Doing lunch today for SIL (who is plastering our ceiling) and DP, using lamb mince from the freezer stash, it occurred to me that I could do something similar to the trio of recipes I did recently using beef mince.
I did a beef ragu using a 500g pack of mince and made cottage pie, lasagna and Bolognese with it. Each recipe is for 2, so 6 portions from the 500g pack.
I have made before a shepherds pie using the surplus from a roasted leg of lamb using Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe from his Meat book. Using roast meat does taste better than using mince, so if you are ever in the lucky position of having any, this is a great recipe for that.
Heavens, looking up the Amazon link it tells me that I bought it in 2005, didn’t realise it was that long ago.
My version of this recipe is:-
What do I need to make lamb ragu
Priced at Asda, 1Dec24
500g pk of lamb mince, £5.50
2 onions 99p/kg, 20p
2 carrots, 200g, 65p/kg, 13p
garlic, 39p a bulb, 5p
tbslp tomato ketchup, Asda own brand, £1.45/970g, 2p
2 tsps worcestershire sauce, Asda brand, £1.20/150ml, 8p
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper or Aleppo pepper
Total price for the ragu £5.98 which makes a total of 2 portions if shepherds pie, 2 portions of moussaka and 4 portions of ragu pasta, so 8 portions altogether
How to make lamb ragu
- Put the sliced onions and garlic in a frying pan with a tblsp of oil and fry until transparent.
- Add the diced carrots and continue to cook for a few minutes.
- Add the lamb mince (ground lamb) and fry gently, stirring and breaking up the lamb
- Add the other flavourings. Cook gently until everything is ready. Add a splash of water if it looks like drying out.
- Long gentle simmering really helps the flavour
- Hugh adds a glass of red wine, if you have any, it would add great flavour.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. More acidity? Use a bit more ketchup. Perhaps more salt, or pepper
- Add more ketchup, some mustard, some redcurrant jelly or similar, depending on what it needs.
- Add enough water to make a loose mix if it needs it
- Add extra flavour with any or all of
- a tsp of ground cumin
- a bay leaf
- a tsp of mild or hot paprika
- a chopped chilli or a pinch of chill flakes or chilli powder
- a tblsp of fresh thyme leaves or a tsp of dried
- a tblsp of fresh oregano leaves or a tsp of dried
What else can I make with lamb ragu
Put the remaining 2 portions of ragu in the fridge or freezer, and we’ll use them over the next few days. Definitely moussaka for one third.
And the last third of ragu? Not sure yet. Over pasta maybe, like the bolognese ragu? Or how about a pastry pie, we haven’t done one of those with lamb before here. I love pies me, as you can tell by one look at me!
Or we could have it with some rice or couscous.
Frankly, any of those options sounds good to me
Or of course, make three of the same recipe if you prefer. Say, three shepherds pies, or three lamb ragu and pasta.
Ingredients
Lamb ragu
- 500 g lamb mince £5.50
- 2 onions 99p/kg, 20p
- 200 g carrots 65p/kg, 13p
- 1 clove garlic 5p
- 1 tblsp tomato ketchup Asda own brand, £1.45/970g, 2p
- 2 tsps worcestershire sauce Asda brand, £1.20/150ml, 8p
- 25 g cheddar grated, about £4.80/kg, 12p
- 2 tsps salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Total price for the ragu £5.98 which makes a total of 2 portions if shepherds pie, 2 portions of moussaka and 4 portions of ragu pasta, so 8 portions altogether
Instructions
- Put the sliced onions and garlic in a frying pan with a tblsp of oil and fry until transparent.
- Add the diced carrots and continue to cook for a few minutes.
- Add the lamb mince (ground lamb) and fry gently, stirring and breaking up the lamb
- Add the other flavourings.
- Cook gently until everything is ready.
- Add a splash of water if it looks like drying out.
- Long gentle simmering really helps the flavour
- Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. More acidity? Use a bit more ketchup. Perhaps more salt, or pepper.Add more ketchup, some mustard, some redcurrant jelly or similar, depending on what it needs. Add enough water to make a loose mix if it needs it
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Add extra flavour with any or all of
- a tsp of ground cumin
- a bay leaf
- a tsp of mild or hot paprika
- a chopped chilli or a pinch of chill flakes or chilli powder
- a tblsp of fresh thyme leaves or a tsp of dried
- a tblsp of fresh oregano leaves or a tsp of dried
Ooh, yes, chilli, that’s a good one
I get the same 3 meals from a packet of mince; shepherds pie, spaghetti bollognaise and a chile-con-carne served with either rice or baked potato.