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!
Beef Ragu
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
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https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
kushigalu
I love the combination of flavors in the recipe. Thanks for sharing
Thena Franssen
Truly delicious. Full of flavor and so easy to follow. Great hit with everyone in the family, too!
Kushigalu
Drooling over this delicious recipe. I will make this for my family soon for dinner. Thanks for sharing.
Just Juan
I’ve always been a fan of beef ragu, going back to my humble beginnings in Alabama. It’s something my mom still makes a couple of times a year and sometimes if I’m lucky, I’m in town to try it. I’m not a fan of the onions though.
Crys
My mom used to cut them in huge chunks (quarters probably) so that they were easy to see and avoid in the pot, but the sauce still got the flavour. (My brother hated onions too)
Fransic verso
This looks yummy. Would be good for a dinner night on the weekend. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah Bailey
My other half is the beef fan in our house and this sounds like something he would really enjoy. I shall have to ask him if he would like to give it a try as it sounds mightly tasty.
briannemanz
This is a simple beef ragù that is perfect for a warming Sunday supper. I loved it
Alita Pacio
Im all about my comfort food this season. This is a budget cut of beef, simple pantry ingredients and a bit of patience to make.
Ave
This is the perfect comfort food for these cold autumn and winter days. I have never made ragu at home but will give this recipe a try for sure.
Dani Torr
I tried this recipe last night but I had to finely cut the veggies in the sauce and ultimately blend them in so that my son would eat it (he doesn’t like the feeling of bits of vegetables mingling in the sauce). Anyways, it turned out amazing! used real Pappardelle pasta, though it was extremely hard to find. Hubby who drove half an hour just to get it thanked me afterwards as the meal did really turn out excellent.
Gervin Khan
A new pasta recipe that I need to try.
It’s easy and looks really delicious!
Linda
So yummyyy recipe! I really want to try this recipe beef ragu . Thanks for sharing with us.
Audrey
A: That looks delicious.
B: I have five children. Will definitely be making this. LOL
Andrea Thueson
I’ve always wanted to try making Beef Ragu, but I was intimidated to give it a try. This recipe made it super easy, and it turned out so yummy!
Eden
Made this for dinner and it was awesome! Easy to make and very flavorful. We’ll be saving this recipe!
Toni
A new favorite meal at my house! Can’t wait to make it again!