep it for 4 days, or freeze for 3 months.
2. TOSSING WITH PASTA
If you’ve gone to all that trouble to make a beautiful ragu, it’s almost criminal just to dump it on pasta! Toss the cooked pasta with the ragu so the sauce and meat cling to every piece and end up in your mouth where they belong, rather than sadly pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Italian Nonnas will roll over in their graves if you skip this step! 🙂
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water per the packet directions minus 1 minute so the pasta is slightly underdone. It will finish cooking in the ragu sauce so the pasta absorbs all the tasty flavour.
Reserve water – Just before draining, scoop out a jugful of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. You will need this to loosen the pasta when tossing with the ragu.
Toss – Return pasta into the pasta cooking pot with 6 – 7 cups of the ragu. Start with 6 cups, add another cup if you want (1 cup = 200g ragu). Add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, then over medium heat, toss with 2 wooden spoons for about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes or until the pasta is stained red and there’s no ragu sauce pooled in the bottom of the pot.
If at any time the pasta gets too sticky or thick, add another slosh of the pasta cooking water to loosen and toss again.
Warm bowls – Serve in warmed pasta bowls, or a big sharing bowl, with parmesan sprinkled on top. As with all pastas, it is best enjoyed as soon as it is cooked, while the pasta is steamy and slippery, so yell for everyone to get to the table, pronto!!
What to serve with Lamb Ragu
For a lovely Italian feast, start with something light like Tuna Carpaccio and some hot fresh Focaccia with a good olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping, and a lovely bowl of Sicilian olives on the side. If you’re short on time, try this Quick Focaccia – it’s been a hit with readers! (Or, you know…just buy it. It’s okay!)
Then serve the Lamb Ragu with a Balsamic Rocket Salad – and if you didn’t serve focaccia to start, what about a side of Garlic Bread?
And if you’re going all out, there can surely be no better way to finish than with a big dish of Tiramisu! Then don’t forget to drop me an invitation please…. 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Slow Cooked Rosemary Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
Lamb browning:
- 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb boneless lamb shoulder , excess fat trimmed and cut into 3 equal pieces (Note 1)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (half for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Ragu:
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks , grated using a box grater (discard stringy bits)
- 1 large carrot , peeled, grated with box grater
- 3 large garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tbsp rosemary , finely chopped (substitute 2 tsp dried)
- 5 x 10cm/4" sprigs rosemary (sub 1 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 bay leaves , preferably fresh else dried
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups red wine , full bodied (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), or any red not too sweet or woody (substitute 0% wine or more chicken stock for non alcoholic)
- 400g/ 14 oz canned crushed tomato
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 2 beef stock cubes , crumbled (I use OXO, crumbles perfectly)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (half for table salt, +50% for flakes)
FOR PASTA (Note 2):
- 500g / 1 lb pappardelle, mafaldine, rigatoni, capunti paesani or other shapes with shredded meat catching abilities! (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp cooking salt / kosher salt , for pasta cooking water
- Parmesan for serving
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Brown lamb, cook soffrito slowly, cook off tomato paste, deglaze and reduce wine. Slow cook lamb in sauce 2 hrs, remove, shred, simmer 30 min to reduce. Toss with cooked pasta!
FULL RECIPE:
- Brown lamb – Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Brown 2 pieces of the lamb until deep golden on both sides, about 2 – 3 minutes per side. Remove into a bowl and repeat with the 3rd piece, adding more oil if needed, then remove.
- Soffrito – Lower heat to medium, cool the pot a bit if it's very hot and scrape out any loose black bits (pepper, lamb bits) but leave any tasty lamb fat in there. Add a bit of oil if your pot is looking a bit dry. Then add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and rosemary. Cook slowly for 7 – 8 minutes until softened but don't let them colour. Don't rush this step, it's key for good ragu flavour.
- Deglaze and reduce wine – Turn heat up to high and add the tomato paste. Stir for 1 1/2 minutes to cook out the sourness and deepen the colour from red to brown. Then add the wine and simmer rapidly, scraping the base of the pot, until reduced by half.
- Slow cook – Add tomato, stock, 3 rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, crumbled stock cubes, salt and pepper. Mix, add lamb (and any juices in the bowl) and let it come to a simmer. Then put the lid on and reduce the heat to low or medium low so it's simmering very gently. Slow cook for 2 hours or until the lamb is tender enough to shred. (Note 3 for other cook methods)
- Shred – Remove lamb and shred using two forks. Cut excessively long strands using scissors. (Keep the pot on stove on medium heat without the lid while you do this).
- Reduce sauce – Remove and discard rosemary and bay leaves. Return lamb into sauce and add the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs. Toss, then simmer on medium low for 30 minutes with the lid off, stirring every now and then, until the sauce has reduced and is thickened. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Cover and keep warm while you cook the pasta.
Tossing with pasta:
- Cook pasta – Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt. Add the pasta and cook per the packet directions minus 1 minute (so it's a little underdone, it will finish cooking in the ragu).
- Reserve water – Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of the cloudy pasta water. Drain pasta.
- Toss – Return pasta into the pasta cooking pot with 6 – 7 cups (1.2 – 1.4kg) of the warm ragu (start with 6, add another cup if you want). Set the pot over medium high heat. If your ragu was very thick rather than saucy (it thickens the longer it is sitting around), add 1/4 to 1/3 cup pasta cooking water. Then toss with spatulas until the meat is tangled through the pasta and all the pasta is stained red, there should be no sauce pooled in the bottom of the pot. If at anytime the pasta gets too stiff and sticky, just add more pasta cooking water.
- Serve – Divide between warmed pasta bowls or pour into a large serving bowl and let everyone help themselves with parmesan on the side! Add a side of Garlic Bread and a fresh Balsamic Rocket Salad on the side and finish with a beautiful Tiramisu. 🙂
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
Have you ever seen a dog eating pappardelle? It’s quite the spectacle, the way it slaps all over his face. Holding it from above doesn’t help. 😆
This week, I had this as my mid-week meal. I put the lamb in the slow cooker and just cooked the papparadelle (need some searching at Coles. Never seen it before) when I got home.
There was enough for dinner and the next day’s lunch. My young adult son commented that usually, you find ragu in fine dining but we were having it at home. 🙂
You can take that as a compliment. 🙂
OMG. what a dish! Each year I ask my husband what he would like for his birthday dinner but this year, I didn’t ask and decided to prepare this for him (honestly because I wanted it!) and we both loved it. Flavors were delicious. Excellent and easy to prepare early in the day and simply reheat just before serving. Nagi, I simply love your recipes. I am breaking out of my rut of ‘same old same old’ and working my way through your site. Thanks and love from the USA.
Nagi, can I use lamb neck or another similarly less expensive cut in place of boneless lamb shoulder to make your Lamb Ragu? Just trying to be thrifty, and I will need to buy a bottle of wine, etc. It adds up! I’m a big fan or yours, just with a smaller wallet. Thank you, Nagi!
Hi Nagi we often use your recipes thank you! I made this lamb ragu tonight. We had a boned shoulder but it still worked and I cooked it in the oven for about an hour longer. I replaced the celery with fennel stems as I grow fennel and I used veg stock instead of chicken. Very delicious and went well with our home made pasta and veggie garden salad. You do a wonderful job at providing easy to follow recipes. 🙏🙏❤️
Absolutely delicious! 😋 One of the perks of working from home is being able to have something bubbling away in the kitchen while you’re working. And let me tell you, the smell wafting through the house all afternoon was enough to make me hungry hours before dinner!
Mine took a little longer than the suggested 2½ hours, more like 3 hours and 15 minutes, but who cares when the end result is this delicious? The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and that sauce… YUM!
I’ve even stashed a few portions in the freezer for those days when I can’t be bothered cooking. Nothing like having a delicious home-cooked meal ready to go when you’re feeling lazy! 😂
Another absolute winner, Nagi! Keep these recipes coming. You’re making takeaway look very ordinary! ❤️
Seriously the best Ragù recipe I have ever made. The depth of flavour was outstanding. I did have to adjust the cooking time as I only had bite sized pieces of lamb shoulder left over from another recipe so there was no shredding. I’m so impressed that I’m about to make it again. Thanks Nagi….. you never disappoint 😘❤️
Nagi, this recipe looks AMAZING as always! Low effort but SO high reward. Can’t wait to try this soon when I have the time! 😀
Hope you get a chance to try it soon Samuel! It’s so good! – N x
Thanks for the reply Nagi! Really made my day :)))
Wow! Looks AMAZING! Low effort high reward. Can’t wait to try this recipe one day when I have time 😀
Oops, just realised I accidentally doubled my comment…. the internet was playing up on me haha ignore this one 🙂
Dear Nagi, I like your recipes but Lamb, I can smell two streets away when some one is cooking it, the flavour and the smell of cooking lamb has made me divorce my wife!!
Oh noooo Michael!! Sorry to hear lamb is not to your taste. But never mind!! There is always the beef ragu!! – N x
Nagi, AMAZING recipe as usual. Love the Jaffle pics! I have a black lab at home that absolutely loves meat, and detests kale! I read in some of the earlier comments that you mentioned you were overworked! I hope everything is alright! Hugs for you and Jaffle!
I don’t even look at the recipes anymore, just at the Jaffle posts😂
I mean, I luv the recipes but if I want them I look them up on her website, but whenever a new recipe comes out I’m like…JAFFLE!
He he I LOVE hearing that!!
Well, I had plans this weekend but saw this recipe… Could not find lamb shoulder and ended up getting cubed lamb stew from Whole Foods. It came out beautifully! Made the whole recipe and froze it in batches. So good!!!
Would you skim the surface fat after chilling the ragù overnight, before reheating it and tossing with pasta, or keep that fat for the sauce? The make-ahead option is useful with a shoulder cut, and I am curious how much fat you prefer to retain when serving it the next day.
Not much fat solidifies on the surface, most of it gets stuck in the sauce, but what you do see feel free to remove if you want! Personally I don’t because it’s not much, also fat is where flavour is!! – N xx
Fabulous recipe Nagi! I cooked it in the Dutch oven and put it in the oven on 160 for three hours and it came out out perfect. Gotta be one to add to the weekend rotation for sure!
So glad you enjoyed it Danielle!! Thanks for letting me know! – N xx
When I cook a dish and say “If I ate this in a restaurant I’d be happy”, then I never buy that dish again. Restaurant quality meal. Very happy with this recipe, thanks for sharing Nagi! So delicious! I recently changed my slow cooker to an instapot mini so I only needed to cook the lamb for six hours.
Hi Nagi
I was working out my weekly menu when this recipe popped into my email – it was a done deal.
Bought the lamb shoulder the next morning and made it straight away. I used my pressure cooker (I always do 90 mins for a lamb shoulder) and it is fall apart delicious!!
I’ll be freezing some for those busy days when I don’t have time to cook and need a yummy quick meal.
Your recipes are on high rotation in my house and never fail. Your cookbooks get a good workout!!
Hi Nagi, I’ve been reading your weekly Recipe Ti n Eats for years. I love the authentic French recipes, too.
I am SO pleased you’re creating slow cooker recipes now, thank you! I don’t have a functional oven. This lamb and rosemary is positively mouth watering!
Like you, I also have a Golden Retriever (no 3) so I love your doggy tales. Was so sorry to hear about Dozer – what a life he had. Love to see what Jaffer is up to… My 10 year old Golden will only eat his vegies while I’m cooking in the kitchen.😉😛
Have a great weekend.
Hellena and Magnus
I love hearing that Hellena!! Please give your Goldie a hug from me! – N x
Why is it that you reply to readers’ comments on grammatical errors but not on cooking queries? Other readers reply for you is no doubt the reason. Odd.
Hi Benni – Just because I’m one person over here so there’s only so much I can do, and I jumped straight onto the errors so I could fix them right away 🙂 I will answer the questions when I can. – Nagi
Recipe looks delicious, I was waiting to see how much of this recipe The Jaffman would receive 🧡💛😂
It would be nice if people proofread journalists news stories as the spelling mistakes are terrible………..
Jaffman received his fair share, that’s for sure!! 😅
Oh yeah! lamb! That sounds great!
Hope you get a chance to try it Jeff! – N x
Love the way he savors every speck with his eyes before they reach his mouth!
The pure torture as I dangled it over his mouth while snapping away!!! SO MEAN! 😆
Nahhhhh…just extending and enhancing his eventual enjoyment of the real thing 😉🐕💞😇 For a dog, coming from Heaven and becoming yours is like landing back in Heaven for a dog! The eats and treats are top shelf, after all!!!