This Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu is rich, slow cooked and deeply savoury, with fall-apart lamb shank meat simmered in rosé wine, tomato and herbs until silky and glossy. Tossed through wide ribbons of pappardelle and finished with parmesan and olive oil, it’s a comforting pasta that feels restaurant-quality but is surprisingly simple to make at home.
Unlike heavier red wine ragus, the rosé gives this sauce a slightly lighter and brighter flavour while still creating incredible depth. It’s the perfect cosy weekend cooking project for cooler weather, dinner parties or when you simply want a pasta that feels extra special.
I love cooking with boneless lamb shanks, I found them at Coles a couple of years go and like that you can get more meat without the bone taking up too much space in the pot. I have another boneless lamb shank recipe that you might enjoy too! It's my Red Wine Boneless Lamb Shanks which I serve with mashed potato. So good.
Another really popular slow cooked lamb recipe of mine is this Moroccan Spiced Slow Cooked Lamb. Just as simple to make but with a different flavour profile.
Jump to:
- Why you need to make this Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
- Ingredients for Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
- Instructions for Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
- Substitutions
- Equipment
- Products I genuinely recommend for this recipe
- Storage for Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
- Top Tip: Reduce the sauce enough
- My pasta credentials: Featuring me in Italy
- FAQ
- Related
- WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
- Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
Why you need to make this Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
The boneless lamb shank becomes unbelievably tender
Slow cooking boneless lamb shank creates rich, pull-apart meat that melts beautifully into the sauce. The collagen in the shank gives the ragù a naturally silky texture that clings perfectly to the pasta.
The rosé wine is delicious
Rosé gives the sauce a slightly lighter and more delicate flavour than a traditional red wine ragù while still adding depth and richness. It pairs beautifully with lamb, herbs and tomato.
It tastes even better the next day
Like most slow cooked sauces, the flavour deepens overnight which makes leftovers incredible. It’s a great make-ahead recipe for entertaining or meal prep.
Boneless lamb shakes are a budget friendly cut of meat
I love slow cooked meat, and it's always cuts like this that are ideal for slow cooking, that are a little easier on the bank account!
Ingredients for Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
- Boneless lamb shank: Lamb shank is rich in collagen and connective tissue which breaks down during slow cooking and creates a luscious silky ragù.
- Onion: Forms the base sweetness of the sauce and adds depth as it slowly caramelises.
- Carrot: Adds natural sweetness and helps balance the richness of the lamb and tomato.
- Celery: Provides savoury depth and creates a classic ragù flavour base.
- Garlic: Adds warmth, richness and aromatic flavour throughout the sauce.
- Tomato paste: Intensifies the tomato flavour while adding richness and umami.
- Red chilli: Adds gentle heat and balances the richness of the slow cooked lamb.
- Rosemary: Pairs beautifully with lamb and adds earthy aromatic flavour.
- Bay leaves: Slowly infuse the sauce with subtle savoury depth during cooking.
- Thyme: Adds freshness and complexity to the rich ragù.
- Oregano: Brings herbaceous flavour and classic Italian-inspired notes.
- Chicken stock: Creates body and richness in the sauce while helping the lamb slowly braise.
- Rosé wine: Adds brightness, acidity and delicate fruitiness that lightens the richness of the lamb.
- Passata: Forms the silky tomato base of the ragù without making the sauce overly chunky.
- Parmesan: Adds saltiness, nuttiness and helps emulsify the sauce with the pasta water.
- Olive oil: Used for searing the lamb and finishing the dish with richness and flavour.
- Pappardelle: Wide ribbons of pasta are perfect for catching the rich lamb ragù sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
Step 1: Sear the lamb then leave aside
Step 2: sauté the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes, followed by garlic, tomato paste and chilli
Step 3: Stir in herbs then add the chicken stock, rosé and passata
Step 4: Add the lamb back in, place the lid on the pot and slow cook in the oven for 3.5 hours at 160C
Step 5: Add pasta to the lamb ragu and toss with pasta water and parmesan
Step 6: Plate up and top with extra parm, oregano and a drizzle of olive oil
Hint: Properly brown the lamb. Don’t rush the searing step. A deep golden crust on the lamb creates huge flavour in the finished sauce and helps build richness throughout the ragù.
Substitutions
- Swap boneless lamb shank for beef chuck, beef cheek or lamb shoulder.
- Use red wine instead of rosé for a deeper more traditional flavour.
- Replace pappardelle with tagliatelle or rigatoni.
- Add a splash of cream or mascarpone for an even richer sauce.
- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock if preferred.
- Use pepper instead of chilli if preferred.
Equipment
I recently bought this Oblong Casserole from Le Creuset and it is perfect for braising meat and making ragu!
Products I genuinely recommend for this recipe
- This passata is my go-to. I'll always spend the extra dollar or two on Mutti.
- This is my favourite chicken stock. The quality and ingredients are amazing!
- I get my boneless shank meat from Coles
- There's better parmesan at small deli's etc, but for a supermarket grated parm, this Coles Grated Parmesan has good ingredients, is cheap and gets the job done
Storage for Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
Store leftover lamb ragù in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. The ragù alone can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Top Tip: Reduce the sauce enough
The sauce should be thick enough to coat the pasta rather than watery. If needed, leave the lid off for the final hour of cooking so the sauce can reduce and intensify.
My pasta credentials: Featuring me in Italy
One of the biggest things I learnt while travelling through Italy was how pasta is actually meant to be cooked al dente (like super al dente). I always thought it simply meant slightly undercooked, but proper al dente pasta has a real bite and chew to it that completely changes the texture of a dish. It also holds up far better when tossed through sauce, especially rich ragùs like this one. I used to say to cook pasta until its 90% done, but since my travels I now think 70% is more accurate.
FAQ
It depends on the chilli (some red chilli's are hotter than others). The one I used when making this wasn't very hot at all, I even fed this to my toddler. (and because it's slow cooked for so long, 99% of the alcohol is cooked off). But if you'd prefer, a good crack of pepper will definitely do the trick insead.
A dry rosé works best for balance and depth without making the sauce overly sweet.
All you need to do is continue cooking for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Either leave it in the oven, uncovered until the sauce has reduced, or put the pot on the stove of medium/high heat and simmer with the lid off until reduced. (strongly recommend using a splatter screen if you go the stove method)
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
Boneless Lamb Shank Rosé Ragu
Ingredients
- 700 g lamb shank meat aka boneless lamb shank
- 1 brown onion very finely chopped
- 1 carrot very finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk very finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 red chilli finely minced
- 2 rosemary stems or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaf
- 5 thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 oregano springs or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 500 ml rose wine
- 560 g passata
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- kosher salt or fine sea salt
- 500 g pasta parpadelle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C fan (do 170C- 180C if your oven typically runs cooler).
- Season lamb shank meat all over with a light layer of salt then, in a large cast iron pot with a lid (or any oven save pot, I used a cast iron braising dish), add the olive oil and bring to medium/high heat. Sear the lamb on all sides until well browned, this will take at least 5 - 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and leave the lamb aside.
- Add another 2 tablespoon of oil to the pot and then add the finely chopped carrot, onion and celery with a decent pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 - 7 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelised/lightly brown then add the garlic, tomato paste and chilli along with all the herbs and sauté for a further minute.
- Pour in the stock, rose and passata, stir to combine then add the lamb shanks back in. Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven.
- Depending on how hot your oven is the time may vary (unfortunately all ovens run a little differently) - however what we're looking for is pull apart super tender meat and a thicker sauce that isnt too watery. So once the meat is easily falling apart, you'll then just want to ensure the sauce is reduced enough. For me, mine was in the oven for a total of 3.5 hours with the lid off so the sauce could reduce for the last hour.
- Once the meat is pull apart tender, transfer all shank meat to a seperate bowl, pull apart with a fork then mix it back into the sauce. This is your lamb ragu.
- Bring a large pot to a boil with heavily salted water and boil the parpadelle until super al dente (about 70% cooked). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Toss the pasta straight from the pot into the lamb ragu with ½ a cup of pasta water and a tablespoon or two of parmesan and gently toss until everything is well combined and glossy.
- Transfer to serving bowls, top with more parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and oregano and enjoy!
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