Beef Ragu

Delicious Beef Ragu is slow-cooked chuck roast, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, red wine, and crushed tomatoes all cooked down to flavor perfection.  Then this delicious seasoned beefy tomato sauce is served over pappardelle pasta. The end result is pure comfort food and a hearty meal that feeds the whole family.

I just love my Dutch oven.  It is by far my favorite kitchen vessel and the best way to braise and slow cook my favorite recipes in one pot. This recipe, hamburger stew, pork loin roast, and Irish Stew are just a few of my go to Dutch oven recipes.

How to make Beef Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta

Start by cutting your chuck roast in quarters.  This will help with the browning process and also help it cook to tenderness a little faster. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Simply heat a little oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium heat.  Next brown the meat on all sides.  Now plate the browned meat and add a little more oil if necessary.  Cook the onions, carrots, and celery until tender.  Reduce the heat and cook the garlic for a minute.  Add the red wine and stir and gently scrap the bottom of the pan to deglaze and get all delicious brown bits of heaven off.

Now add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, dried thyme, crush red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, and browned beef back to the pot.  Simmer for a couple of hours or until the chuck roast is tender enough to shred with two forks.  Now shred the beef removing any fat, gristle and cartilage and return to the pot to simmer.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta well and combine with the beef ragu.  If desired sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, and chopped fresh basil over the top.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

• Pappardelle pasta can be difficult to find.  I order mine from Target. You can also substitute tagliatelle pasta or egg noodles.
• Finely chop your veggies as the idea is to have little bits of them mingling in the sauce.
• Chuck roast is really the best cut of meat for this recipe. However you will need to remove it from the sauce, shred it, remove any unwanted fat and cartilage, and return it to the sauce.
• If using a Dutch oven feel free to bake it in the oven instead of simmering.  Simply cover and place in a 350 degree oven for a couple of hours or until the chuck roast is tender.  Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Or pack in a heavy duty freezer bag or storage container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Beef Ragu reheats wonderfully in a skillet or even in the microwave.

What cut of beef is best for beef ragu?

My personal favorite for this recipe is the chuck roast. This cut is from the shoulder muscles. At first this cut will seem quite tough but over the course of cooking it will break down into succulent tender wonderfully flavored pieces of beef. The chuck roast derives a lot of its rich taste from the fat and the connective tissue.

When it is fork tender remove it from the sauce and trim it by cutting the delicious meat away from the fat and unwanted gristle.  Return the trimmed bites of simmered beef back to the sauce. Chuck roast often goes on sale and it freezes very well.

Other beef recipes you will love!

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Beef Barley Soup

Beef Vegetable Soup

Beef Lo Mein

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Tips and Gravy

Beef Ragu

A slow cooked Beef Ragu recipe combines a sofrito made with onions, celery, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs mixed with tender melt in your mouth beef roast.

5 from 41 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal beef

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 1231kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 3 lb. beef chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium ribs celery finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup dry red wine I use a blend
• 1 can 28 ounce crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 16 ounces pappardelle pasta
• Parmesan cheese optional
• fresh thyme optional
• chopped fresh basil optiona

Instructions

• Cut your chuck roast in quarters.  Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium heat.  Brown the roast on all sides.  Plate the browned meat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in same pan.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender.  Reduce the heat and add the garlic; cooking for 1 minute. Add the red wine and gently scrap the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, dried thyme, crushed red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves and browned beef back to the pan.  Cover and simmer for 2 – 2 1/2  hours or until the chuck roast is tender enough to shred with two forks.
• Shred the beef removing any fat, gristle and cartilage and return to the pot to simmer.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain well and combine with the beef ragu.  If desired sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and top with fresh thyme and basil.

Notes

• Pappardelle pasta can be difficult to find.  I order mine from Target. You can also substitute tagliatelle pasta or egg noodles.
• Finely chop your veggies as the idea is to have little bits of them mingling in the sauce.
• Chuck roast is really the best cut of meat for this recipe. However you will need to remove it from the sauce, shred it, remove any unwanted fat and cartilage, and return it to the sauce.
• If using a Dutch oven feel free to bake it in the oven instead of simmering.  Simply cover and place in a 350 degree oven for a couple of hours or until the chuck roast is tender.  Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Or pack in a heavy duty freezer bag or storage container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Beef Ragu reheats wonderfully in a skillet or even in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 1231kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 77g | Fat: 72g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 320mg | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 1462mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3611IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 9mg

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