Rapid Ragu a great stand by dish
Do you have evenings when everyone comes in at different times or you are not quite sure who is going to be around for dinner? Then this rapid ragu or slow cooked ragu is the ideal recipe for your family.
And of course the last thing you want to be doing is cooking at different times for different people.
Or possibly even worse the family having cooked dinner for themselves leave the kitchen in a mess and you are left to clear it up.
Help yourself to meal
On the advice of one busy mum the following Ragu recipe is a great solution. It is meal that family members can just help themselves to whenever they arrive home.
Available any time of the day or evening it is a good standby for teenagers who might be after a quick-lunch in the school holidays.
Now the thing is, this Rapid Ragu recipe courtesy of Nigella Express
is cooked on the hob, but quite often I have taken to doing the same recipe – with just a little less liquid in the slow cooker hence the “slow cooked Ragu”.
Also when I am cooking the Ragu in the Slow Cooker 
I throw in any vegetables that are close to their use by date. Served just with grated cheese it is delicious – but pasta, a roll or a microwaved jacket potato can easily be added if your children are after carbs.
Ingredients
- 2 x tablespoons of garlic oil
- 125g cubed Pancetta
- 500g of lamb / beef mince
- 75 g caramelised onions or a couple of large onions finely chopped
- 80ml of Masala wine
- 1 x 400g chopped tomatoes
- 75 g of prepared green lentils
- 125g of water
- 50g of grated Cheddar Cheese.
Method
On the Hob
1. Heat the oil and fry the cubed pancetta until it begins to crisp.
2. Add the minced lamb, along with all the other ingredients except the cheese and bring to the boil. Leave the Ragu to simmer for about 20 minutes on the hob stirring occasionally.
In the slow cooker
If you are using a slow cooker just fry the Pancetta until crispy and then add the Pancetta along with all the other ingredients into the slow cooker and leave to cook until the vegetables are all cooked thoroughly. The Slow Cooker can be left on low once the Ragu is cooked for several hours without coming to any harm.
Any Ragu that is not eaten can be put into the freezer as a standby supper.
