Spring Pasta Bolognese With Lamb and Peas

By Kay Chun

Updated March 29, 2021

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(2,210)
Comments
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This recipe is inspired by springtime and Bolognese bianco, or white Bolognese, a hearty Italian meat sauce made without tomato. It calls for ground lamb, but you can also use beef, pork or veal. The addition of cream to the simmering broth helps tenderize the lamb, and gives the sauce body. Incorporating starchy pasta water, then stirring it vigorously, creates a glossy, thick coating. Spinach, peas and lemon provide fresh, bright notes that balance the rich Bolognese. If fresh peas are available, cook them in the sauce for a few minutes before stirring in the spinach.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

  • 1 cup finely chopped carrot

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 1 pound ground lamb (or ground beef, pork or veal)

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

  • ½ cup heavy cream

  • 1 large fresh rosemary sprig

  • 1 pound spaghetti

  • 1 cup thawed frozen peas (about 5 ounces)

  • 5 ounces fresh baby spinach

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces), plus more for garnish

  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

109 grams carbs; 147 milligrams cholesterol; 1153 calories; 23 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 58 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 1453 milligrams sodium; 48 grams protein; 12 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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Add lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, heavy cream and rosemary, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, partly covered and stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 30 minutes. (The sauce may look broken at first, but it will emulsify as it cooks.) Discard the rosemary sprig.

  3. Step 3

    As the sauce cooks, make the pasta: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.

  4. Step 4

    Over medium heat, add the peas and spinach to the sauce and stir until spinach is wilted. Add the cooked pasta, butter and ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce. Toss vigorously until sauce is thickened and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes, adding more pasta water if a looser sauce is desired. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Divide pasta among bowls. Garnish with more cheese, parsley and black pepper.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,210 user ratings
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Comments

Max Alexander, Rome, Contestant MasterChef Italia 2020-2021

Here in Italy a white ragù is cooked in a bit of white wine (like a cup), never broth. The sauce will be very thick, indeed the dissolved slow-cooked meat is the actual sauce. Pasta water at the end is sufficient to help it coat the pasta--usually fresh egg pasta like tagliatele; spaghetti does not pair well with densely textured meat sauces. We might brown one whole clove of garlic in the sauce and then remove it, but Italians fear garlic and would never add 6 chopped cloves.

Andrea

This recipe was a bit of a disappointment. The sauce never emulsified and remained super brothy, despite having simmered it for 45 minutes. If I were to make again, I would half the amount of broth. The flavor could also use a bit more complexity and kick — I would add red hot pepper flakes and perhaps a splash of white wine.

Tom

This was excellent. Subbed half and half for the cream, just let cook a few minutes longer. Next time I will add a little mint at the end in place of parsley.

Nat

We were so happy with this recipe! Very good!

Kelsey

Came back to this recipe after a few years and still love it. Tonight, I substituted tarragon for the rosemary and arugula for spinach because it's what I had in the refrigerator. I also substituted grass-fed beef because of the price of lamb at my local grocery store today. Delicious!

Rich A

I have made this several times and have followed the recipes with no deviations and it turned out well. Although it needs more of a kick and I would encourage adding a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes. I was also wondering if a tablespoon of whole grain mustard would give it a bit more flavor. Finally we had a lot of leftovers and the next day the flavors came to life. The leftovers were reheated in the staub pot I originally cooked in.

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