A budget cut of beef, simple pantry ingredients, a bit of patience and pappardelle pasta. This Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle may be the king of all pastas. It is hands down one of my all time favourite pastas ever!
Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce
There’s this annoying thing that’s been a thorn in my backside all my working life. This thing called pride.
I’m not a professional food photographer, or food stylist, videographer or a chef for that matter. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is being proud of everything that I have on my website, knowing that even if there are people out there who can take better photos and make better videos, that I’ve done the best I can do and I’m proud of what I’m sharing.
3 years into blogging with over 500 recipes, I still get butterflies when I hit Publish on a new or updated recipe.
And having rewritten, rephotographed and made a video for this Shredded Beef Ragu which I first shared over 2 years ago, yes I’m going to have butterflies when I hit Publish on this (again!) because it’s one of my all time personal favourites. 🙂
I have a weakness for all things slow cooked, but hands down this shredded beef ragu is one of my all time favourites. I’d dare say I love it even more than traditional Ragu Alla Bolognese. It’s the shredded beef that seals the deal for me. The way it soaks up the sauce and clings to the pasta. It’s an absolute ripper!
I’m pretty sure I first learned how to make Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle from Lidia Bastianich. Years ago, her show “Lidia’s Italy” was one of the few cooking shows on free-to-air TV and I used to watch them over and over again. Almost everything I know about Italian cooking (including the reason why I was hunting down Kale a decade before it became “cool”) is because of Lidia Bastianich. Old school, real deal Italian. 🙂
Best Pasta to serve with Ragu
The question of what type of pasta to serve with different pasta sauces is a question that I get asked quite regularly. Generally, most pasta sauces will pair perfectly well with most common pasta types, like spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, penne / ziti, macaroni, shells etc.
And while this Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce will be great with any type of pasta, the best pasta for a rich sauce like this ragu is pappardelle. This wide, flat pasta is especially great for this recipe because the shredded beef clings to the wide strands.
For pappardelle, I am quite particular about which brand I use because I’ve had problems in the past with uneven cooking. I use San Remo which is a well known trusted brand here in Australia. The pappardelle is bundled into nests so they are fully submerged when dropped into boiling water, and the nests are loose enough so the bubbling water separates the strands and the pappardelle cooks evenly.
You’ll find San Remo pappardelle at all the major supermarkets as well as fresh produce stores and delis. And here’s a photo for size context – giant pasta in my Baby Hands…..
Oh – and the other reason San Remo Pappardelle is my pasta of choice for ragu is because it’s an egg pasta. The addition of egg makes the pappardelle stronger so it doesn’t break when tossed in the thick, rich sauce.
If you’ve just invested hours of patience, slow cooking the sauce to tender perfection, you’ll make me cry if you just dump cooked pasta in a bowl and spoon over the sauce. And the entire nation of Italy will cry with me. 😉 Please promise me you will toss the ragu with the pasta before serving! It is worth it, I promise. Look how every strand of the pappardelle is beautifully coated in that luscious ragu!! – Nagi xx
Watch How To Make It
Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Sauce with Pappardelle recipe video! NOTE: Slow cooking time typo, it should read 2 – 2 1/2 hours. 🙂
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Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta
Ingredients
Ragu
- 1.25kg / 2.5 lb chuck beef or other slow cooking beef cut, cut into equal 4 pieces (Note 1)
- 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp table salt, 3 tsp flakes)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 onion , diced
- 1 cup carrots , diced (Note 2)
- 1 cup celery , diced (Note 2)
- 800g / 28oz crushed canned tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled (Note 3)
- 1 cup red wine , full bodied (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), or sub with beef broth/stock
- 1 1/2 cups water (Note 3)
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves , dried or fresh
To Serve (Not all Sauce is used)
- 1 lb /500g dried pappardelle , or other pasta of choice (Note 4)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano reggiano
- Fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Season beef, sear to brown, remove. Cook the soffrito, then add all ragu ingredients and browned beef. Slow cook 2 – 2 1/2 hrs, shred beef, simmer in sauce 30 min. Toss with al dente pappardelle with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, serve with parmesan.
FULL RECIPE:
- Season beef – Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Sear beef – Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a heavy based pot. Add beef and sear each piece aggressively on all sides until very browned (3 – 5 minutes in total), then remove onto a plate.
- Soffrito – Turn stove down to medium low and add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the carrots and celery and sauté slowly for 5 minutes (they will sweeten).
- Add remaining Ragu ingredients and return the beef to the pot (including pooled juices). Turn the stove up and bring it to a simmer, then turn it down to low so it's bubbling very very gently. (Note 7)
- Slow cook 2 – 2 1/2 hrs – Cover the pot and let it cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender enough to shred, checking first at 2 hours. Well marbled meat will cook faster than tough leaner parts. (Note 5 for slow cooker and pressure cooker).
- Shred – Remove beef then coarsely shred with 2 forks. Return beef to the pot. Simmer on low for 30 minutes with lid off until sauce is reduced and thickened – beef will soften slightly more during this step.
- Final season – Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper. ALSO, add 1/2 tsp sugar if sauce is a bit sour for your taste (Note 6). Place the lid on and set aside until ready to serve (it's even better the next day and freezes well for months!).
To Serve (Note 4):
- Al dente pasta – Bring a very large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt to the boil. Add pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time as per the packet instructions.
- Warm ragu – Meanwhile, if the ragu is warm, place 5 cups of the Ragu in a very large fry pan or pot. Heat over medium high heat while the pasta is cooking. (If your ragu is already warm, you can skip this step and do the pasta and sauce toss in the used pasta cooking pot)
- Toss – When the pasta is ready, SCOOP OUT a mugful of pasta cooking water before draining. Drain pasta then add into the ragu, add ~1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Gently toss the pasta (I use 2 wooden spoons) for 1 to 2 minutes on medium high until the sauce water evaporates and leaves you with a thick Ragu sauce that coats the pasta. (If it gets too thick, loosen with more pasta cooking water).
- Serve – Yell for your family to sit down at the dinner table because you need to serve it immediately! Serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan, or even better, with parmigiano reggiano.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Today’s recipe is brought to you with thanks to San Remo. When they asked if I would consider showcasing one of their products in a recipe, it seemed meant-to-be because I wanted to republish this Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu and in fact, I had made the video using San Remo pappardelle pasta before they approached me! I figured it was a sign. ❤️ San Remo is Australia’s most well known pasta brand and is available at supermarkets all around Australia, including the pappardelle I recommend using for this recipe.
Life Of Dozer
Pappardelle pup. (Try saying that 10 times real fast after a few glasses of wine.)
This looks awesome! I want to make this in the slow cooker for a dinner party I have coming up. Do I basically follow the same steps but then at step 5 instead of cooking it in a pot, I cook it in the slow cooker for 6 hours?
Hi Bridget! Yup, you got it exactly right 🙂
On low? (Might be a silly question…)
That’s not a silly question at all! yes on LOW 🙂
I like it, fair enough. But I have a more ambitious plan to use a large chunk of brisket, not cut up. Put all the ingredients in and cook it for 4 hours in a Dutch oven then shred it once its cooked. I will sear the brisket before putting it in with all the other ingredients then see how it turns out. This way, I believe the final result will be truly ultimate.
Using a whole brisket is BEAUTIFUL for this! 🙂
Hello! I noticed that in your handy notes you mention passatta (in #6), but there is no mention of it within the ingredients of the recipe. Is it supposed to be listed? Or did you mean tomato paste in your note?
Can’t wait to try this one!
Shezeen
Sorry for the confusion Shezeen! I was talking about passata and canned tomatoes generally 🙂 I removed passata to avoid the confusion!
Wow. If this dish tastes even half as good as it looks then I’ll be in heaven when we make it! Thanks for a great twist on a classic recipe.
Tastes BETTER than it looks! Promise! 🙂
What a delicious and satisfying meal! My husband has already told me he’s going to want it regularly. 🙂 It amazed me how even though it’s the same basic ingredients as the spaghetti sauce I make that it has such a different flavor! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Bet!!! I know, that’s the beauty of Italian cooking, just one or two little changes and KAPOW! Transforms into something so incredible!! 🙂
Your recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. Your photos are absolutely fantastic – my mouth waters just looking at them 😉 I love slow cooker meals as they are so easy and taste great.
I have a similar type slow cooker meal with beef and pasta (http://doubletherecipe.com/2016/02/03/slow-cooker-beef-pasta/)
Thanks for sharing such a great post!
Thanks for your lovely message Valerie! Must check out your recipe! 🙂
Hi Nagi, this recipe looks delicious and I am considering this recipe for my farewell party in February. The only problem is that I will have about 30 people to feed and the recipe is designed to yield 6 servings.
I was wondering if there are any tips or advice you could give me in terms of making this dish for 30 people?
I read that the beef ragu is even better the next day – is it possible to make a portion of it the day before and continue the next portion on the day?
Any advice from you would be so greatly appreciated. 🙂
Thank you!!
Hi Terry! Absolutely this is much better made the day before! Slow cooked foods like this just improve with time 🙂 Gosh, 30 people?? Woah, that’s a lot!!! Well, what you could do is make a 2 x double batches and 1 single batch (so 5 x the recipe), and make one on the stove, oven and slow cooker!!! 🙂
Thank you Nagi! I’ll start planning for it soon.
If I happen to cook batches the day before – and assuming I would be refrigerating them overnight – how should I reheat the ragu before combining with pasta on the next day to serve?
Hi Terry! Just on the stove will be fine!
Absolutely delicious. will make it again.
I did put a flat teaspoon of curry powder into the onions when I fried them.
Thanks for taking the time to let me know Sharon! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’m a absolute beginner and i was wondering how you achieved the more darker brownish colour for the ragu? The one that i made was very light coloured and red even after the slow cooking.
Aiken, Here’s a cheat for you. Invest in a bottle of ‘Parisian Browning Essence’. Funny name, since there’s nothing Parisian about it. But it’s a tasteless inert colouring agent that will darken a dish or gravy with just a few drops. Essential little item in my kitchen:-)
Hi Nagi! I have all the ingredients and am excited to make this for a small Christmas Eve Dinner in. I was hoping to make it in the Crock Pot the day prior-should I sear off the beef before I put it in the pot?
Thanks so much!
I’m so chuffed at the thought of you making this for Christmas Eve!! Yup, definitely sear the beef if you can, I really think it makes such a difference!!
I’ve had this recipe tucked away for a while and finally made it this weekend. This is so delicious. It takes a time to cook, but was not labor intensive. I made it for my extended family. Everyone loved it including my very picky 1 year old and my father (who generally doesn’t like Italian food). Thanks for all the tips.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And I really appreciate that you took the time to come back and let me know! 🙂
I have made the slow cooked beef and planning to use it in 2 days but wanted to serve it over polenta.
So I won’t be using the large fry pan, etc. Will it taste as good? Thank you so much for this beautiful meal. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hi Polly! This will be divine over polenta and YES it will taste just as good!!
Recipe sounds lovely- but can it be made in the oven at a low temperature- 275-300 degrees for a few hours ? Thanks !
Hi Marie! Sure can 🙂 Please sear the beef though! So follow the recipe up to the point of cooking on low and transfer to the oven instead!
Oh Nagi!! What a stunning recipe. My wife recently had to give up work due to ill health and, as a way of boosting her confidence, I’m helping her learn to cook, finally, after 18 years of marriage. The proud look on her face as she served your Ragu was as wonderful as it was tucking into the food itself. So not only are you sharing fantastic recipes, your helping someone on the other side of the world to bounce back from her illness. Thank you so much!
Hi Percy! What a wonderful message, thank you so much for that! It makes me so happy to think of how happy she was when she served this. Please pass on my regards to her, give her a hug from me and say that I’m SO GLAD she’s enjoying my recipes! All the best to you both! N x
Hello Nagi,
I made the shredded beef ragu in the oven based on your comments or a slow cooker and it worked out perfect. I put the sauce on the stove to thicken a bit more … maybe too much cos when I added the meat it was hard to mix it but adding the pasta water helped and the dish was just mouth-watering! Thank you!
YAY!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sonja!!
Looks amazing! Can someone please tell me how to make this recipe in the slow cooker? I want to make it for tomorrow. Thanks so much!
Very well written instructions. Pulled duck meat can be used instead of beef . Finish the dish by adding sauteed diced butternut squash to the dish and top with pitted green olives and toasted breadcrumbs.
Try Strozapretti pasta next time you make it . The chew and toothsomeness of that macaroni in combination with the meat sauce is stellar !
I will! That sounds like a great suggestion! N x
Made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday. Invited some friends. There were ten of us, and there were still leftovers. I made the following changes because I didn’t have some items. I did not add tomato paste or beef bouillon cubes with 3 cups of water, and my brisket was 2 1/2 pounds. Along with the large can of crushed tomatoes I also added an equally large can of whole tomatoes and an equally large can of tomato sauce. I added two palms full of italian seasoning and a couple dashes of nutmeg and a pinch of powdered sugar. I added half an orange bell pepper that was left over from the previous night to my soffrito. Mine slow cooked for about 7 hours in an enameled cast iron dutch overn on glass stovetop at low-medium. Of course by that time the beef had fully shredded. Wow! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you Nagi!
I’m so glad you loved it Sophie! An happy birthday to your husband!! WOW what a spread you put on! 🙂
I have been reading this recipe and comments and it sounds amazing , I have never tried this before and can’t wait till tomorrow to have a go at cooking it .I hope I do it justice
You must you must!! This is one of my all time favourite pastas, it is truly incredible! 🙂 N x
One of the beat dishes I’ve had in a long time, thank you for that. How do I get more of your recipes?
Hi Dan! Thank you for your lovely message, I am so glad you enjoyed them! You can sign up to my free newsletter if you want (here: http://eepurl.com/4kKKD), that way you will get an email each time I publish a new recipe (which is 3 times a week) plus also you will receive 2 free ecookbooks I made for readers.
Thanks for your interest! Nagi
Hi, I’ve just discovered this recipe and have it cooking in the slow cooker now. It smells amazing and seeming that the little one decided to have a good sleep, I managed to brown everything off and make the soffritto! With four hungry boys to feed I’m always looking for dishes that make enough for seconds & leftovers and this definitely looks like a winner. Thanks for sharing 🙂
YAY! So glad you loved it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!!