We made this dinner on a weekday that was filled with gymnastics lessons, karate lessons, and an end of the season cross-country dinner for the kids. Needless to say, my husband and I wouldn’t be eating before 8:30, and with all of these places to be, cooking time would be need to be limited, unless we wanted to eat even later. We opted to stick with dinner at 8:30 and simple ingredients. However, if you have more time, making your own tomato sauce would be a terrific option.
Originally, my plan was to season the sauce lightly in order to bring out the flavor of the lamb. Although I used garlic, onion, and wine while cooking, it seemed a little, well. . .boring. A sprinkle or two of red pepper flakes added a nice bite to this sauce and made all the difference, taking it from boring to tasty. Topping each dish with some fresh basil and parmesan added a nice finish to this dish.
- 1 Tb. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1-1/4 lbs. ground lamb
- 3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon*
- 2 cups chunky marinara sauce
- 15 oz. ricotta
- 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- fresh basil
- parmesan cheese
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and green pepper, and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add lamb, and cook until no longer pink, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer lamb mixture to a paper towel lined plate or bowl to remove excess grease.
- Return lamb mixture to pan, and add wine. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until wine has reduced by approximately half.
- Add marinara, ricotta, and red pepper, and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with pasta, and top with fresh basil and shredded parmesan cheese.
- *Other red wines could be used as a substitute, such as a Merlot or Shiraz.
