📋 Braised Shank Lamb Ragu

Shank lamb ragu has much more flavor and texture than a lamb ragu made with meat only. The bone and its connective tissues add richness to the sauce, creating a creamy consistency and intense aroma. Braised with carrots, onion, and celery, it can be blended with red wine or Marsala. Serve it with pasta, polenta or rice for a rich winter meal.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian, lamb, ragu

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 409kcal

Author Laura Tobin

Equipment

Ingredients

1 shank of lamb with the bone
1 onion diced
1 carrot diced
1 celery stalk diced
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 brown beef stock cube
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb homemade tomato sauce
½ cup red wine optional
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 tablespoon salt for the pasta

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

From a leg of lamb remove the top chunky meat that you can cook on the barbecue and keep the bone and the lower part of the meat which is usually more stringy.
1 shank of lamb
Stir-fry the diced onion, carrot and celery to make a soffritto
1 onion diced, 1 carrot diced, 1 celery stalk diced, 3 tablespoon olive oil
Once the vegetables are slightly cooked, add the meat and sear on all sides
Braise the meat until it is all brown, adding a sprig of rosemary and a half cup of red wine (optional)
½ cup red wine, 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Add the tomato sauce and the beef stock, stir and close the pressure pan
1 lb homemade tomato sauce, 1 brown beef stock cube
The lamb has to cook for only 35 minutes in the pressure cooker.
If you are using a normal pan, simmer it with a lid for 2 hrs
Place the lamb ragu in a serving dish and remove the meat from the bone. It will be very tender.
If you are serving the lamb ragu with pasta, add some sauce to it as soon as the pasta is ready and stir to season.
1 lb rigatoni pasta, 1 tablespoon salt
Serve the rest of the ragu on a serving plate and guests can top up more meat and sauce over the pasta

Video

Notes

If you buy a leg of lamb, you can use the leaner meat to make arrosticini and the meat closer to the bone to make this ragu
The meat remaining on the bone of the leg of lamb is more stringy, and it is best stewed for a long time
The lamb has to cook for only 35 minutes in the pressure cooker.
If you are using a normal pan, simmer it with a lid for 2 hrs
Red wine is optional but highly recommended
Once the pasta is ready, it should be seasoned with the sauce immediately. More sauce can be added to the single plates at the table.
Read how to cook pasta like an Italian for more information.

Nutrition