The Easiest Lamb Ragu
A simple, hearty sauce makes for The Easiest Lamb Ragu pasta dish, perfectly paired with pappardelle pasta and served with hot crunchy bread.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine, pappardelle or other long, wide noodle
- 1 pound ground lamb
- Salt
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ cup dry white wine, optional
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- 12 oz artichokes, drained, quartered if necessary (about 1½ cups)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup fresh mint
- ⅓ cup fresh basil
- Pecorino cheese or Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to package directions, until al dente (about 1 minutes less). Reserve 1½ cups pasta water and drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat, add the ground lamb, spreading it out and cooking undisturbed until deeply browned underneath, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain off any fat.
- Season with salt, add the tomato paste, garlic and red pepper, then break the meat into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon, stirring and cooking additional 2 to 4 minutes. Add the wine, and stir, scraping up browned bits, until reduced by half.
- Next, add the cherry tomatoes and cook 2 to 4 minutes. Smash some of the tomatoes and add the reserved ½ cup pasta water and the artichokes and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.
- When the pasta is ready, add the butter and pasta to the Dutch oven, stirring and adding more of pasta water if needed, until the right consistency you are looking for. Again season to taste with salt and red pepper, stirring in most of the mint and basil.
- Add a tiny bit of fresh grated Pecorino cheese or Parmesan for serving, and a sprinkle of herbs to enjoy!
Notes
What dry white wine to use: usually a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscadet, or Pinot Grigio.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 548kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 113mg, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 986mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1279IU, Vitamin C: 46mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 5mg