Easy Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu with Olives

A rich and delicious slow cooked lamb ragu with olives. Lamb leg is braised slowly in red wine, tomatoes and stock for an insanely amazing ragu for pasta. Olives add the perfect salty finishing touch to this absolute crowd pleaser dish. Serve with pasta, mashed potato, polenta or anything you love, just make it ASAP! The ultimate comfort food and a great recipe to make for friends and family.

Hello! HOW do I not have a lamb ragu recipe on my website, it's almost embarrassing! Off the back of the popularity of my White Pork Ragu and Beef Cheek Ragu here is my slow cooked lamb version. I was inspired to make this from a meal I had at my favourite restaurant Amano. I knew I had to recreate it for you asap and it's a really easy recipe to make.

Don't let the long cooking time put you off, it's mostly hands off time in the oven PLUS your house will smell amazing. The depth of flavor is incredible with slow cooking. I have gone for a classic Homemade Pappardelle Pasta because it just suits it perfectly. Use any pasta shape you like, fresh or dried.

Expert tips

• Take your time browning the lamb and make sure it gets some good colour on it. I get two fry pans going at the same time so the lamb isn't overcrowded.
• Use a food processor to finely chop the onion mixture, you don't want big chunks of the vegetables.
• Make the ragu ahead of time if you can. Meat sauces are always better the next day as the flavors have combined and settled.
• Add your pasta straight into the ragu to finish cooking. I undercook my pasta by a minute to make sure it is still al dente after bubbling away in the sauce for 1-2 minutes.

How to make slow cooked lamb ragu

Full ingredient list and method is in the recipe card below.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 mins more then add the red wine and let it reduce slightly.

4. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer.

5. Add the browned lamb pieces back in, cover and cook in the oven for 2 ½ hours.

6. Check the lamb is done by taking a piece out and seeing if it pulls apart easily.

7. Pull all the lamb pieces apart with forks.

8. Add the pulled lamb back in to sauce along with the olives.

9. 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. Finish with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese!

Try my Beef Short Rib Ragu

Looking for a beef version? Make sure you try this delicious ragu next!

Get the recipe

Tips for the pasta

Weigh your pasta portions

I know this might seem excessive but I ALWAYS weigh out pasta portions. A guaranteed perfect ratio of pasta to ragu. For dried I allow 100 grams per person and for fresh, 150 grams per person.

Cooking the pasta

If using dried pasta then undercook it by a minute so you can let it bubble away in the sauce for a minute or two. Pasta doesn't have a lot of flavor so by letting it cook in the sauce you allow it to take on some delicious meaty flavor. It's quite hard to overcook fresh pasta so cook it as normal and still add into the ragu.

Some other pasta dishes to try

If you loved this braised lamb ragu then check out my other meat sauces in my recipe section! My Best Bolognese Sauce is seriously outstanding if I may say so myself. For something much quicker my Delicious Sausage Pasta Bake is the way to go. I know I go on about it but if you haven't made my White Pork Ragu, you'll want to get on that asap.

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 with Olives

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5 from 4 votes

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:3 hours hours

Servings: 6 people

Print Recipe Pin Rate

A rich and absolutely delicious slow cooked lamb ragu with olives. Perfect with your favorite pasta or serve with polenta or mashed potato.

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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
• Pasta of your choice
• Parmesan to serve

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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!

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Course: Meat Sauces

Cuisine: Italian Inspired

Keyword: lamb ragu, pasta, slow cooking

Did you make this recipe?Tag @burntbuttertable on Instagram so we can see! Also please leave a review down below, it means the world!