Can I Use Beef For The Slow-Cooker Lamb And Pasta?

Our answer

Nigella's Slow-Cooker Lamb And Pasta is a great one-pot recipe that requires very little hands-on time and is usually liked by children and teenagers, making it an ideal midweek supper. The ragu is made with ground lamb and tomatoes and flavoured with mint, chillies and redcurrant jelly.

There is no particular reason why you can't use beef mince (ground beef) instead of lamb as the flavourings in the ragu will also work with beef. Mint is more traditional with lamb, but also used with beef in many recipes, or you could omit the dried mint, or replace it with dried thyme or oregano, and sprinkle the finished pasta with chopped parsley instead. We would avoid using the very low fat versions of minced beef as it can make the sauce feel a little too dry, and suggest aiming for beef mince with a fat content of 10-20%.