A really quick and easy recipe, this delicious Italian style Leftover Lamb Ragu is the perfect way to make the most of your lamb leftovers. In fact this recipe is so good it’s worth buying extra lamb just to make sure you have plenty left over!
It’s no secret that I love lamb – I am a huge fan of this delicious meat and I am really looking forward to cooking up a lovely joint of lamb this Easter. But the thing about lovely celebratory meals is there is always lots of yummy leftovers.
I wanted to create a recipe this year that would be perfect for using up leftover lamb – making the most of a delicious joint, whilst keeping it nice and simple and suitable for a weeknight.
This recipe is not just perfect for Easter leftovers, but also for when you have leftovers from your Sunday lunch (or even if you have a cheeky roast lamb dinner midweek!).
And if you don’t have any leftover lamb spare, don’t worry – you can easily ‘create’ some leftovers by quickly frying up a couple of lamb leg steaks.
Simply pan fry the lamb leg steaks for 3-4 minutes each side. Rest for 5-10 minutes, then chop into small pieces and continue with the rest of the recipe.
A ragu normally takes an hour or more gently bubbling away on the stove, but using leftovers means this lamb ragu can be done in less than half an hour – perfect for midweek cooking.
Even better, if you have a lot of lamb leftovers you could make a big batch of this and freeze some for another day – making an even speedier meal!
I wanted to make this meal feel like a bit of a treat so I cooked up some delicious Napolina Egg Pappardelle to serve with it, but this fab lamb ragu would work with any pasta shape – so go with whatever you have in the cupboard!
For me the best wine to go with this would be a Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, but a Southern French Grenache/Syrah blend such as Cotes du Rhone or Cotes du Roussillon would also work well here. You could even add a splash of red wine to the ragu for extra richness, if you wish!
Need more ideas for your roast lamb leftovers?
Need more ideas? Check out my collection of easy leftover roast lamb recipes >>>
Prefer to use lamb mince?
Then why not try my Easy Lamb Bolognese?
Leftover Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced finely
- 1 carrot diced finely
- 1 stick of celery diced finely
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 600 g cooked lamb leftovers chopped into bitesize pieces
- 350 ml passata (or a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes)
- 300 ml lamb stock (from a cube is fine)
- 3 dried bay leaves (or a couple of sprigs of rosemary or thyme, if you prefer)
- Salt and pepper
- 250 g pappardelle (or any pasta shape you like)
- Parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, onion, carrot and celery in a wide saucepan or sauté pan and cook over a gentle heat with a lid on for 5 minutes until softened. Stir occasionally.
- Add the garlic and lamb and cook for a further 2 minutes over a low heat.
- Add the passata (or chopped tomatoes), lamb stock, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer (with no lid) for 15 minutes until the sauce is nicely thickened.
- Meanwhile cook your pasta according to packet instructions and drain, reserving a little cooking water
- When the sauce is ready, toss the pappardelle in the sauce along with a little of the cooking water and serve with parmesan cheese to grate on the top, if you wish.
Notes
Need advice on how to buy and cook lamb for Easter? Check out these fab tips from an experienced butcher…
Love Lamb? Check out my collection of Easy & Delicious Lamb Recipes
Pin Leftover Lamb Ragu for later
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Mandy says
Another gorgeous looking recipe Eb – I haven’t cooked with pappardelle for absolutely ages, probably years, and now I’m definitely adding this to next week’s shopping list. Thanks for the inspiration x
Eb Gargano says
Pappardelle is lovely – one of my favourite pasta shapes! The Napolina one is especially nice – I love how rough and rustic it is!! Eb x
Anne Marie says
Excellent recipe. I used dried oregano and feta cheese instead of Parmesan. Also added a tablespoon of milk mixed with ketchup in last 10 minutes and a spoon of red pepper relish. Delicious thank you!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Anne Marie. So pleased you enjoyed it and love the sound of your adaptations! Eb 🙂
c says
This sounds delicious and so simple. I live in house full boys, so there’s not often much left over food – especially lamb. But I think your idea to buy extra is a great one and then it’s ideal for an easy and quick mid week meal. Pinning this! #brilliantblogposts
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks! Yes, sometimes it’s good to make extra for leftovers, and then you have a guaranteed easy peasy meal to look for the day after!! Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I bet there will be a lot of leftover lamb over the next week! I love leftovers, they are often better the following day. Sorry for the late commenting and thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Haha…yes, almost certainly! And you are so right about them often being even better the next day!! Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Looks absolutely delicious Eb. I love lamb too. and do sometimes have some left over so shall pin the recipe to try later
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jacqui – it is pretty scrummy 🙂 It’s great to have a few good leftovers recipes on standby for when you make too much (which happens on purpose quite a bit for me!) Eb x
Corina says
What a lovely recipe for using up leftover roast lamb and that papardelle looks delicious too! Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Corina…this is such a lovely way to use up leftover lamb…AND you can make extra of the ragu to freeze for another day, making it a Cook Once, Eat Thrice kind of a meal!! 😀 Eb x
Jo says
3.4.18 just made with left over lamb roast – delicious ! Thank you ??
Eb Gargano says
Yay! So pleased you enjoyed it. And thanks so much for letting me know. Eb 🙂
Julie says
Great recipe, I substituted the celery for some yellow pepper as I didn’t have any. I diluted my home made gravy for the stock and added some red wine, it was delicious!
After the initial cooking I transferred it to my slow cooker and left on low so it’d be perfect when I came home in the evening. I’m not usually a leftover lamb fan but will definitely make this again!!
Eb Gargano says
Thank you so much, Julie, for this lovely review. I love the adaptations you made…especially cooking it in the slow cooker – fab idea! And so pleased to hear it has changed your mind about leftover lamb – that’s wonderful news! Eb 🙂
Natalie says
This was a complete hit with my family, which is not an easy task! Great and really tasty way to use up leftover roast lamb.
Eb Gargano says
Thank you so much for this lovely comment! I am so pleased you all liked it so much. And thank you so much for taking the time to let me know – really makes me happy to know my meals are being enjoyed!! Eb 🙂
Greatness Reinvented says
Yummy this looks really tasty. I usually use beef but think I might give lamb a go.
https://www.thegreat.uk/
Eb Gargano says
So pleased you like it! Yes, beef is more usual – but lamb works so well. Definitely worth a try!! Eb 🙂
Sal T says
I was looking for something other than curry to do with Sunday’s leftover lamb leg. This was a proper crowd pleaser, the whole family wolfed it down. I didn’t have celery but that didn’t matter & added a splash of red wine. Delicious
Eb Gargano says
Thanks so much for this lovely comment, Sal – I am delighted you and your family liked it so much. Love the idea of adding a splash of red wine! Eb x
Heather says
Great recipe!
I had only half the amount of meat called for and it was plenty!
I added 1/2 cup of chicken stock (what I had on hand) and 1/4 cup of red wine. I let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
I used a whole box of Penne (454 grams)- again what I had on hand, and cooked only until very al-dente.
I added 2 Tbsp of butter after combining the pasta with the sauce and pasta water, cooked on Medium heat for 5 min then covered off heat for 5 min to thicken the sauce.
So delicious!!
I will use this recipe with any leftover meats- pork, venison, beef, duck, rabbit, turkey.
Thank you!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Heather! So pleased to hear you enjoyed this recipe and love your adaptations – sounds delicious. Great idea too to use this recipe for other meats! Eb 🙂
Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed says
I’ve been eyeing up this recipe for ages, finally got to make it tonight with the leftover lamb from our Easter roast. It was delicious! Xx
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – delighted to hear that! Eb 🙂
Mary says
Made this tonight but, instead of pasta, I served it over spaghetti squash. YUM!!! This will definitely be on my lamb calendar from now on. Good work.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so happy to hear that. Thank you for this lovely feedback, Mary, and especially for the 5 STARS! Eb 🙂
Ana says
I love this recipie just doubled on a couple of ingredients using same amount of lamb. I simmer the sauce for about 1 hour, double the carrots and celery, 500ml beef stock, 350ml Passata and 250ml of chopped tomatoes ? Ate about half between myself and my bf, and froze the rest! Very yummy ?
Eb Gargano says
Aw, lovely to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much. Eb 🙂
Sarah says
Amazing! And super easy.
Eb Gargano says
Hi Sarah – I am so happy to hear this 😀 Thanks for this lovely feedback! Eb 🙂
Scott silver says
This worked excellently for me. I happened to have some lamb balls and lamb chops. I quartered the lamb balls and cut the meat off the chops. I had to scrape off the coating on the chops first (some mustard/panko) combination.
Thanks a lot for posting this. My family of loved this.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this so much. Eb 🙂
Amanda says
We had so much left over lamb from Christmas I just didn’t know what to do with it so I Googled and this was the first recipe that came up. I made it, I didn’t have celery or bay leaves and I left the carrot out due to a fussy eater and it was bloody delicious. Both of my boys smashed back a bowl full and went back for seconds. I made with GF penne pasta as I am coeliac and it really was amazing. I’ll definitely make again. ???❤
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! Thank you so much for this lovely comment and 5* rating 😀 I am so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this so much. Eb 🙂
Aly says
I just made this, using diluted leftover lamb gravy instead of stock. It was gorgeous, the flavours could fool you into thinking it had been left cooking away for hours.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – I am delighted to hear you like this recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Eb 🙂
Theresa says
Tried this for the first time, did not add the celery?, it was really nice. Would make this again, think I will try with leftover chicken and add chicken stock.
Eb Gargano says
Yay – I’m so glad to hear you likes this! And great idea to make it with chicken too. Eb 🙂
Lynn Clifford says
Just found this recipe and it looks delicious! Where would I get lamb stock? We grilled our lamb so I didn’t have any sauce. Help! I want to make this tonight. ?
Eb Gargano says
Thank you! I just use lamb stock cubes from the supermarket. If you can’t get lamb stock cubes, use beef stock cubes instead – it works just as well! Eb 🙂
KT says
I just googled “What to do with leftover lamb” and this was the recipe that I found. I made it even easier by putting the veggies through a small food processor, as well as the lamb and garlic, separately. Unfortunately I had half the amount of lamb, but when minced, it went further. It was a lovely ragù! Excellent taste! Would definitely make this one again.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this so much 😀
Linda Colista says
Rarely comment on recipes, but this one was so delicious that I had to tell you so. Lamb Broth, not so easy to find in the US, so I used Chicken Stock; otherwise, I followed the recipe as written and it was brilliant! Hubby and I enjoyed half and put the remainder in the freezer. Thank you Eb
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for such a lovely review… and especially the 5 star rating! Eb 🙂
Deborah Garner says
Had a dinner party last night and had perfect amount of leftover lamb to make this dish. Used the bones from the leftover racks to make lamb stock which really took the dish over the top. This ragu was absolutely delicious – made as written. Tried to post pic but couldn’t figure it out.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review… and especially for the 5 star rating! I’d love to see your pic. Unfortunately you can’t post pictures here in the comments section. But if you want to share a picture with me, just share it on Twitter or Instagram and tag me @easypeasyfoodie Eb 🙂
Tony Randolph says
My wife and I had a lovely bit of Welsh lamb for a Sunday roast and I found your recipe while looking for something different to use up the leftovers. Was absolutely delighted with how delicious it turned out to be. This dish is a case of the whole being better than the sum of its parts which most good recipes tend to be. Thank you for this little gem!
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy to hear this. Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely review – and especially for the 5* rating! 😀
Amy Valenzuela says
This recipe is simly amazing! I had lefover rack of lamb from Christmas dinner and it was an excellent way to use the lamb meat, Since I had the rack bones, I decided to go ahead and make lamb stock which I think elevated the richness in flavor. I didnt have any celery, but I used leftover maple grilled carrots/parsnips innstead.. Wow. I am so glad I found your recipe and I highly recommend it to your other readers
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – I am so happy to hear this! Thank you for this lovely review… and especially the 5* rating! 😀
Michelle Butt says
Absolutely delicious recipe, we had left over bbq’d forequarter lamb chops , added broccoli, dash of Worcestershire sauce, used canned tomatoes with basil and oregano, fresh rosemary, bay leaves, added a Birds Eye chilli and served with curly fettuccine. Totally recommend this recipe, thanks for sharing 🙏
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review… and especially the 5* rating! 😀
Brian says
Question about letting the already-cooked lamb simmer in the sauce for 15 or 20 minutes: won’t that make the meat overdone and tough? The leftover leg of lamb roast that I will be using is between rare and medium rare, but I am afraid to cook it more lest I risk over cooking it. Any thoughts?
Eb Gargano says
It doesn’t come out overdone/tough if you cook it this way. But if you prefer to keep your lamb medium rare, you can add the lamb right at the end. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Linda says
Excellent easy dish made by this fairly novice cook! loved the idea for leftover lamb and added red wine to provide extra flavor. i couldnt find any Lamb Broth in stores so i just used beef broth, and a small beef bouillon cube and seemed to work out fine. But i would be curious to try it w the lamb stock sometime if i can find some!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thank you so much for this lovely review! Great to hear you liked it so much 😀
Frau Virtin says
This ragu sauce is a hearty, traditional masterpiece that every pastalover will adore! Rich in flavor and slow-cooked to perfection, it’s like a warm embrace in a bowl. A true classic that brings comfort and nostalgia to the table—highly recommend! 🍝
Eb Gargano says
Aw yay – I am so happy to hear you liked it so much! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
Susan Kay says
I only have 300g of leftover lamb and fresh tagliatelle, d’you think that would still work?
Susan Kay says
I only have 300g of leftover lamb and fresh tagliatelle. D’you think the recipe would still work?