This slow cooked beef ragu with tender, melt in your mouth pieces of beef in a rich tomato sauce is best served over pappardelle for the ultimate cosy and hearty bowl of pasta.
Just like my slow cooker bolognese, this is one of those recipes that is a staple in my household. Usually on a Sunday we like to have something bubbling away on the stove that is a little extra special, aka something you wouldn’t really make on a busy weeknight.
This dairy free beef ragu is a favourite and we make a version of it fairly regularly. I love it because there is a bit of prep work with the chopping of everything so you feel like you’re going to the effort of preparing a meal, but really all the hard work is completely hands off as the beef gently cooks away and fills your house with the most delicious aroma.
As it cooks, treat yourself to a glass of red and enjoy the slower pace!
Key Ingredients
You will need a few key ingredients to make this beef ragu to ensure the bold and rich flavour develops as you cook it.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Beef – you want a cut of beef perfect for slow cooking such as a chuck steak, chuck roast or bolar blade. I am using a 1.3kg chuck roast with the fat trimmed and cut into 1 inch approx. pieces.
- Celery, carrot, onion – known in Italian as soffritto, this is the flavour base for the sauce. The carrot is kept in larger chunks however for a more rustic texture.
- Garlic – added to the vegetables to add more flavour.
- Speck – is a cured pork belly used to add flavour and smokiness to the meat sauce. If you can’t get it, just use bacon as an alternative.
- Tomato paste – adding a rich, deep tomato flavour.
- Canned tomatoes – to create our sauce I am using diced, canned tomatoes.
- Red wine – use a full bodied red wine such as a Shiraz for the best depth of flavour. The sauce is much richer with the addition of wine but if you prefer, you can replace it with additional beef stock.
- Beef stock – adding extra flavour to the sauce.
- Thyme – I love adding fresh thyme to the sauce as it cooks but you can substitute with oregano or ½ teaspoon of dried herbs instead.
- Fresh lasanga noodles – beef ragu is best served with a wide, flat pasta such as pappardelle. I can’t always find pappardelle that is as wide as I like therefore I find the best option is to use fresh lasanga noodles and cut them into strips. This way you can control how wide your noodles are! You can however use any pasta shapes you like.
Equipment and Tools
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Cast Iron Dutch Oven – there are so many different brands (and colours!) of these types of pots but investing in one that matches your budget is going to be such as asset to your kitchen! I use mine at least once or twice a week.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this recipe you will need a cast iron dutch oven or heavy based pot as we’re going to cook this for a few hours on the stove top.
To start, gather all of your ingredients and start prepping.
- Cut the beef chuck roast into large chunks.
- Finely chop the brown onion.
- Dice the carrots and celery.
- Mince the garlic.
- Dice the speck or bacon.
- Cut the fresh lasagna noodles into strips (about 1.5-2cm wide).
Once that’s all done, you’re ready to get cooking!
Heat some olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the beef, browning it on all sides. You may need to do this step in batches depending on the size of your dutch oven. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
In the same Dutch oven, add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery (your soffrito) and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the speck and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes to caramelise slightly, before pouring in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine simmer for a few minutes until it has reduced slightly and darkened in colour. It should start to smell less ‘boozy’.
Add in the canned diced tomatoes and beef stock and return the browned beef chunks to the pot. Add the fresh thyme sprigs (or dried thyme) and stir to combine.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer before reduce the heat to low and placing on the lid. Let the ragu gently simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. If there is still a lot of liquid, you can remove the lid for the final 30 minutes to 1 hour to ensure the sauce thickens.
Once you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fresh lasagna noodle strips until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Once the ragu is done, make sure to remove the thyme sprigs before adding the cooked lasagna noodle strips to the ragu, gently tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve, garnished with freshly chopped parsley.
Storage and freezing instructions
This beef ragu is fantastic to make as meal prep during the week or to freeze for easy dinners when you need it.
Once the ragu has cooled, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the ragu on it’s own and serving with freshly cooked pasta for the best results.
If you’re meal prepping for the week, just undercook the pasta slightly before storing in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
For slow cooking, the best beef cuts are those that are tougher and contain more connective tissue and fat, which break down during the long cooking process to become tender and flavourful. I recommend using either a chuck roast or bolar blade but a small brisket or short ribs will also work well in this ragu.
Yes, you can add other vegetables like mushrooms, capsicum, or zucchini. Add them during the sautéing step for best results.
Yes, after step 2, you can transfer the browned beef and sautéed vegetables to a slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients (reducing the wine and stock quantities by half), and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the beef is tender.
Browning the beef adds a depth of flavour through caramelisation and therefore I believe it is an essential step to enhance the taste of the ragu.
So while not technically required it does significantly impact the flavour therefore it’s strongly recommended.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More slow cooked recipes:
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Slow Cooked Curried Sausages
Beef Minestrone Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooked Beef Ragu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1.5 kilogram beef chuck roast cut into large chunks
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 3 carrots diced
- 2 sticks celery cut into chunks
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 250 grams speck or bacon, diced
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 x 400ml cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme or use ½ teaspoon of dried
- salt & pepper to taste
- 600 grams fresh lasanga noodles cut into 1.5-2cm strips
- fresh parsley chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, brown the beef on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
- In the same Dutch oven, add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the diced speck or bacon and the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes to caramelise slightly. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine simmer for a few minutes until it has reduced slightly and darkened in colour.
- Add the canned diced tomatoes and beef stock and return the browned beef chunks to the pot. Add the fresh thyme sprigs (or dried thyme) and stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low, place on the lid and let it simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. If there is still a lot of liquid, you can remove the lid for the final 30 minutes to 1 hour to ensure the sauce thickens.
- During the last 15-20 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fresh lasagna noodle strips until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Once the beef is tender, remove the thyme sprigs. Add the cooked lasagna noodle strips to the ragu, gently tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately, garnished with freshly chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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