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.

Course main meal beef

Cuisine Italian

Keyword beef ragu sauce, pappardelle pasta recipe, ragu pasta

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 20

Servings

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.

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