Farfalle with Lamb Ragu, Ricotta, and Mint

I made this last night, with a few modifications.  I added a stalk of diced celery and 2 tbsp of tomato paste with the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs.  I also added about 2 tsps of chopped kalamata olives before deglazing with the wine, then added the tomatoes and broth. I also added about 3 tbsp of ricotta to the mix and let it simmer for about an hour before serving over penne.  By roasting the tomato paste with the meat, herbs and veggies it created a deeper, hearty dish, adding the ricotta to the sauce it made a rich, creamy flavor that was very delicious!  Omitted the mint since the kalamata olives changed the course of the dish.

I don't bother wiping out the fat remaining in the pan after browning the lamb, I just use it for the onion and carrot and then omit the remaining 3 teaspoons of olive oil.  The ricotta and mint are a nice touch.  We don't have this too often as my teen isn't a huge fan of ground lamb, but one could easily substitute beef.  Served along with a tossed green side salad.  Very filling.

Very tasty dish. Love the ricotta and mint. I added a little more garlic and rosemary to add flavor. Worth the time it takes to make.

this was an easy recipe, but the flavor was disappointing. i think this was due to only ten minutes of cooking. flavors were bright, but no depth. i did like the ricotta, nice touch, along with the mint.

Liked this a lot, though I agree that some advance prepping of carrots is needed. One question: HOW COME RECIPES IN FEBRUARY CALL FOR FRESH MINT? I live in Baltimore. In my front and back yards I have incredible amounts of fresh mint during warm months--it's actually a delicious but invasive weed --but in February? Do people north of the Carolinas buy it in a supermarket? To me that would be like buying dandelions.

My husband and I love this recipe, although the kids aren't thrilled with it. Just add a green veggie and you have a special weeknight dinner.

I was so looking forward to loving this dish but it was bland and boring. I made it exactly as called for in the recipe. We couldn't even tell it was lamb in the dish.

Great weeknight dish. It was easy to prepare and very tasty. I love anything that ends with ricotta. I also would double it, as it just feed four of us. My sons and husband would have ate more if there were more to eat.

Doubling the recipe next time so that i will have leftovers (hopefully!) to take for lunch. While I'm not the biggest fan of lamb, I really really loved this, the ricotta and mint made this dish!

I made this for two and I agree it is not enough for 4 people, we had some leftover but not a ton. I would double for 4. It also came out slightly watery so I would not cover the sauce at all (recipe states to cover partially) while it simmers the next time I make this. I also used ricotta salata crumbled on top instead of the part-skim ricotta for a firmer texture (albeit not lowfat!) It was easy, took 45 minutes start to finish and was delicious!! I will definitely be making this again.

Had no fresh mint, so I used dried "Greek Seasoning" which contains mint, fennel, and garlic. Substituted chopped basil for the topping. This was wonderful! I agree that portion sizes are off unless you're very small or have a small appetite, as I doubled the recipe and it just fed me, husband, and two grown sons (all big athletic guys). Served along with a green salad and sourdough bread.

I made this in the time allotted (40 mins) and it was really something special even though it was just a weeknight meal with my boyfriend. The mint and ricotta against the rich sauce made for a very satisfying meal.

A very tasty and unusually flavored dish! It's not your average tomato sauce! Taste it and you'll definitely be like "hmmm...this isn't like anything I've had before....and I like it!" I thought the mint would be weird, but actually it really worked. The ricotta at the end is great - it makes the dish so creamy. Definitely a keeper!

Very good and flavorful.

This was an absolutely delicious recipe. Next time I will double the recipe, because there wasn't enough leftovers. I served with a salad, but some rolls or breadsticks would be good, too.

Loved it! So, so good. The only changes I made were substituting zinfandel for the white wine, as that's what I had open, and simmering sauce for longer. The portions are a little small - if I were making for 4 adults, I would use 10 oz. pasta instead of 8 as there was plenty of sauce. I will definitely be making this one again.

This dish was very pleasant - my guests went back for seconds. The recommended salad complemented it nicely, too. I liked it a lot, but I've liked other recipes even better, so I give it four stars.

This was really nice. I loved the lamb & the mint was perfect with it - very fresh tasting. A great standard recipe that we'll make regularly. I'll make it for company, but I wouldn't say for a "special occasion."

So easy to prepare and great flavor. I doubled the recipe since I had a pound of lamb. Only change I made to the recipe was to add some fresh thyme and oregano along with the fresh rosemary. The mint and the ricotta was a nice change and greatly complimented the overall flavor. This is definitely a keeper.

Worthy of a special occasion, but makes a fabulous weeknight meal! Wonderful combination of flavors from the lamb, fresh mint and ricotta. I used double the carrots, added some chopped eggplant I had in the fridge, and used a whole 15.5 oz can of crushed tomato! Also used 'no yolks' dumpling style noodles instead of farfalle. Delish!

If you love lamb then you will love this recipe. My husband and I found it a little gamey so I think I am going to use ground chicken and basil in place of the lamb and mint. Other than that it was delicious.

This was a nice twist to a more traditional sauce. I used Trader Joe's carrot slivers and a little extra ricotta than asked for and it was devine.

Very Tasty! Very easy and quick to make which is essential with a 4month old in the background! Definitely will make again.

Whole family loved it. Followed recipe exactly except used crushed (in my hand) dried rosemary.

Both my hubs and I loved this dish. It is a departure from regular spaghetti sauces with the addition of the white wine. I used lean ground chicken in place of the lamb. I loved the ricotta on top that you could mix in. I would absolutely make this again!!

Ok, so I subbed the ground lamb for ground turkey, otherwise this was really good! I made it a day in advance and heated for dinner the next night. Really good! Served with olive oil and dipping spice for bread and salad. A keeper!

Got four out of four thumbs up. (12 year old approved!) Easy to prepare, if you prep everything before you start. [Don't try to chop carrots & onion while lamb browns like the recipe states, unless your really good! I mean really good! You're not that good.]