Go Back
–+ servings
A bowl of lamb bolognese with pappardelle and a fork, next to the cast iron skillet and a bowl of extra lamb sauce.
Print Recipe Add to Collection
Rate this Recipe!

Lamb Bolognese

You've made beef meat sauce a hundred times, so you already know how to make this one. Grab American ground lamb instead and let your table figure out what changed.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 (4 hearty bowls, or 6 smaller servings)
Calories: 835kcal
Author: Abi Gunasekaran

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Lamb Bolognese

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb ground lamb Freedom Run Farm American lamb recommended
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup red wine
  • 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

For the Pasta

  • 12 oz pappardelle pasta or tagliatelle
  • Kosher salt for pasta water
  • 1/2 to 1 cup reserved pasta water

For Serving

  • Fresh parsley chopped
  • Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Cook the Vegetables

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
    Finely diced onion, carrots and celery softening in olive oil in a cast iron skillet, stirred with a wooden spoon.

Add the Garlic

  • Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Brown the Lamb

  • Add the ground lamb and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned.
    A block of ground lamb set on top of the softened onion, carrots and celery in the cast iron skillet, ready to brown.

Add the Tomato Paste

  • Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to deepen the flavor.

Deglaze with Wine

  • Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the wine is slightly reduced.

Build the Sauce

  • Add the crushed tomatoes, fresh thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Stir well.
    Crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, fresh thyme, salt and pepper added on top of the browned lamb and vegetables in the skillet.

Simmer

  • Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and rich.
    The lamb bolognese sauce just stirred together in the cast iron skillet, with pappardelle nests waiting behind it.

Cook the Pasta

  • Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle or tagliatelle according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
    Cooked pappardelle ribbons in the pot, ready to drain.

Finish the Bolognese

  • Remove the bay leaves. Stir the heavy cream into the sauce and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
    Lamb bolognese simmered down until thick and rich in a cast iron skillet.

Combine

  • Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss gently to coat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the pasta.
    Drained pappardelle piled on top of the thick lamb bolognese in the cast iron skillet, ready to toss.

Serve

  • Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
    Pappardelle tossed in lamb bolognese in the skillet, topped with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Notes

  • Finely dice the onion, carrots, and celery so they melt into the sauce and create a smooth Bolognese texture.
  • Pappardelle or tagliatelle works best because the wide noodles hold the rich lamb sauce well.
  • Add the heavy cream at the end over low heat to soften the acidity of the tomatoes and make the sauce silky.
  • Reserve pasta water before draining; a splash helps loosen the sauce and makes it cling better to the noodles.
  • Storage: refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze the sauce without the pasta for up to 2 to 3 months. Reheat on the stove over low heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 835kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 901mg | Potassium: 1082mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 5756IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 6mg