Nigella Lawson’s Slow-cooked Lamb Ragu with Pasta topped with ricotta cheese, fresh mint, and fresh parsley

Yes! I found an excellent slow cooker recipe! So many slow cooker/crock pot recipes leave me less than satisfied somehow. I’m on a serious quest for excellent slow cooker recipes. Not simply a  good recipe. Nope, I’m on the hunt for one that is a main course impressive enough to serve to guests. If you have such a recipe, please post it below right away and I promise you, I will make it right away!

I saw a clip of the Domestic Goddess herself Nigella Lawson on the Rachael Ray Show, preparing ground lamb for a Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragu with Pasta. Three things got my attention right away — Nigella said: i) the recipe was inspired by her trip to South India, where lamb was combined with mint; ii) one can add maple syrup (I’m Canadian, enough said); and iii) in the last 30 min of cooking time, the recipe calls for adding uncooked pasta to the slow cooker.

Love it. I love recipes that are inspired by anything Indian and I love recipes that are honestly “one-pot recipes” whereby you can add raw ingredients like rice or pasta and cook everything together.

Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson on the Rachael Ray Show preparing slow-cooked lamb ragu with pasta (Photo Source: rachaelrayshow.com)

Our good friend Claire is in New York City this week attending a conference and came up to Harlem to have dinner with us. Claire is a lovely, sassy Brit living in Washington, D.C. and we miss her very much, so look forward to seeing her anytime we can. As we lit some candles and sat down to dinner to catch-up like only old friends can, we dipped our forks into the al dente gemelli enveloped by the slow-cooked lamb ragu. The sweetness of the lamb and maple syrup, the tang of the tomatoes, the bite of the crushed red chilli flakes, and the creaminess of the ricotta were brought home by the fresh mint and parsley. It was exactly as Nigella said — I could absolutely taste the Indian inspiration, it reminded me of my lamb kebabs that are marinated in fresh mint and then served with mint chutney. At the same time, it was clearly not an Indian dish, but clearly an Italian-Mediterranean ragu. I loved it, Sean loved it, and Claire loved it. I told them I would share it with you immediately. File this away folks, for the next time you have guests on your doorstep and need an excellent slow cooker recipe.

Barilla’s Gemelli Pasta — I find this is the perfect pasta for any type of bolognese or ragu (Photo Source: barilla.com)

Nigella’s Indian-inspired Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragu with Pasta (adapted)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
• 2 small onions (or 1 large onion), chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried mint
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ lb ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 – 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (yes, 3 cans)
• 2 cups water
• 2 ½ cups gemelli (or macaroni)
• Fresh ricotta cheese (2-3 heaping tablespoons per serving; you can also use feta or goat cheese)
• Fresh mint, finely chopped
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil on the stove. Add chopped onion and garlic, cooking over medium heat until it begins to soften.
2. Add dried mint, dried oregano, and crushed chilli flakes stirring stirring over the heat, and then add the ground lamb to the skillet, breaking it up  with a wooden fork or spoon until it begins to lose its pinkness.
3. Add maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Remove from heat and empty lamb mixture into your slow cooker insert.
4. Add diced tomatoes and water and combine gently.
5. Cover and cook for 8 hours on LOW OR 4 hours on HIGH. When there is 20 minutes remaining, add uncooked gemelli and stir, then close the lid and let it continue cooking for 18-20 minutes (Nigella’s recipe says 25 minutes but I like my pasta more al dente, so it’s a matter of preference — dip your fork in and see if you like the bite of the pasta, and remove it from the slow cooker insert immediately (on to a platter) so it doesn’t keep cooking/overcook).
6. Serve immediately by plating each serving topped with a generous amount of fresh ricotta cheese and finely chopped fresh mint and fresh parsley. Devour immediately!

I took this photo with my right hand while holding my 9-month old baby in my left arm — all new mothers and fathers out there will appreciate the different ways we multitask!

Recipe adapted from Slow-Cooker Lamb and Pasta