A rich and delicious slow cooked lamb ragu that’s tender, comforting, and absolutely packed with flavor. Lamb leg is braised low and slow in red wine, tomatoes, and stock until it melts apart into the most incredible sauce for pasta. I add Kalamata olives for a salty, savory pop, but they’re totally optional if they’re not your thing. Serve it with pappardelle, mashed potato, or polenta. It’s proper comfort food and the ultimate crowd pleaser.
Hello! After the popularity of my Incredible Pork Ragu and Beef Short Rib Ragu, it was only right that I finally brought you a slow cooked lamb version. I was inspired by a dish I had at my favorite restaurant and I knew immediately I had to recreate it at home. It’s surprisingly easy and the flavor payoff is huge.
Don’t let the long cooking time scare you off. It’s mostly hands-off oven time and your house will smell unbelievable. Slow cooking gives the lamb the most incredible depth of flavor. I’ve paired it with my classic Homemade Pappardelle Pasta because it suits this kind of sauce perfectly, but truly any pasta shape will work, fresh or dried.
Main Ingredients
Butterflied Lamb Leg - One of my favorite cuts for slow cooking. It’s easy to find at most supermarkets or butchers. A boned lamb shoulder works beautifully too. Pat the pieces dry with paper towels and season well before browning.
Soffritto - The classic base of finely diced carrot, celery, and onion that gives any slow cooked Italian meat sauce its depth and sweetness. I like to finely dice in a food processor.
Fresh herbs - I like to use fresh rosemary as it's a classic herb to use with lamb. You could substitute for thyme or use a combination of both.
Red wine - Go for a dry red you actually like drinking. Pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, or even a chianti all work perfectly. It adds richness and helps build that deep, savory flavor.
Stock - Use the best lamb, beef, or chicken stock you can get your hands on. Good stock really does make a difference in a long braise like this.
Kalamata Olives - I adore the salty, savory pop olives add to lamb ragu, but you can skip them if they’re not your thing. Lamb and olives are a beautiful combo though, so try them if you can!
How to make slow cooked lamb ragu
Full ingredient list and method is in the recipe card below.
ONE: Sear the lamb pieces over a medium-high heat. At the same time you can cook the onion, carrot and celery mixture for 12 - 15 mins until soft over a medium heat. Use a heavy-bottomed oven proof pot.
TWO: Add the rosemary and garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Make sure you have added a big couple of pinches of salt and black pepper.
THREE: Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 mins more then add the red wine and let it reduce slightly.
FOUR: Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer.
FIVE: Add the browned lamb pieces back in, cover and cook in the oven for 2 ½ hours.
SIX: Check the lamb is done by taking a piece out and seeing if it pulls apart easily.
Finishing the ragu
SEVEN: Pull all the lamb pieces apart with forks.
EIGHT: Add the pulled lamb back in to sauce along with the olives.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this link to you, so you can come back to it later!
NINE: Have it on a gentle heat on the stove top while you cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water. Let the cooked pasta bubble away gently in the ragu for a min or two.
TEN: Finish with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese!
Expert tips
- Take your time browning the lamb. Good color means good flavor. I often use two pans so the pieces aren’t overcrowded.
- Blitz the soffritto in a food processor so it cooks down evenly and melts into the sauce.
- Make the ragu ahead if you can. Meat sauces are always even better the next day.
- Finish the pasta in the ragu. Undercook it by a minute, then let it bubble away in the sauce so it absorbs all that flavor.
- If the sauce looks a touch thin at the end, simmer it uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken and concentrate the flavor.
Try my Beef Short Rib Ragu
Looking for a beef version? Make sure you try this delicious ragu next!
Common questions
Butterflied lamb leg is my favorite, but lamb shoulder works beautifully too. Both cuts are perfect for long, slow cooking.
Absolutely. Meat sauces are always even better the next day once the flavors have settled. It will firm up in the fridge, so reheat it gently on the stovetop and add a splash of pasta water (or stock) to loosen it if needed.
Yes. This makes a generous batch, so let any leftovers cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to three months, or keep in the fridge for 3–4 days.
Pappardelle is always a classic pairing, but truly any pasta shape works. Dried pasta is great, or make fresh pasta using my Easy Homemade Pasta Dough.
I always weigh my pasta for the perfect ratio of pasta to lamb ragu. For dried pasta, allow 100 grams per person. For fresh pasta, go for 150 grams per person. For dried pasta, undercook it by one minute so it can finish bubbling away in the ragu, this helps it absorb all the flavour. Fresh pasta can be cooked as normal, but still finish it in the sauce for the best result.
Some other pasta dishes to try
If you loved this braised lamb ragu then check out my other meat sauces in my recipe section! Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Did you make this recipe?
I would LOVE it if you could leave a review and star rating down below. Also please tag me on Instagram if you share a photo of the dish!
Recipe
Easy Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this link to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg butterflied lamb leg cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 packed tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 250 ml red wine
- 500 ml lamb or beef stock
- 2 x 400 gram tin tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 300 gram jar kalamata olives pitted (optional but recommended!)
- Pasta of your choice
- Parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320f (160c)
- Dry the lamb pieces with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium - high heat (or I do it in two pans at once to save time). Brown the chunks on all sides and set aside. Keep any fat that has rendered to pour into the onion mixture.
- On a medium - high heat heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy bottomed oven proof saucepan or Dutch Oven, (something that has a lid).
- Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 12 - 15 minutes until nice and soft. Lower the heat to medium if you need. Season with a couple of big pinches of sea salt and a good few cracks of black pepper.
- Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and let reduce slightly for 2 minutes.
- Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the lamb and any juices on the plate back in, cover and place in the middle of the oven.
- Cook for 2 ½ hours. Check after 2 hours but it will probably need the extra 30 mins and it might need more depending on your oven. Pull a chunk of lamb out to test, it should pull apart really easily.
- Pull all the lamb out, pull apart with forks and add back in to the sauce along with the olives.
- I like to reduce it down on the stove top for 15 - 20 mins, if you feel like it is too thin you can always add a little cornflour slurry (mix 1 tsp cornflour with a few teaspoons of water and add in).
- Cook your pasta, potatoes or polenta while it is reducing down.
- I like to add the pasta straight into the ragu so it can bubble away gently in the sauce. You can always divide it into a couple of different pots to do this.
- Add a splash of pasta water if it needs it.
- Serve with lots of freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
- Olives - I like to chop 100 grams of the olives up and keep the other 200 grams whole. Up to you!
Tanya says
This is amazing! I made it like a bolognese with ground lamb and it is just awesome. Thank you ??
Emilie Pullar says
Oh so great to know it worked with ground meat, thanks so much for making Tanya! 🙂
Kerry says
This dish was absolutely delicious. We ate it the day after making and it was definitely top restaraunt quality. Certainly will make again.
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Kerry! Thank you so so much, so glad you enjoyed it. You've reminded me I need to make a batch of this asap, a great one to have in the freezer 🙂
Molly says
So delicious and easy. Just takes some time to cook but perfect for an afternoon at home. Massive hit in our house!
Emilie Pullar says
Yay thanks so much Molly!! 🙂
Robyn says
Delicious, I did it in the slow cooker with lamb shanks and had it over gnocchi, it was really good.
Emilie Pullar says
Yummm! Gnocchi is such a good choice for it. Thanks so much for making it 🙂
Erin says
This ragu is beautiful! I did it in the slow cooker and it needed a bit longer. The flavour is perfect and fell apart beautifully
Mariah says
I just tried this recipe for dinner tonight and it was an absolute hit for our family! Really easy to make and delicious. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Mariah, thanks so much for making it!! So glad you enjoyed 🙂