Lamb Bolognese

4 from 1 vote

Lamb Bolognese is rich, savory, hearty, and luxurious. You'll love that you can enjoy a bowl of this Northern Italy-inspired comfort food in less than an hour with simple cooking steps. Serve with rigatoni or your favorite thick-cut egg pasta, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword ground lamb bolognese, ground lamb pasta recipe, ground lamb ragu, ground lamb spaghetti, ground lamb with pasta, italian ground lamb recipes, lamb bolognese, lamb bolognese recipe, lamb meat sauce, lamb pasta, lamb pasta sauce, lamb ragu, lamb ragu pasta, lamb spaghetti, lamb spaghetti bolognese, spaghetti with ground lamb, spicy lamb bolognese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 485kcal

Ingredients

Ground Lamb Bolognese

1 tablespoon olive oil virgin or extra virgin
1 lb ground lamb
salt and pepper
2 large celery stalks finely chopped
2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
2 large white onions finely chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken or beef stock
8 oz rigatoni
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoon unsalted butter divided

To Serve

freshly grated parmesan cheese
parsley chopped

Instructions

In a large pot with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add in the ground lamb with a heavy hand of salt and pepper, and stir occasionally, until it is crispy and brown. Remove from pot and drain excess fat.
Add half of the butter, and the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper and cook covered for 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce and dried thyme. Cook until the tomato paste gets slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the red wine and stock. Add the lamb back into the pan and cook for 20 more minutes on medium heat, stirring the lamb occasionally.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to the package directions in heavily salted water, reserving one cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
Stir the remaining butter, al dente rigatoni, and a cup of pasta water into the bolognese. Stir vigorously while cooking for 3 minutes to activate the starch from the pasta, creating a luxurious sauce
Remove from heat and stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste.
Serve the bolognese garnished with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.

Notes

Storage Directions:

Refrigeration: Leftover lamb bolognese keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Freezing: Freeze lamb bolognese in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost leftovers in the refrigerator for 12 hours or reheat on low heat in the microwave until warmed through.

Recipe Tips:

Cook the Pasta In Heavily Salted Water: Doing so brings out the flavor of the pasta, taking this recipe to new heights. Stir in at least 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of the cooking water, or until the water tastes like the sea.

Cook the Pasta Until Just Al Dente: The pasta should still have some good chew to it when drained. Cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes short of the suggested cooking time, or until it is tender but still firm.

Vigorously Stir in the Pasta and Pasta Water: Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir the pasta into the lamb sauce very vigorously, for 3 minutes, as it cooks so the starch can release from the pasta, creating a rich and sumptuous sauce.
Chopping Shortcut: To save time chopping, you can also use a food processor to mince the vegetables. Be sure to process the vegetables individually, however, as the onion will release its water and create a paste otherwise.
Spicy Lamb Bolognese: For a spicy interpretation of this recipe, add ½ - 1 teaspoon of red pepper chili flakes with the tomato paste and thyme. Follow the rest of the recipe directions as listed.

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