Quick and Ragu are usually two words people don't like seeing in the same sentence. I'm a sucker for a good braise, don't get me wrong. But sometimes, it's late on a weeknight, dinner needs to be made and I'm in the mood for quick lamb ragu. Of course, if I lived anywhere near a restaurant, I could go get one, or if I didn't have a toddler who needs to be to bed at exactly 730. Things aren't always easy though, and I rarely get to go out to eat anymore.
If you're looking for a quick but delicious ragu, this is the recipe for you. We are making sacrifices here for speed. Every food I eat is about the taste though so I wouldn't steer you wrong. I thought of this recipe or at least the idea for it when I was sitting in a pasta restaurant called Tesoro. They specialize in fresh pasta. You get to sit right at the bar and watch them make the sauce. I ordered a lamb ragu of sorts, and it was amazing. But I watched the chef make it in under 10 minutes. I thought to myself, I need to be able to replicate something fast like this, but at home.
Born was the quick lamb ragu. A couple of trials to nail the consistency and understand how the tomato paste would thicken the sauce. My main concern was the thickness of the sauce. The last thing I wanted to do was add cornstarch and water to the sauce, mainly because I don't like the texture that creates. But by doubling the tomato paste, I was able to thicken it enough to taste great AND have a decent texture. The thing is, when you braise meat for a long time the collagen breaks down into gelatin. The gelatin is what gives you the smooth and thick texture of the sauce that is hard to replicate without adding cornstarch and water or gelatin. So, for a quick sauce, this gets the job done.
Ingredients for Quick Lamb Ragu
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 lb mafalde or rigatoni
- 1 cup red wine
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup pecorino romano
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 6-8 mushrooms, chopped
- ½ onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Mafalde. The mafalde or mafaldine can be substituted for pretty much any pasta. I think rigatoni and farfalle would be decent options. But I tend to like a long thick noodle for ragu, so maybe a pappardelle would be best to substitute.
Pecorino Romano. I used pecorino romano because it was what I had. Substitute parmesan if necessary.
Mushrooms and Onions. Make sure to mince them small, especially the onions. The onions are going to stew for hours but you still want them to be soft and unobtrusive.
Lamb. You can substitute ground beef 85% lean for lamb.
How to Make Quick Lamb Ragu in Under 30 Minutes
The sauce is made in two steps to speed up the process. The Lamb gets cooked all the way through first and then we move on to the sauce.
Browning the Lamb
In a large saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bring to medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering add the ground lamb in, breaking it apart into pieces by hand. Sprinkle with salt. Break apart the lamb with a wooden spoon into tiny pieces until the lamb is just about browned. Remove from the pan and set aside with its juices. DO NOT STRAIN. We need all that juice.
Simmering the Sauce
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil back to the pan and then stir in the onions and mushrooms. Saute until soft, for about 5-8 minutes. Then add garlic and tomato paste. Let the garlic saute for 1 minute separately from the tomato paste. Then combine everything and let the tomato paste carmelize with the rest of the ingredients for 1-2 minutes. Then add the red wine and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and then add the lamb back in. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and boil your pasta in salted water. When the pasta is just about finished, add about ⅓ cup of pasta water to the sauce and continue simmering until the pasta is finished. This will help the sauce thicken a little and stick to the pasta better.
Add the butter and pecorino romano and stir until well combined. Drain the pasta and add it right to the pan with the sauce. Stir to combine. Add extra pecorino romano and serve!
How to Reheat Lamb Ragu
This is a tough dish to reheat because the sauce is slightly thinner than we want it to be typically for a ragu. The pasta is going to soak up a lot of the sauce. The best thing you can do is to reheat it in a pan with olive oil. Fresh is best with this one though. It's quick for a reason.
Difference Between Quick Ragu and Braised Ragu
I'm not claiming that this ragu is as good as an all-day braised meat sauce. It's not. It is an alternative. The biggest difference is that the quick sauce is going to be temperamental. It needs to be eaten fresh because it will get soaked up by the pasta.
A braised ragu will be better by day 2. The sauce will have thickened slightly, stick to the pasta better, and develop a more complex flavor. It is an amazing flavor that is not easy to recreate without braising. But that's what we do here. We make the difficult recipes slightly easier. This recipe makes me happy.
I know we all love a good ragu, but let us know exactly what you thought by leaving a review below! It is super helpful for us! You can follow us on Instagram @vindelgiudice or on Tiktok @alwaysfromscratch for quick instructional videos.
If you like quick AND delicious recipes, you may also like some of these!
15-Minute Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil
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📖 Recipe
Quick Lamb Ragu
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 4-6 qt pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 lb mafalde or rigatoni
- 1 cup red wine
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup pecorino romano
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6-8 mushrooms, chopped
- ½ onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive and bring to medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering add lamb in pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Break apart the lamb with a wooden spoon into tiny pieces until the lamb is browned. Remove from the pan, set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onions and mushrooms. Saute until soft, for about 5-8 minutes. Then add garlic and tomato paste. Let the garlic saute for 1 minute separately from the tomato paste. Then combine everything and let the tomato paste carmelize with the rest of the ingredients for 1-2 minutes. Then add the red wine and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and then add the lamb back in. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and boil your pasta. When the pasta is just about finished, add about ⅓ cup of pasta water to the sauce.
- Add the butter and pecorino romano and stir until well combined. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir to combine. Add extra pecorino romano and serve!
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