Slow Cooker Beef Ragu with Pappardelle (Printer-friendly)
Tender Italian beef ragu slow-cooked with tomatoes and herbs, served over pappardelle pasta. A comforting, restaurant-quality dinner.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef
01 - 2.5 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large chunks
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
→ Pantry
07 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
08 - 28 oz crushed tomatoes
09 - 1 cup beef broth
10 - 0.5 cup dry red wine
11 - 2 bay leaves
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 0.5 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
→ Pasta
15 - 1 lb pappardelle pasta
→ Garnish
16 - 0.5 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
17 - Fresh basil or parsley, chopped
# How To Make It:
01 - Season beef chunks generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
02 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear beef on all sides until browned, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to slow cooker.
03 - In the same skillet, add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute longer.
04 - Transfer vegetables to slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, beef broth, red wine, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine thoroughly.
05 - Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until beef is fall-apart tender.
06 - Discard bay leaves. Shred beef with two forks directly in slow cooker and stir to combine with sauce.
07 - About 20 minutes before serving, cook pappardelle according to package instructions until al dente. Drain well.
08 - Toss pasta with ragu or serve ragu spooned over pasta.
09 - Top with grated Parmesan and fresh herbs as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The hands-off cooking approach means you can start it in the morning, forget about it until dinner, and still feel like a culinary genius when guests rave about the depth of flavor.
- This sauce freezes beautifully, so whenever life gets chaotic, youll have a homemade dinner solution waiting that makes any weeknight feel like a special occasion.
02 -
- Browning the meat thoroughly before adding it to the slow cooker isnt optional, it builds a depth of flavor that makes all the difference between a good ragu and an extraordinary one.
- Adding a splash of the starchy pasta water to the sauce just before combining with the pappardelle creates a silky emulsion that helps the sauce cling beautifully to each strand.
03 -
- For an even more luxurious finish, stir in a tablespoon of cold butter just before serving, letting it melt into the hot sauce to create a silky, velvety texture that coats the pasta beautifully.
- If you find your sauce too thin after cooking, remove the lid for the last 30-45 minutes to allow some liquid to evaporate and concentrate the flavors, rather than adding thickeners that would muddy the clean taste.