Quick Ragù With Ricotta and Lemon
Updated May 29, 2019
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 pound ground beef
2 heaping tablespoons sambal oelek (or any spicy red-pepper paste)
¼ cup full-bodied red wine, like cabernet or merlot
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
8 ounces plain or whole-wheat lasagna noodles (not no-cook), broken in 1- to 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 lemon, zested
Flaky salt, like Maldon
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
60 grams carbs; 111 milligrams cholesterol; 770 calories; 22 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 45 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 11 grams fiber; 1199 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat ¼ cup oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and cook until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with the edge of a spoon, until nicely browned but not completely cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the sambal oelek. Add the wine and stir to release any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Step 2
Add the tomatoes and their juices, crushing completely between your hands or with a potato masher. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down and the beef is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper halfway through cooking.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Boil the broken lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente.
- Step 4
In a small skillet, toast the fennel seeds over medium until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and crush on a cutting board with the flat end of a large knife or the bottom of a skillet.
- Step 5
Drain the pasta, add to the ragù and toss to coat. Divide among four bowls and dollop each generously with ricotta. Sprinkle with lemon zest, cracked fennel, flaky sea salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil as desired. Serve warm.
Private Notes
Comments
Sambal makes this a little garlic heavy for me. The hungarian paprika paste is a good option, as is the adobo from canned chipotles, sesame chili oil also works in 1/2 ratio. If you swap the lasagne noodles with spaetzle, fennel for caraway, this also makes a legitimately delicious riff on goulash.
I thought it needed tomato paste for depth and sugar to counter the acidic pepper paste. Added them both towards the end and it came out great!
For the chili paste I used Korean gochujang and it came out really well. Add a lot of flavor that complemented the fennel well.
I used three big spoonfuls of mild harissa and some tomato paste. Excellent recipe.
I truly do not understand why this recipe does not have 3k 5 star reviews. We come back to it again and again! Love love love
Honestly, I made something vaguely adjacent to this recipe - ground pork browned to crispy , deglazed with white wine (what I had open) plus 2 tsp of sambol olek, plus 28 ounces of jarred Rao’s marinara (again, what we had) Then added the pasta. Ricotta with lemon zest and good olive oil drizzled on top. We don’t like fennel so skipped it and added a pinch of good oregano. So so good.