Beef Ragu is flavor-packed, Italian-inspired comfort food. Make it even easier by using the slow cooker and serving it over pappardelle pasta.
author’s note
Beef Ragu Straight From Italy!
Last summer when I shared my Bruschetta recipe, I mentioned our trip to Italy. One of the highlights was a cooking class in the countryside near Siena at Le Pietre Vive Farmhouse.
Nonna Ciana and her translators taught us how to make a traditional four-course Italian meal. Between courses, I asked a million questions about all my favorite Italian dishes—it was incredible to learn from her.
After the class, her translator kindly emailed me dozens of their recipes (I guess my curiosity wasn’t very subtle!). I’ve been working through them, and today I’m sharing a slightly adapted version of her Beef Ragu.
I swapped a few things—left out the milk and pancetta, used broth instead of wine, and made it slow cooker–friendly—but the core of the recipe is all hers. Grazie, Nonna Ciana!
So, first off, let’s talk about WHAT exactly this dish is and next how to prepare it!
What Is A Meat Ragu?
Meat ragu is a hearty, seasoned Italian sauce made up of meat and tomatoes. It is usually used in pasta dishes like this one. While meat ragu can be made with many different kinds of meat this specific meat ragu is made with beef chuck roast. You’ll also generally find finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots in a meat ragu. In Italian cuisine, those three vegetables chopped and then slowly cooked in olive oil becomes soffritto. Soffritto is used as a base for a lot of pasta sauces.
How To Make Beef Ragu
- Prep the beef. Cut into large pieces and generously salt and pepper all sides. Sear the beef and then place it in the slow cooker.
- Prepare the soffritto. Sauté onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and then add to slow cooker.
- Add everything else (except the pasta) to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients — some seasonings, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir, cover, and cook on low heat.
- Shred beef and cook pasta. Remove the beef and shred it while you start cooking the pasta.
- Toss beef with hot cooked pasta. Using tongs, grab the cooked pasta and toss it directly into the pot with the meat ragu. Toss it with some pasta water to get great emulsification.
- Garnish and enjoy. Top with Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs as desired, and enjoy hot!
Quick Tip
Beef Ragu is traditionally prepared with red wine; go with a hearty red, such as Chianti, Pinot Noir, or Sangiovese. If you prefer to not use wine, substitute with a rich beef broth or stock.
Tips For The Perfect Beef Ragu:
- Searing the beef really locks in the flavor and is essential to the overall amazing taste of this Beef Ragu.
- Sautéing the vegetables (carrots, celery onion, and garlic) over low heat adds so much flavor and depth to this recipe; don’t skip this step!
- The pasta you use makes a huge difference. I love pappardelle pasta in this recipe and I highly recommend DeLallo’s® pappardelle pasta. (It’s perfect for this dish –not sponsored; just a fan!)
- And while we’re talking pasta, the final step of tossing the meat with reserved pasta water and hot pasta is one of the “secrets” to Italian pastas. It’s called emulsifying and that’s how you get a luxuriously smooth sauce. More info here
- Another big key is using high-quality ingredients. The one ingredient that makes the biggest difference in this dish (IMO) is the crushed tomatoes. I’ve tried a few different brands and my all-time favorite for this ragu is Muir Glen® Organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (again, not sponsored, just a fan!) You can see the picture of these tomatoes above this text.
- Make a day ahead! See below for more info on why.
Featured Comment
“This is the 3rd time I am making this Beef Ragu, one of my and husband favorites. Pretty easy to make and the crock pot does the rest. Restaurant quality for sure. LOVE it. Thank you for sharing.”
– Cindy
Storage
Make-Ahead/Storing Tips:
- Make-Ahead: Beef Ragu is ideal for preparing ahead. Cook everything except the pasta (it will bloat) in the slow cooker, then refrigerate overnight. This makes everything taste better and thickens the sauce, making dinner prep a extra easy.
- Refrigeration: Once cooked, the ragu can be stored in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. If possible keep the sauce and pasta separate.
- Freezing: Freeze the sauce in a gallon-sized bag for up to 3 months. Avoid freezing pasta; cook it fresh when you’re ready to serve with the defrosted sauce.
Repurpose Beef Ragu Into Another Meal
This recipe makes plenty—great for a crowd or meal prep. Enjoy it with pappardelle or repurpose the meat sauce in other ways, like these:
- Serve it over baked potatoes, polenta, or gnocchi.
- Pile it on top of some crusty rolls, top with mozzarella cheese, and broil.
- Serve it over zucchini noodles for a low-carb option.
- Add additional beef broth to make a hearty soup.
Serve Beef Ragu Alongside:
Beef Ragu
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 6 large equal pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 3-1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 cups mirepoix diced onion, carrots, celery—I use a cup of each
- 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup red wine or beef stock/broth for non-alcoholic
- 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes I highly recommend Muir Glen Organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 large beef bouillon cube see note 1
- 3 (8-ounce) packages pappardelle pasta I recommend DeLallo’s brand
- Pasta water reserved from cooking the pasta
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
- Finely chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- Dab both sides of chuck roast with a paper towel, cut into 6 even pieces, and generously salt and pepper all sides. (I use almost a full tablespoon salt and about 1 teaspoon pepper.)
- Heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or oven-safe heavy-bottomed pot) over medium-high heat. Brown pieces on all sides for 3 minutes. To get a good sear, don’t overcrowd the meat; you can sear in batches if needed). Once meat is nicely seared with a good crust, and place pieces in the slow cooker. Use a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
- In the Dutch oven, turn heat down to medium-low and add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. From the mirepoix, add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Next, add carrots and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, 5–8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Turn heat to high, add red wine or beef stock, and scrape up any browned bits. Stir and simmer 3 minutes, then pour stock and veggie mixture into the slow cooker. While the veggies are simmering, add everything else to the slow cooker: crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, bay leaves, and beef bouillon cube (see note 1).
- Cover cook on low heat (high is not recommended) for 6–8 hours (The meat is perfect right around 7–7.5 hours—tested in both my slow cookers.) Remove beef, discarding any gristle or fat, and shred with 2 forks, then return to slow cooker.
- Adjust meat sauce’s seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and place on warm or cover and store in the fridge overnight if you’re making ahead of time.
- When ready to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt, then add the pappardelle pasta (see note 2). Cook according to package instructions but do not drain! Right before pasta is done cooking, remove 1 cup of pasta water.
- Meanwhile, place about half the meat sauce in a very large pan. Put over high heat. Once pasta is cooked, add it straight to the pan. Toss pasta with meat sauce, slowly adding in the reserved pasta water as needed. (I’ll use anywhere from 1/2 cup to the full cup.) If serving a large group, use all the sauce.
- Toss everything until you have a thick sauce that coats the pasta and the pasta water has evaporated. Serve immediately topped with fresh parsley as desired and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is the 3rd time I am making this Beef Ragu, one of my and husband favorites. Pretty easy to make and the crock pot does the rest. Restaurant quality for sure. LOVE it. Thank you for sharing.
I made this before and it was such a big hit with my husband, we loved it. Full of flavor and rich sauce, Making it again, worth every bit of effort. Thank you for another amazing dish!
So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this; thanks for the comment Cindy 🙂
I din’t see pancetta in the recipe. How much should I add and when? Can’t wait to try this.
There isn’t pancetta in the recipe I shared, but you can add about 3 ounces after the veggies if you’d like!
Chelsea, Thank you again for another amazing dish. This beef ragu is fantastic and relatively simple to make. I am very thankful that your share all your recipes with us. I am now considered “Betty Crocker in my house. I have made your award winning chili many times and is a hit at home as well on a golf trip my husband took to for the guys. They all loved it and one of the guys asked my husband for the recipe. Sending a million thanks!!!!
I am so happy to hear this Cindy! Seriously the best comment! Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi. This is a great recipe that I’ve made once before. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will be making it again am questioning the amount of beef. Is it 2 pounds 8 ounces? Or, is it really 2.8 pounds?
Yes sorry, 2 pounds 8 ounces!
Hi! Is it possible to cook the meat in a pressure cooker instead? If you have tried it, how long and what setting would I need to set to cook it?
I’m sure that would work great; unfortunately I can’t give the exact recommendation for doing that since I haven’t personally tried, but hopefully someone else can chime in here! Wish I could be of more help!
I was wondering if you could use beef broth instead of the beef bullion cube??
Thanks – can’t wait to make this dish!!
There isn’t any need for liquid, so the cube is just for flavor 🙂
This recipe is ???? thank you Chelsea! I did deviate slightly and added some cayenne. I didn’t have grape juice so I used red wine and added a little jelly. But this is now a family recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
So happy to hear this was a hit! Thanks so much for the comment and review 🙂