Lamb Rigatoni

Dinner | Italian

Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 12 min Servings: 4

This is a fast take on a classic vodka pasta, swapping pork or pancetta for lamb mince to give it more depth. A good tomato sugo, a splash of vodka and a little cream come together quickly, with rigatoni catching all the sauce. It’s designed to be cooked start to finish in the time it takes to boil pasta.

For this recipe, I used my homemade sugo as the base and I highly recommend making that first if you have time. It makes a noticeable difference to the depth of the sauce. That said, a good quality store-bought passata works perfectly well if you want to get this on the table quickly.

Ingredient Notes

Sugo: My homemade sugo is the base for this recipe and it’s worth making it ahead if you can. The flavour is so much better than store-bought passata, but passata works fine if you’re short on time. This is a simple sauce with not many ingredients, so the quality of your tomato base really does matter.

Lamb mince: I use lamb mince here instead of the usual pork or pancetta because it gives the sauce a richer, deeper flavour. Beef or pork mince both work well if that’s what you have. If you want to make it vegetarian, just leave out the mince and make the sauce as normal , and it still tastes great.

Vodka: The vodka adds a slight sharpness and helps emulsify the sauce, lifting flavours that are both fat-soluble and water-soluble at the same time. You only need a small amount and the alcohol mostly cooks off. If you are cooking on a gas flame, take care when adding it as it can flambe. If you’d rather leave it out, a small splash of water will still help deglaze the pan and loosen any browned bits.

Equipment

Large saucepan
Saucier or deep frying pan
Colander
Wooden spoon

Ingredients

500g rigatoni
1 tbsp olive oil
500g lamb mince
sea salt, to season
pinch chilli flakes
2 tbsp Vodka
750ml (3 cups) Sugo
100ml cream
40g (½ cup) grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
handful of basil leaves, torn

Directions

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucier or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mince, season with some salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to break it up.
Add the chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Then pour in the vodka and cook for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol.
Pour in the sugo and bring to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to medium. Stir through the cream and cook for a few minutes to thicken slightly.
Drain the pasta then add to the sauce along with the parmesan and basil. Stir until just combined then remove from the heat.
Serve pasta garnished with some extra parmesan and basil leaves.

Ingredients

Directions

Recipe notes