Beef Ragu | Diethood – Joory Health

This beef ragu with pappardelle pasta is one in all my favourite Italian impressed dinners. After an extended gradual roast within the oven, finances pleasant beef chuck turns into collapse tender. Simmered with juicy tomatoes and herbs, it turns into essentially the most unbelievable shredded beef ragu.

Brief on time tonight? If you happen to’re in search of a fast pasta recipe, attempt my home made alfredo sauce, purple pepper pasta sauce, or this 20-minute spicy rigatoni vodka.

Close up overhead view of beef ragu with pappardelle pasta in a bowl garnished with parsley and a lemon wedge.

A slow-cooked sauce of tender beef and tomatoes, beef ragu is a conventional Italian recipe that takes a little bit of persistence. BUT the components and methodology are tremendous easy. This basic meat sauce will get simmered in a Dutch oven for at the least a few hours, like a pot roast. By the point it’s completed cooking, you’re rewarded with beef that virtually comes aside by itself within the savory tomato sauce. I serve my ragu over broad noodles referred to as pappardelle, nevertheless it’s scrumptious with any pasta.

Why You’ll Love This Sluggish Cooked Beef Ragu Recipe

The flavour builds for hours. Like Mexican birria, Irish beef stew, and French beef bourguignon, good issues come to those that wait (for the meat to complete gradual cooking). Italian ragu is the type of slow-simmering sauce that weekend afternoons are made for.
Hearty shredded beef. Positive, you may make genuine ragu alla Bolognese with floor beef, however I’m all concerning the slow-cooked, shredded beef on this recipe. It soaks up the sauce and provides this ragu a heartier texture.
Simple. It’s true, beef ragu takes time. However there’s solely about 10 minutes of hands-on prep earlier than you permit many of the work to your oven!

Beef ragu ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Recipe Elements

These are the components you’ll must make this shredded beef ragu sauce. I’ve additionally included just a few notes beneath for simple swaps and further tricks to get the most effective taste. Please scroll to the printable recipe card for the total particulars.

Beef – I favor beef chuck, however you may make ragu with any slow-cooking reduce of meat, corresponding to brisket, pork shoulder, or lamb.
Olive Oil – I like to recommend refined olive oil for searing and sautéeing. You would additionally use one other cooking oil, like avocado or vegetable oil.
Carrots, Celery, and Onion – Chopped. I reduce the carrots into ½” rounds.
Garlic – Freshly chopped or minced. If you happen to don’t have recent garlic, substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder as an alternative.
Tomato Paste – You would additionally use tomato purée or tomato sauce.
Beef Broth – I extremely suggest beef broth, as the flavour is richer and deeper than rooster broth. You too can substitute half of the broth with dry purple wine in case you’d like.
Canned Tomatoes – If yow will discover canned San Marzano tomatoes, these have the most effective taste and sweetness. In any other case, select your favourite can of chopped tomatoes. You would at all times add a pinch of sugar (to style) afterward.
Herbs – Bay leaves, dried thyme, and freshly chopped parsley. You would use recent thyme, too, although you’ll want roughly 3x the quantity of recent to dried.
Pasta – Pappardelle is the normal selection for ragu. In any other case, you should use any broad pasta or short-cut varieties.

The Finest Pasta to Serve With Ragu

Most pasta sauces are fairly interchangeable when it comes to the pasta you pair them with, whether or not that’s spaghetti, fettuccine, and so on. Whereas the identical could be mentioned about this beef ragu, the most effective pasta for wealthy, meaty sauces like ragu must be pappardelle. The broad, flat noodles give the shredded beef and sauce loads of floor space to cling to.

Professional tip: If you happen to don’t have pappardelle however you’ve got a field of lasagna sheets within the pantry, reduce the lasagna sheet lengthwise into 1” strips. Afterward, boil the pasta in response to the instructions on the bundle. Voila!

Secrets and techniques to Actually Good Ragu

Construct layers of taste. You’ll discover that this ragu recipe includes searing the meat, cooking the greens, and layering the sauce components individually at first comes collectively to prepare dinner within the oven. Don’t take shortcuts! Every step brings out the flavors of the components, which is essential.
Prepare dinner the meat for lengthy sufficient. Beef chuck is ideal for slow-cooking recipes like beef ragu. The important thing phrase is “gradual cooking.” After hours within the oven, the meat turns into fall-apart tender sufficient to shred simply with a fork. Ensure to finances sufficient time for the ragu to prepare dinner totally, nonetheless, or it’ll be powerful.
Avoid wasting pasta water. Earlier than you drain the cooked pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the leftover pasta water. All that starchy water is nice for including taste to the completed ragu. Add a splash, and extra as wanted, in case your sauce has thickened throughout cooking.

Continuously Requested Questions

What’s the distinction between beef ragu and Bolognese?

Ragu and Bolognese sauce are each within the meat sauce household, with just a few key variations. Ragu is extra of a wealthy tomato sauce with chunks of beef all through. In the meantime, Bolognese is made with milk and tends to be thicker, creamier, and far much less tomato-y. Try my rigatoni Bolognese in case you’re in search of one other hearty pasta dinner this week!

Why is my beef powerful?

If the meat chuck continues to be powerful, even after it’s been within the oven for two ½ to three hours, likelihood is it merely must prepare dinner for longer. Examine that the sauce is effervescent beneath the lid. If it’s not, the warmth is just too low. Whether it is effervescent gently, keep affected person. The meat ought to soften quickly sufficient!

Can I make beef ragu with floor beef?

Sure! You can also make this beef ragu recipe with floor beef in case you’d favor. I nonetheless suggest browning the mince within the Dutch oven first and following the remainder of the recipe as directed. You could discover that floor beef wants much less time to prepare dinner. You would even get away with simmering the sauce fully on the stovetop.

Close-up photo of pappardelle with beef ragu served in a bowl with a fork.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Sauce

Refrigerate. Retailer leftover beef ragu in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
Reheat. Heat up the sauce on the stovetop or within the microwave, stirring on occasion in order that it heats by evenly.
Freeze. This ragu freezes nicely for as much as 2 months. I prefer to portion the leftovers into smaller freezer-safe containers to thaw and reheat as wanted.

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Put together the meat. Reduce the meat into 4 items and season it to style with salt and pepper.
Sear the meat. Warmth the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high warmth. Sear the meat on all sides, then take away it onto a plate. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350˚F.
Sauté the veggies. In the identical Dutch oven, add carrots, celery, and onions. Prepare dinner, stirring over medium-high warmth for five minutes.
Add garlic and tomato paste. Add the garlic and prepare dinner for 30 seconds or till aromatic. Add tomato paste and prepare dinner for 30 seconds.
Deglaze the pan. Pour the meat broth steadily into the Dutch oven and stir to carry any browned bits from the underside of the pan.
Add tomatoes. Add the can of chopped tomatoes and water. Stir nicely to mix. Carry to a simmer and prepare dinner for 10 minutes.
Add herbs. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Season all of it with salt and pepper to style.
Prepare dinner within the oven. Cowl the meat ragu with a lid and pop it within the oven for 2½-3 hours or till tender.
Shred and proceed to prepare dinner on the stovetop. Take away it from the oven. Then, take away the meat from the pot and shred it with two forks. Place the shredded beef again into the pot and simmer on the range over medium warmth for half-hour.
Boil the pasta. Whereas the ragu is cooking, prepare dinner the pasta in response to the instructions on the bundle.
Put all of it collectively. Toss freshly cooked pasta with the ragu and garnish with chopped parsley earlier than serving.

Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in response to the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.

How you can Make Beef Ragu

You’ll want a Dutch oven or an identical oven-safe, deep lined casserole dish for this recipe. Then, embrace your inside nonna and observe the steps right here:

Pieces of seared beef chuck inside a Dutch oven. — Sear the meat.

Put together the meat. Begin by chopping the meat chuck into 4 even-sized items. Season the meat with salt and pepper, after which sear it in a big Dutch oven with oil to brown it on all sides. Afterward, transfer the meat to a plate.
Prepare dinner the veggies. Whereas the oven preheats (350ºF), add your chopped carrots, celery, and onions to the identical pot. Sauté over medium-high warmth for a couple of minutes, stirring usually. Subsequent, stir within the garlic and tomato paste.
Deglaze the pot. Now, pour within the beef broth. Use a picket spoon to scrape any stuck-on bits from the underside of the pot.

Seared beef added back into the pot with ragu ingredients. — Add tomatoes, herbs, and beef, and prepare dinner.

Add tomatoes and simmer. Lastly, stir within the canned tomatoes and ¼ cup of water, and produce the entire thing to a simmer.
Add herbs. After 10 minutes, drop in your bay leaves and sprinkle within the thyme. Examine the sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper as wanted.
Add the meat and prepare dinner. Return the seared beef items to the Dutch oven, then cowl the pot with a lid and place it into the oven. You’ll go away it in there to prepare dinner at 350ºF for a great 2 ½ to three hours till the meat is fall-apart-tender.

Shred the meat. As soon as your ragu has cooked, take away the meat and shred it earlier than returning it to the pot another time. Simmer the ragu on the stovetop now, over medium warmth for about half-hour.
Prepare dinner the pasta. Whereas the sauce simmers, boil your pappardelle in response to the instructions on the bundle.
Put all of it collectively. Toss the drained pasta with the ragu, sprinkle over some parsley, and serve.