Quick Lamb Ragu – Easy Mid-Week Dinner

My recipe for Quick Lamb Ragu is a fast and tasty weeknight-friendly lamb ragu recipe, using lamb mince (ground lamb). Lamb ragu in 1 hour!

This Quick Lamb Ragu recipe is one for all those lamb ragu lovers that are looking for a weeknight ragu fix, and don’t have time for a long, slow-cooked ragu. Made with lamb mince (ground lamb) you could be eating this quick lamb ragu in an hour.

This lamb ragu is packed with plenty of spices and herbs to bring a real flavour punch, plus I use bacon to give it some smoky depth despite the (relatively!) short cooking time compared to a ragu that is slow-cooked.

Ingredients you will need for this quick lamb ragu recipe

• Lamb mince (ground lamb)
• Bacon rashers – chopped
• Olive oil
• Brown onion – diced
• Carrot – finely diced
• Garlic cloves – crushed/minced
• Ground cumin
• Fennel seeds – ground
• Fresh rosemary – finely chopped
• Red wine
• Beef stock
• Tomato passata (pureed tomato) – see my top tips below
• Salt and pepper to taste

*please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions

How to make lamb ragu

• In a heavy-based pot, heat olive oil then add onion and carrot – see Image 1.
• Fry on medium-low heat until softened, then add garlic and fry for another minute – see Image 2.

• Add lamb mince, bacon, ground cumin, ground fennel seeds, and rosemary to the pot – see Image 3.
• Fry over medium-high heat until lamb is no longer pink and most of the liquid has cooked off, then add red wine – see image 4.

• Simmer until the wine is reduced – about 2-3 minutes, then add passata and beef stock – see Image 5.
• Simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve – see Image 6.

What to serve with lamb ragu?

• Pasta
• Gnocchi
• Polenta
• Mashed potatoes
• Top with parmesan or smooth ricotta cheese – yum!
• Bread for mopping – of course!

My top tips for making my quick lamb ragu recipe

• Passata is a thick tomato puree (not tomato paste), basically like canned tomatoes that have already been pureed. It works really well in recipes like this is because you get a thick, rich tomato-based sauce without the extra cooking time that would be needed for canned tomatoes to break down.
• You may think beef stock is a strange ingredient to pair with lamb, as a lot of recipes would call for chicken stock instead. I prefer to use beef stock because I think the more robust flavours of beef stock really match the strong flavour of the lamb giving you a rich, full-bodied end product. 
• Please don’t skip the time that is needed to cook off most of the liquid that is released from the lamb mince as it fries. This will really concentrate the flavour and will make a big difference to the finished dish.
• I use a pestle & mortar to grind up the fennel seeds. The reason I do this is because I can’t buy fennel seeds already ground-up here in Australia! If you have this product where you live then feel free to use it. You will need less than 1 tsp in this case because it’s already ground.

Other lamb recipes you may like

Lamb & Mushroom Ragu – a rich & meaty, slow-cooked lamb shank ragu packed with vegetables. Just stir through some pasta for a complete meal!

Braised Lamb Shanks with Giant Couscous – this is a one-pot dinner of fall-off-the-bone tender lamb, with a smoky fennel & couscous stew.

Lamb Pasta Bake – Mac & Cheese using leftover lamb! – my version of mac and cheese made with leftover lamb. One big pan of cheesy deliciousness with crunchy bread on top!

Lamb Sausage Pasta with Tomato & Basil – a delightfully tasty combination brought together with a creamy sauce and topped with fresh parmesan.

Red Wine & Garlic Lamb Shanks – meltingly tender red wine lamb shanks with meat that falls off the bone, smothered in a red wine and garlic sauce. Food heaven!