This hearty Lamb Ragu Pappardelle recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Thick, wide pappardelle noodles are coated with a rich, savory ground lamb ragu sauce.
When we’re in the thick of comfort food season, there’s nothing more I love than a big huge pot of pasta with a thick, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs sauce.
Enter Lamb Ragu Pappardelle.
A rich, savory sauce is tossed with wide ribbons of pappardelle pasta that perfectly soaks up all the delicious flavors. The deep flavors of lamb, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs create a meal that feels cozy and indulgent.
This dish is a great option for fall and winter family dinners because it’s comforting, flavorful, and easy enough to make at home. At the same time, it’s elegant enough to serve at dinner parties and gatherings if you’re entertaining guests.
If you’re looking for the ultimate cozy and comforting pasta dish, this Lamb Ragu Pappardelle recipe is it!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
This Lamb Ragu Pappardelle is a must-try for fall and winter dinners. It’s hearty, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to make!
You’ll love this recipe because it’s:
- Easy yet impressive: While it sounds gourmet, lamb ragu is relatively simple to prepare. So it’s a great choice for home cooks looking to impress without a lot of fuss.
- Warm and comforting: The combination of ground lamb, hearty tomatoes, and slow-simmered herbs creates a rich sauce that’s perfect for chilly fall and winter nights.
- Make-ahead option: This dish only gets better with time, so you can prepare the ragu ahead of time, making dinner even easier to serve.
- Flexible serving options: Pair with pappardelle or your favorite pasta. Use other ground meats or cuts of lamb instead of ground lamb.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Pappardelle: This wide, long pasta shape holds the rich sauce so well. But you can also use other long pasta shapes, such as fettuccine or linguini.
- Ground lamb: This is the star of the dish, offering a rich meaty flavor that pairs beautifully with the tomatoes and herbs. Ground lamb is easier to work with than traditional cuts and allows for quicker cooking while still delivering deep flavor.
- Tomatoes: Use a combination of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste for a well-rounded sauce. The crushed tomatoes give body, while the paste adds richness.
- Mirepoix: The classic mirepoix trio of ingredients – carrots, celery, onions – are the flavor base of this dish. Plus, of course, lots of garlic!
- Broth: Use beef broth (either homemade or store-bought) as the flavorful liquid that infuses the lamg ragu with big, rich, depth of flavor.
- Herbs: Thyme and bay leaves are essential for enhancing the earthy flavors of the lamb. Don’t skip these!
- Red wine: A splash of red wine adds depth to the sauce, balancing the sweetness of the tomatoes and the richness of the lamb.
- Olive oil: Use a high quality extra-virgin olive oil to sauté the mirepoix + garlic, and to brown the lamb.
- Salt & pepper: Use kosher salt and ground black pepper to season to taste.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
You’ll find more detailed instructions as well as the full list of ingredients with measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. But here are some step-by-step photos for my fellow visual learners out there!
- Heat oil in a large skillet, cast iron pan, or non-stick pan. Add the carrots, celery, and onions. Saute until the veggies are soft.
- Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, for 1 more minute.
- Add the tomato paste, stir.
- Add the ground lamb and cook, using the wooden spoon to break apart the meat as it cooks.
- Add the beef broth, then the crushed tomatoes. Stir.
- Add in the bay leaves and thyme leaves. I like to tie these into a little bundle using kitchen twine. This makes it easier to fish them out before serving.
- While the ragu sauce is cooking, cook the pappardelle pasta in a large pot filled with boiling water.
- When the ragu sauce has thickened, remove the bundle of herbs.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce.
- Stir in the noodles to fully coat them with the sauce and cook all together for just a few minutes. Serve.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Yes! While pappardelle’s wide noodles are perfect for soaking up the sauce, you can substitute it with other pasta like tagliatelle or fettuccine. Even rigatoni works well for a different texture.
Absolutely. In fact, the flavors improve when the ragu sits for a day or two. Simply refrigerate and reheat on the stovetop when ready to serve. I LOVE leftovers of this dish!
While lamb gives the ragu its distinct, rich flavor, you can substitute ground beef, pork, or even a mixture of the two. Keep in mind, the flavor profile will be slightly different.
Yes! Store in a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bags in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
🍽 Serving ideas
This is such a wonderful hearty meal in the fall or winter, but we truly enjoy it year-round. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this yummy pasta dish:
- With a fresh salad: Serve your Lamb Ragu Pappardelle with a simple arugula salad to balance the richness of the dish.
- Add some garlic bread: Crispy garlic bread is a perfect accompaniment for soaking up any extra sauce.
- With roasted vegetables: Add some roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots for a seasonal vegetable side.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
You will most definitely want to pair this lamb ragu pappardelle with a big, bold, dry red wine. My two wine pairing picks:
Chianti: The earthy and slightly tart notes of a Chianti are the perfect match for the savory lamb and tomato-based ragu.
Syrah: For something a bit bolder, a Syrah’s dark fruit and peppery undertones complement the richness of the lamb, enhancing the overall flavors of the dish.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you’ll need:
- Large pot for pasta
- Cast iron enameled pan for the sauce
- Wooden spoon
More pasta recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Lamb Ragu Pappardelle
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 sprigs thyme
- 12 ounces pappardelle
- chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese, for serving.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and celery for about 2-3 minutes, just until they are soft and fragrant.
- Add the garlic and stir, sautéing for 1 more minute.
- Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook together for about 2 minutes, just to slightly caramelize the vegetables.
- Add the lamb then season with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon or meat chopper to break up the meat and stir with the vegetables. Cook for 5-8 minutes to brown the meat.
- Pour in the red wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon.
- Add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs, and stir.
- Add about a tablespoon or two of water to the emptied can of crushed tomatoes, swirl it around to catch any remaining tomatoes, and pour into the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook on a low simmer for about 25-30 minutes, just until the sauce has thickened. Stir regularly during this time.
- In the meantime, add water to a large pot, bring to a boil, and cook pappardelle pasta according to package directions.
- When the sauce is done, remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme and discard. Serve the sauce over the pasta (or toss the pappardelle into the pot with the sauce) and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
