Slow cooked tender chunks of beef, plump tomatoes, hearty vegetables finished in a light tomato cream sauce. This recipe for the best homemade beef ragu is the perfect meal to warm your soul and belly. With just a few staple ingredients and a little time, this recipe will become a fall favorite!
EVER HAD BEEF RAGU?
I've been eyeing the idea of attempting beef ragu for some time. I get a lot of inspiration from dishes that I try at restaurants and this is one of them. As a result, I'm always attempting to recreate foods I've enjoyed from other cooks! Seattle has hybrid style restaurants that really put a spin on traditional dishes. Republic Restaurant and Bar has some of the best food I've ever had. Republic's Wild Boar Bolognese is out of this world!
I had leftover steak in my fridge and have been wanting to utilize it in a unique way. However, this recipe is easy to make and the reward is triple the work it takes to create this dish. Ragu sauces include meat, veggies and herbs, slow cooked in a tomato sauce until the meat breaks down to a soft texture. I used new york strip steak and it worked perfectly!
THE BEST CUT OF MEAT TO USE?
First, I had fairly thick new york strip steaks on hand and as a result, it worked very well with this Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with Reginelle Pasta. Brisket, chuck roast, skirt steak all work great for a recipe like this, just be sure to alter your cooking time based on the thickness of the meat. My steak cooked low and slow for about five hours and was the perfect level of tenderness.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RAGU SAUCE
In this paragraph, I'll discuss how I created this tasty and hearty sauce. I lightly season and flour the beef, pan searing it in oil on high heat. This step is key to having a flavorful sauce. Allowing the beef to be cooked at a high heat releasing flavor from the fat, really sets this sauce apart from others. Do not skip out on this step!
Next, the browned meat is placed in the slow cooker, topped with fresh vegetables, herbs and plump tomatoes. Cooked low and slow for hours releasing flavor beyond this world.
THE BEST PASTA TO PAIR WITH HOMEMADE BEEF RAGU
I mean, it's safe to say using appropriate pasta is key to any dish right? In addition, with such a thick sauce, this dish needs an appropriate pasta to withstand the job. I've had a hard time locating pappardelle tha works best with this dish and had to use reginelle (an egg pasta) which did quite fine! After that,if you can't locate pappardelle, use any thick and flat noodle like lasagna and split the sheets in thirds!
HOW TO SERVE BEEF RAGU
We are in the final stages of creating this beautiful , rich sauce. After time has passed and your sauce has cooked down the meat should be tender and vegetables soft. Remove the chunks of beef from the pot, place on a plate or cutting board and gently shred with two forks. Place the meat back into the sauce and add heavy cream. Similarly, this cream helps to cut the tartness from the tomatoes and truly sets this sauce a part from any other.
In a separate bowl, take the cooked pasta and add a little sauce to coat the noodles. Make servings by adding extra sauce on top of the noodles and top with your favorite cheese. Romano, parmesan or asiago cheese works best!
Interested in more slow cooker recipes or easy weeknight meals? Check these out!
Slower Cooked BBQ Shredded Chicken
Cajun-Cream Shrimp Stuffed Potatoes
Jerk Chicken Bowls with Pineapple Salsa
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with Reginelle Pasta
Equipment
- Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs Beef (Chuck Roast) beef of your choice
- Salt + Pepper to taste
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp Cooking Oil
- ¾ cup Yellow Onion roughly chopped
- ¾ cup Carrot roughly chopped
- ¾ cup Celery roughly chopped
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 28 oz Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worchestire Sauce
- ½ cup Red Wine
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Bouillon
- 3-4 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Thyme fresh or dried
- 1 tablespoon Oregano fresh or dried
- 1 tablespoon Parsley fresh or dried
- 1 lb Reginelle Pasta
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
- On a clean surface or plate, liberally season beef with salt and pepper.
- Add flour and ensure beef is covered with flour.
- In a medium sized frying pan on high heat, place beef in skillet and sear until beef becomes crispy and brown on the outside. (beef will not completely cook at this step)
- Place beef in crockpot (adding in all juices).
- Add all ingredients (except heavy cream and pasta) and cook on low for 5-6 hours until beef is completely tender and fall apart.
- After beef is cooked through and tender, remove from sauce and shred with two forks.
- Place shredded beef back into sauce and stir in heavy cream.
- Taste for flavor and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve with pasta, top with cheese and enjoy!
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