Description
Slowly simmered Braised Beef Ragu is the ultimate Italian-inspired comfort food! Rich beef chuck roast slowly braises until meltingly tender with veggies, fresh herbs, Italian tomatoes, and red wine, creating a hearty beef ragu sauce. Simply toss it with pappardelle pasta or serve atop polenta or gnocchi for a seriously rich and comforting meal! Easy enough for a cozy Sunday dinner and delicious enough for any special occasion – date night, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, you name it!
Make Ahead-Friendly. Stove top, Oven-Braised, Slow Cooker, and Instant Pot directions provided. ♡ Happy cooking!
Ingredients
Scale
for the Braised Beef Ragu Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 ½ pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 4-6 large pieces
- 3 large carrots, peeled as desired and diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- one ¾-ounce package fresh “poultry herb blend” (or approx. 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 4 sprigs fresh sage leaves and 12 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- optional: 1 parmesan rind
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth/beef stock or water
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for Braised Beef Ragu Pasta:
- 24 ounces pappardelle or pasta of choice, such as bucatini, rigatoni, or gnocchi
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- for serving, as desired: grated parmesan, finely chopped fresh basil or parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.
Instructions
Braised Beef Ragu:
- Brown the beef: Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (I use a 5-qt Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Use paper towel to pat the surface of the beef as dry as possible, then generously season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Once the oil in the pot is shimmering hot, carefully add in the seasoned beef. Work in batches, as necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot (which prevents browning). Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside. Repeat, as necessary, with any remaining beef.
- Brown the soffritto: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pot used to brown the beef. Once hot and shimmering, add the soffritto (carrot, celery, onion), seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned, 15-20 minutes. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium or medium-low.
- Add the aromatics and deglaze: Add the garlic to the pot with the soffritto. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pot, stirring to coat the soffritto. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the red wine into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the wine is almost completely absorbed into the soffritto.
- Build and simmer the beef ragu: Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using). Add the crushed tomatoes, broth/stock or water, and browned beef chuck from Step 1. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 ½ – 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. If the beef ragu sauce begins to reduce too much (i.e. it loses too much of its liquid too quickly), feel free to add in a splash more water and/or reduce the heat further.
- Finish the braised beef ragu sauce: Carefully transfer the braised beef chuck to a plate or cutting board. At this point, you can remove and discard the spent herbs, bay leaves, and parmesan rind from the pot, as well. Use tongs or 2 forks to shred the beef into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded beef to the pot with the ragu sauce. Stir to combine. At this point, you can cool and store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage and freezing directions), or proceed with making the beef ragu pasta (below).
Braised Beef Ragu Pasta:
- Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package directions. Carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta – do NOT rinse it! (Learn more ⇢ How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time!)
- Finish the braised beef ragu sauce: Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, bring the braised beef ragu up to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Braised beef ragu pasta: Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the braised beef ragu sauce, tossing to coat. The beef ragu should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the ragu needs to loosen up a little; add in an extra handful of parmesan if it needs to tighten up a little. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with and absorb some of the ragu.
- Serve: Portion the beef ragu pasta into individual pasta bowls, topping with additional grated parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and/or crushed red pepper as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make-Ahead, Storage and Freezing:
- Beef Ragu Pasta Storage and Reheating: Once assembled, beef ragu pasta will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- Make-Ahead Beef Ragu Sauce Storage and Reheating: Beef ragu sauce stores incredibly well—it’s the type of thing that gets even better as it sits and its flavors have the chance to meld together. To store, prep the sauce through Step 5 of Recipe Directions, above. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Whip up a batch of beef ragu pasta during the week by reheating the braised beef ragu in a skillet, and completing the recipe according to “Braised Beef Ragu Pasta” Steps 1-4, above.
- Beef Ragu Sauce Freezing Instructions: Beef ragu sauce is also incredibly freezer-friendly. To freeze, transfer the cooled beef ragu sauce to a freezer container (or divide it up between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions—Souper Cubes are our fave!). Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen ragu in the refrigerator overnight or submerge the freezer container in room temperature water for a quicker thaw. Reheat the ragu sauce in a skillet. If the thawed ragu sauce is a little watery at first, simply allow any residual water simmer out. If the thawed ragu sauce is too thick, simply add in a splash of water or stock until your desired consistency is reached. Complete the recipe according to “Braised Beef Ragu Pasta” Steps 1-4, above.
- Alternate Cooking Methods:
- Oven Braised Beef Ragu: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-4, above. Rather than braising on the stovetop, transfer the covered pot to a 325 degree F oven. Braise in the oven for 2 ½ – 3 hours, until the beef chuck is fall-apart tender, then finish the beef ragu sauce as directed in Step 5 and complete the recipe according to “Braised Beef Ragu Pasta” Steps 1-4.
- Crock Pot / Slow Cooker Beef Ragu: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-3, above. Transfer the soffritto mixture to the slow cooker, along with the aromatics, tomatoes, broth/stock (or water), and browned beef chuck as directed in Step 4. Slow cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the beef sauce as directed in Step 5 and complete the recipe according to “Braised Beef Ragu Pasta” Steps 2-4, which you can do right in your slow cooker. If your slow cooker has a searing/browning feature, you can use it to cook the entire beef ragu sauce recipe (Steps 1-5) in the slow cooker.
- Electric Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Beef Ragu: Use your Instant Pot’s “Sauté” setting to build the sauce according to Steps 1-4, above. Cover and seal the pressure cooker and cook on manual high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before carefully flicking the valve to its “venting” position to vent out any residual pressure. If the ragu seems a little too liquidy, feel free to turn on the Sauté setting again, letting the sauce simmer down a little before finishing as directed in Step 5. Complete the recipe according to “Braised Beef Ragu Pasta” Steps 2-4, which you can do right in pressure cooker pot.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this braised beef ragu recipe comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of this in advance—it takes 10 minutes, tops—and you can jump straight in to cooking during the week:
- Prep the veggies: Dice 2 medium carrots, 1 stalk of celery, and 1 medium yellow onion. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active prep)