For this year’s extended family Christmas dinner, our dear friends Jim and Margo were the hosts and served us boneless leg of lamb. With all the trimmings. Jim and I had attended a cooking class decades ago at an Italian restaurant in Redmond, Washington and together we had learned to prepare this fantastic lamb dish. You can find the recipe on this site – Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb. And truly, it remains the best recipe for boneless leg of lamb that I have ever tasted.  

Anyway, there were leftovers offered, so I brought home 4 big slices. But then, what to do with the lamb? Given my druthers, I almost always think Italian. So, how about a ragù. I mean really, who doesn’t love a ragù? And yes, I already had a lamb ragù recipe on my blog. (Lamb Ragù with Penne Pasta.)  But when examined, I didn’t have one of the main ingredients, so, I started over and came up with this recipe.

And I must say, this ragù came out perfect. And the exciting part was that the ragù sauce was so very delicious even before I added the lamb. In fact, it’s a miracle I didn’t “taste” the sauce to extinction before I ever added the lamb and pasta. It was just that good. And it had been exceedingly easy and fast to prepare. And contained ingredients I almost always had on hand. (Can’t beat that!) So, if you are a vegetarian, this recipe would work for you. Just leave out the meat. Duh!

And since I’m sure you were wondering, according to foodandwine.com, “Ragù is a class of Italian pasta sauces made with ground or minced meat, vegetables, and occasionally, tomatoes. Bolognese, for example, falls under the ragù umbrella”. 

So, there you have it. A ragù that is easy to fix and very tasty. And ever so versatile. You could easily use leftover beef, pork, or chicken in this recipe. Or go completely nuts and use baby goat. The options are endless. (Just let me know how this recipe works with baby goat. Since the chance of me ever having leftover baby goat is slim to nil.)

Well, that’s it for today. I feel like I’m still in recovery mode. Each year, the recovery period from all the fun and exciting holiday events is getting longer. 30 years ago, I could have bounced back and gone back to work with nary a backward glance. All I can see now for the immediate future is afternoon naps and thoughts of my pillow starting at about 8:30 pm.

But even with less energy and more time required to recover from all the fun, I still love the holidays. I love getting together with close friends and family. I love all the pretty holiday decorations both on the outside of houses and the Christmas trees that are on display through front room windows late at night. I love making homemade goodies for family and friends. I love how excited little kids get when they see Santa. Because I too am still a little kid when it comes to Santa.

But the best thing for me is seeing family and friends. Getting to spend time with people who have been a huge part of my life for decades. There is just nothing better than sharing the holidays with these loved ones even if it’s just for a short time.  

I hope you too had a chance to enjoy the company of loved ones this year. And that you can share your holidays and blessings with loved ones for many years to come.

Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ onion, chopped

⅓ c. shredded carrot

8-10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp. dried oregano

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. brown sugar

1 T. tomato paste

1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

2 T. water

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 c. finely diced leftover lamb (or meat of choice)  

1 c. rigatoni pasta, cooked al dente (or your favorite pasta shape)

grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, opt.

basil leaves, finely cut, opt.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion and grated carrot. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onion is softened and turning golden. Add the garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper; cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the brown sugar, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes to combine the flavors.

Just before serving, add the lamb and al dente pasta. Cook just until the lamb is hot.

Pass the grated cheese and basil. Great served with garlic bread.